By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Rainier Beach Vikings had started slowly in several games during the boys state 3A basketball tournament. But Saturday night in their championship game against Lincoln, the Beach Boyz started fast and never let off the gas.
After winning the opening tip, Rainier Beach’s freshman sensation JJ Crawford sank a long jump shot, putting the Vikings on the board at 2-0. The Vikings’ offense was in sync, but Tyran Stokes, the No. 1 high school prospect in the country, picked up his first foul of the game just 45 seconds into the opening quarter. Teammates Micah Ili-Meneese and KJ Hightower extended the Vikings’ lead to 6-0 after Hightower slipped to the floor and made a basket while sitting down. With 4:15 left on the clock, Stokes picked up his second foul, sending Lincoln’s Davion Shareef-Dulanaey to the free-throw line, where he made one of two baskets, scoring Lincoln’s first points of the night. Stokes followed with an opportunity to convert a three-point play but missed the extra basket as Rainier Beach pushed its lead to 8-1. Riding Stokes’ momentum, Micah Ili-Meneese went on a solo 4-0 run, resulting in a Lincoln timeout with 3:04 left on the clock.
Coming out of the break, Stokes picked up his third foul, sending him to the bench for the remainder of the first quarter. In the final minute of the opening quarter, Lincoln’s Justus Holt scored under the rim, and Vikings Knowledge Wright and Marques Ili-Meneese combined to score 6 points to give Rainier Beach an 18-3 lead going into the second quarter.
While the pace of the game was fast and intense, the teams went scoreless during the first two minutes of the second quarter. Hightower broke the drought as he scored off the glass, sparking another 4-0 run by the Vikings to bring the score to 22-3, forcing the Abes to call a timeout. After the timeout, Shareef-Dulanaey converted a three-point play to narrow the gap to 22-6.
The Abes continued to struggle offensively and defensively as Rainier Beach dominated both sides of the ball. With swats from Achilles Reyna and Marques Ili-Meneese and 4 points from Crawford, the Vikings were on a roll as they increased their lead to 28-6. With 3:02 left in the first half, Stokes returned to the game after exiting in the first quarter due to foul trouble and immediately made his presence felt as he found Reyna for a dunk that ignited the gym, making the score 30-6.
Crawford, who had been a spark plug for Rainier Beach throughout the first half, continued to shine with a steal and dunk after Wes Armstrong’s putback to further stretch the Vikings’ lead to 34-6. With less than a minute remaining, Armstrong scored another putback, Lincoln’s Kasey Williams managed to score a shot under the rim, and Stokes capped the quarter with a basket, sending Rainier Beach into halftime with a commanding 38-8 lead.
Crawford finished the first half with 8 points and 2 assists, while Micah Ili-Meneese finished the first half with 6 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Vikings. Shareef-Dulanaey finished with 4 points and 6 rebounds in the first half to lead the Abes.
The Abes started the second half with a sense of urgency as Jalan Lillie scored a quick bucket under the rim, cutting the deficit to 38-10. With a steal and dash down the court, Stokes slammed down a dunk, giving the Vikings a thirty-point advantage at 40-10.
But the Abes would not back down, as they went on an 8-0 run led by Shareef-Dulanaey, prompting Rainier Beach head coach Mike Bethea to call a timeout.
After the timeout, Stokes came out firing with a quick shot under the rim, and the Vikings remained in the lead at 42-18. The Abes then had a slim burst of energy with a 4-0 run to cut the deficit to 42-22. Stokes responded with a free throw to make the score 43-22.
As the scoring picked up, Rainier Beach maintained its lead. Shareef-Dulanaey poured in 5 points, highlighted by a three-point play. Stokes assisted Crawford for two three-point shots, and the Beach Boyz led 54-30 with just seconds remaining in the third quarter.
To cap the third quarter, Lamar connected on a three-point shot at the buzzer. But it was the Beach Boyz’ game to lose as they went into the final quarter leading 54-33.
In the final quarter of the 3A boys state championship game, Holt opened the quarter with a contested shot off the glass, making the score 54-35. Kam Babbs then went on a 4-0 run as he stretched the Vikings’ lead to 58-35. As the quarter began to pass by with possessions alternating quickly, Williams and Holt combined for 10 points, and Shareef-Dulanaey sank a long-range three-point shot with about three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, but the Vikings remained in the lead at 68-49.
For the Vikings, they never let up, as Micah Ili-Meneese and Stokes combined for 11 points, with Stokes scoring 5 in the final minutes. With just seconds left on the clock, Lincoln’s Jalan Lillie scored one final basket, and Viking Louis Harris sealed the win with a shot under the rim as Rainier Beach claimed the 2026 boys state 3A basketball championship with a 75-53 victory over Lincoln.
Micah Ili-Meneese was named the game’s MVP as he finished the game with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Crawford finished with 18 points and 3 rebounds to lead the Vikings. For Lincoln, Shareef-Dulanaey finished with 18 points, 8 rebounds, and 1 assist.
After the game, Bethea was grinning from ear to ear after adding another championship title under his belt.
“[Another one], we like that. It has been great,” said Bethea. “We set a goal for the team, and we said anything but a championship was going to be a disappointing year. So, I am glad to say the year wasn’t disappointing and it has been more than great.”
Stokes showed his enthusiasm as he waved his jersey and said, “We run this city, this is our city. State Champs baby!”
Pictorial highlights of Rainier Beach vs Lincoln
Photos/Tyler Artis
