AUBURN — It was sure to be a tough ride home for the Hudson’s Bay boys basketball team.
The Eagles had to pass the Tacoma Dome twice Tuesday.
Unfortunately for them, they will not be going back to the dome. Not this season, anyway.
Mount Rainier of Des Moines held off Bay 71-65 in a winner-to-state, loser-out game in the Class 3A bi-district tournament.
It was a frustrating end to a special couple of weeks for the Eagles, who needed a buzzer-beater to advance in the district tournament and then won the district championship. Bay then lost back-to-back chances to get to state in this bi-district event.
“This is kind of a storybook ending,” Bay junior Ingo Arrozal said, referring to the run for the district title and earning these opportunities to get to the dome. “We should have won this one, too. That would have been even better.”
Instead, it was a disappointing night against the Rams.
The Eagles were whistled for two technical fouls after some calls did not go in their favor, and then they missed on about a dozen chances to tie or take the lead in the second half.
It never happened for the Eagles.
The Eagles missed two 3-pointer while trailing 66-63, then missed a jumper when it was 66-64. Delvonte Aliifua’s basket with 18 seconds left gave the Rams a four-point lead. A Bay turnover led to free throws to secure the win for Mount Rainier.
“We just kept battling,” said Arrozol, who had 14 points and five assists. “Just a few missed shots. We were there. We were close.”
Gabe Foster led the Eagles with 20 points. He made three 3-pointers in his final game for his school.
“It’s been great,” he said, trying to compose himself after an emotional last post-game meeting.
Foster and the Eagles just wished they had more games to play.
“What’s sad for me is it’s over,” Bay coach Andy Meyer said. “We don’t get to go to practice. That’s the hardest thing.
“I felt like we battled. We had some breaks that did not go our way. I didn’t fault our kids at all. They worked hard.”
Effort and execution are different things, though.
The Eagles shot 38 percent from the floor, while the Rams were 50 percent or better in all four quarters, finishing 25 of 48, 52 percent.
Bryce McPhee was 8 of 14 for his 25 points, and he grabbed nine rebounds to lead the Rams. Aliifua and Malik Rodgers came off the bench and combined for 28 points on 10-of-11 shooting.
Even with all that, the Eagles had their chances.
Trailing by 10 midway through the second quarter, the Eagles chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to two early in the third period. That’s when it got frustrating for Bay.
The Eagles had the ball eight times in the second half trailing by three or less. Add in the offensive rebounds, and there were 11 attempts to catch the Rams.
“I felt like we couldn’t get over the hump,” Meyer said. “Execution-wise, we made some mistakes. But the effort was always there.”
Derrick Brooks added 12 points for the Eagles. Tra Ponder (10 points) and Danny Christensen (nine) provided sparks off the bench for Bay.
The Eagles started hot. Foster made his first three shots — including two 3-pointers — for an 8-2 lead. The Rams would score the next 14 points, though, before Bay’s Danny Christensen swished a 30-footer at the quarter horn.
The Rams never relinquished that lead, and the Eagles are now done.
“When the dust settles, we were the district champions and we won the North Marion tournament over the break. They can come back and see those trophies. Those are the things they’ll have fond memories of,” Meyer said.
