Garfield Knocks Off Reigning Champs Beach
By Steve Dion

Garfield Bulldogs

For the fourth time this season, legendary Washington hoops programs Garfield & Rainier Beach squared off. To say these teams are familiar with eachother is an understatement. The previous three meetings this season all led up to this decisive night as the winner would punch its ticket to semifinal Friday of the Hardwood Classic.

The star guard matchup of Kevin Porter Jr. for Beach and Jaylen Nowell of Garfield presented itself without surprise as the two matched buckets throughout the first two frames. They accounted for 17 and 16 points respectively in the first half alone. Garfield who was without utility man Curtis Walker saw increased minutes by Jalani Howard and Mekhi Metcalf to fill the void. The Bulldogs who lead the season series 2-1 led by three with sixteen minutes separating themselves from another trip to the state semis.

Drama grew quickly in the third quarter with every successive possession becoming more critical than the previous. Jaylen Nowell continued to attack the cup with ferocity and was aided by growing contributions by his fellow guards Daejon Davis & Eddie Turner who both scored in double figures. This contributed to a lead that continued to grow into the late stages of the fourth quarter. With a ten point deficit and under three to go, Beach needed stops.

The battle-tested Viks were able to turn the ball over multiple times to draw the game within one possession and ten seconds to go. Kevin Porter Jr. and Tijohn Rodde figured heavily into the comeback with N’Keil Nelson & Khalil Shabazz fouled out. Jaylen Nowell went to the line to shoot a pair of free throw which he converted on both attempts. Rainier Beach had one final attempt to hit a game-tying 3-pointer, but the shot fell short and Garfield breathes a massive sigh of relief as they head into semifinal Friday.

The Final Score
Garfield 59, Rainier Beach 58

Top Performers:
Garfield
Jaylen Nowell- 24 points, 5 rebounds

Rainier Beach
Kevin Porter Jr.- 28 points, 13 rebounds

Beach Opens Title Defense Victorious, Garfield Next
By Steve Dion

It’s never a question of whether Rainier Beach will be here, it’s how far they’ll go. In the last handful of seasons, Mike Bethea’s has built a dynasty compiling 4 of the past 5 state titles. This season, the road to hoist the hardware will be a much tougher challenge. The Vikings quest for another title run began Wednesday night with a matchup against perennial KingCo power Bellevue. The winner would earn a quarterfinal matchup with Garfield on Thursday.

The defending champs made quick work of a young Wolverines squad from the opening tip. N’Keil Nelson’s toughness in the paint was too much for Bellevue’s interior defense and allowed the Beach wing to record 13 first-half points as part of a game-high 20. Additionally, Khalil Shabazz’s lock-down defense forced several turnovers leading to transition buckets for Kevin Porter Jr. who finished with 18.

The Wolverines were able to string together a more competitive second half even though the damage was done. Spencer Birkeland was able to reach double figures, but the experience Vikings held BHS to 38 points in the ballgame. Mike Bethea was able to get 9 Vikings in the scoring column in this convincing opening-round win.

Rainier Beach opens the Hardwood Classic in dominant fashion, but the road quickly gets tougher. They’ll battle the Bulldogs of Garfield tomorrow for the fourth time this year. A win would even the season series at two apiece, but at this stage, it’s win or go home. Make sure to catch the live broadcast of Thursday’s primetime matchup at www.theFinalScore.TV!

The Final Score
Rainier Beach 69, Bellevue 38

Top Performers:
Rainier Beach
N’Keil Nelson- 20 points

Bellevue
Spencer Birkeland- 10 points

Rainier Beach Downs Garfield in SeaKing Opener
By Steve Dion

Rainier Beach Junior Fred Roberson

In their third matchup of the season the most recent merely six days ago in the Metro League semifinals at Alaska Airlines Arena, Rainier Beach & Garfield found themselves matched up in the first round of the district tournament as postseason play continues to heat up.

Insistent on beating the Bulldogs this season, Beach stormed out of the gates with a 9 point lead after the first frame fueled by Khalil Shabazz’s intensity on both ends of the floor reaching double figures in the blink of an eye. Garfield’s malaise continued as the first half progressed, although Daejon Davis’ ability to finish a few tough shots in the paint was a bright spot that kept the Bulldogs within striking distance heading into the second half.

When play resumed, the Vikings collaborated for a full-team effort where Nehemie Kabeya’s toughness on the glass and N’Keil Nelson’s ability to thwart Garfield runs helped them retain their lead to the finish line. The Bulldogs enjoyed a standout performance by ever-improving Eddie Turner and the emergence of a perimeter shot by J’Raan Brooks, but it proved too little for the highly-motivated Beach Boys.

Garfield still maintains a 2-1 lead in the season series over their rival to the south, but Rainier Beach showed they are hungry to defend their state title as the run to the Dome continues!

The Final Score
Rainier Beach 66, Garfield 57

Top Performers:
Rainier Beach
N’Keil Nelson- 20 points

Garfield
J’Raan Brooks- 17 points

Garfield Conquers Rainier Beach, Plays Nathan Hale in Metro Final
By Colin Caruso

Garfield Senior Jaylen Nowell

In the fourth and final game at historic Hec Edmundson Pavilion and Alaska Airlines Arena, the defending state champion Rainier Beach Vikings took on the Garfield Bulldogs for a trip to the Metro finals to face Nathan Hale.  These two programs have produced the last seven state champions for Washington State boys 3A basketball.

Defense was relatively non-existent in the beginning of the game, with 12 total points scored in the first minute of play.  The strenuous pace and back and forth transition play continued throughout the first, with Garfield taking a 25-24 lead into the second quarter.

The transition heavy first quarter changed to a half court set heavy second quarter.  Both coaching staffs knew their teams could not keep the frantic pace for the 32 minutes of play.  Rainier Beach took a slim 42-41 lead into the break.

Beach extended their lead to as many as 8 points in the middle of the third, but the Bulldogs would not go away.  In the waning moments of the third, Garfield converted on a layup, and an immediate steal by Jaylen Noel led to a three point play for the Bulldogs, who trailed by just two.  Kevin Porter traveled on the next Rainier Beach possession and a layup at the buzzer from Daejon Davis of Garfield tied the game at 56 going into the final frame.

Two early mid-range jumpers from J’Raan Brooks put Garfield in front by four early in the fourth, but a Khalil Shabazz Beach three pointer and layup brought Beach back in front.  Noel followed with back-to-back layups for the Bulldogs, pushing the lead to three for Garfield.  Two free throws from the Vikings cut the lead to just one with under two minutes to play.  After Davis went one for two from the line, the Vikings turned the ball over late in the shot clock, handing the ball back to the Bulldogs with one minute remaining.

Eddie Turner of the Bulldogs converted on a runner after a Garfield timeout, and a turnover by Rainier Beach led to another Garfield possession.  After drawing a foul, Davis missed the front end of a one and one, the rebound to Kevin Porter for Beach who was fouled in transition.  He made both free throws to cut the Bulldog lead to two with 30 seconds on the clock.

Rainier Beach was forced to foul, and Eddie Turner made both free throws to put the Bulldogs up four with 17 seconds remaining.  A missed three from Porter and a rebound to the Bulldogs sealed the deal for Garfield, who won 76-70 and will take on #1 in the country Nathan Hale on Friday.

The Final Score
Garfield 76, Rainier Beach 70

Top Performers:
Garfield
Jaylen Nowell- 28 points

Rainier Beach
Kevin Porter Jr.- 23 points