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Tuesday, March 19, 2024
March 19, 2024

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3A boys basketball: Defending champ Rainier Beach too much for Columbia River

Chieftains season ends with 77-35 loss in regional round

By , Columbian Sports Editor
Published:

BELLEVUE — To beat top-ranked Rainier Beach, Columbia River would have had to play a nearly flawless game.

Saturday, the Chieftains were far from perfect.

Therefore, Rainier Beach dominated throughout Columbia River’s 77-35 loss in the 3A state boys basketball playoffs at Bellevue College.

“We’ve played a couple of good teams, but we weren’t ready for this,” River guard Andrew Vickers said. “They’re a great team. You have to hand it to them.”

River had long scoring droughts. The Chieftains didn’t score for the first 4:55 of the first quarter and the first 5:28 of the second quarter. By that point, Rainier Beach had opened a 32-8 lead.

River was plagued by turnovers. The Chieftains had more of those (26) than field goals (10).

“Turnovers were an issue for us,” Vickers said. “We knew we had to take care of the ball for us to have a chance. We just didn’t do that tonight.”

Rainier Beach (23-3) advances to the final eight in the Tacoma Dome while Columbia River’s season is over at 18-7.

As the unanimous No. 1 team in the latest 3A Associated Press statewide poll, Rainier Beach is favored to win its fourth consecutive state title. The Vikings entered Saturday having won 11 in a row by an average of 22.7 points per game.

Rainier Beach is one of the most prolific programs in the state for putting players in powerhouse NCAA programs and the NBA. Notable alumni include Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson and Terrence Williams.

Dejounte Murray, the top-rated high school basketball recruit in the state, has committed to play at the University of Washington.

Saturday, Murray looked every bit the blue-chip recruit, totaling a game-high 19 points and 14 rebounds. Midway through the third quarter, the 6-foot-5 guard had nearly as many dunks (5) as Columbia River had field goals (6).

But what really caused River problems was Rainier Beach’s full-court pressure defense. Of River’s 26 turnovers, 20 were steals forced by long, quick Vikings defenders.

The Vikings were relentless, maintaining the high-pressure style throughout the second half. River’s 20-point halftime deficit gradually became 30, then 35, then finally 42.

“We prepared for them, but we knew at the same time that they’re a great team,” Vickers said. “There was only so much we could do. We gave it our best effort.”

River was without its leading scorer Joey Bean, who broke his ankle in the first round of the bi-district playoffs. Saturday, the Chieftains struggled from the field, shooting 29.4 percent. That included 2-for-15 shooting from 3-point range.

Nathan Hawthorne led River with nine points while Vincent Daniels had a team-high seven rebounds.

RAINIER BEACH 77, COLUMBIA RIVER 35

COLUMBIA RIVER — Nathan Hawthorne 9, Andrew Vickers 8, Vincent Daniels 4, Jacob Hjort 3, Drew Moore 0, Tyler Hellman 0, Spencer Long 4, Chad Pedigo 2, Grant Turner 3, Christian Stromme 2, Jordan Hall 0. Totals 10 (2) 13-17 35.

RAINIER BEACH — Shadeed Shabazz 9, Ivy Smith 6, Vincinzio Reizer 9, De’Jounte Murray 19, Devon Bolton 1, Phil White 0, Kahlil Shabazz 9, Jeff Belmonte 6, Kevin Porter 10, Marquise Furski 6, Dupree Daily 2, Brandon Barnes 0. Totals 32 (8) 5-7 77.

Columbia River 8 9 9 9—35

Rainier Beach 17 20 21 19—77

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