By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, the two top-ranked teams, the Rainier Beach Vikings (24-2 Overall) and the Bellevue Wolverines (21-5 Overall), competed in a highly anticipated matchup to determine who would be crowned the 3A District 2 boys’ champions at Bellevue College.
The Vikings won the opening tip, and Jaylen Petty and Marques Ili-Meneese quickly put Rainier Beach on the board, scoring the first four points of the night. Bellevue’s Bryce Smith responded with the Wolverines’ first basket, making it 5-2.
The first quarter saw fast-paced, back-and-forth action, with key contributions from Rainier Beach’s Dre Morris, who scored five first-quarter points, and Bellevue’s Nick Norrah, who led his team with six points in the opening period. Despite an early deficit, Bellevue quickly closed the gap with efficient shooting. Ili-Meneese made his presence felt on defense, swatting a Norrah three-point attempt out of bounds, but Norrah bounced back on the next possession with a basket.
In the final minute, Beach struggled offensively, committing several turnovers and throwing errant passes out of bounds. Bellevue also had trouble finding the basket, as they air-balled a three-point attempt at the buzzer, showing that the nerves were clearly getting to both teams. The first quarter ended with the Beach Boys leading 16-14.
Both teams continued to battle in the second quarter, with Jaylen Petty and Marques Ili-Meneese playing a key role for Rainier Beach, securing key rebounds and helping the Vikings maintain a slight edge over Bellevue. Norrah continued to push the pace for the Wolverines, as he scored their first four points of the quarter, but Morris responded with five of his own, pushing Beach’s lead to 21-18.
Bellevue began to assert itself in the paint, as Smith grabbed critical rebounds and converted on second-chance opportunities. As the quarter wound down, Rainier Beach looked to control the tempo. With 17 seconds remaining, Petty dribbled around the court, seemingly trying to drain the clock for a final shot. However, Bellevue’s Brody Treves made a clutch defensive play, stripping the ball from Petty and setting up Smith for a three-point shot that sent Bellevue into the half trailing 34-26.
At the start of the new half, the intensity of the game picked up significantly, as both teams started to dig in defensively. Petty and Ili-Meneese set the tone early, as both started off the quarter with a steal and a block. From here on out, it was a back-and-forth battle, as both teams were blocking shots, getting steals, and draining shots, while the excitement of the game continued to build.
With five minutes remaining in the quarter, Jaylen Petty converted an and-1, extending Rainier Beach’s lead to 44-30. The play seemed to ignite Bellevue, as the Wolverines responded with a sense of urgency. On the next possession, Norrah executed a clever inbound play, bouncing the ball off Marques Ili-Meneese’s back before putting it up for a quick two points.
Both teams showcased strong defensive efforts down the stretch. A Bellevue defender came up with a big block on Rainier Beach’s Nyale Robinson, but Robinson quickly made up for it with a steal, passing ahead to Kaden Powers, who darted the court before he was called for an offensive foul.
Norrah provided Bellevue with a much-needed spark to close the quarter, draining a deep three-pointer to shift the momentum. Despite the late push, the Vikings maintained control, heading into the final quarter with a 51-42 lead.
Bellevue started with possession in the final quarter, but Rainier Beach quickly took control and never looked back. Powers led the charge for the Vikings, scoring eight points in the fourth quarter, including six from the free-throw line.
In a last-minute effort to close the gap, Bellevue’s Tayten Jones and Bryce Kageyama made successful trips to the free-throw line. However, the Wolverines struggled to build momentum. Ultimately, the fouls Bellevue committed on Powers, sending him to the free-throw line three times, slowed Bellevue down, and Beach took advantage, with Powers connecting on all of his free throws down the stretch.
Nyale Robinson sealed the victory with two three-point shots in the closing minutes, extending the Vikings’ lead and securing a 71-57 win for Rainier Beach.
The Beach Boys were led by Powers, who finished the night with 23 points, and Morris, who scored 17 points to help lead the Vikings to victory. Bellevue was led by Norrah, who finished the game with 19 points, while Jones chipped in 17 points to lead Bellevue.
With the win, both teams will advance to the 3A state tournament next week, but the Rainier Beach Vikings not only claimed the 3A District 2 championship but also secured what should be a very high ranking going into the tournament.
