Rainier Beach Cruises Past West Seattle in Must-Win District Contest


Rainier Beach Cruises Past West Seattle in Must-Win District Contest
By Steve Dion

Friday- February 19th 2016 Boys 3A SeaKing
Bellevue College 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
West Seattle 8 7 11 14 40
Rainier Beach 17 13 16 25 71


Rainier Beach junior N’Kiel Nelson

Rainier Beach punches its ticket to a must-win SeaKing consolation game on Saturday with a comfortable win against West Seattle. Kevin Porter’s 11 first-half points helped the Vikings gain a big lead at the half which continued to grow as the game wore on. Wildcat junior Yusuf Mohamed led his team with 13 including a pair from beyond the arc.

However, the emergence of Sam Cunliffe in the third and fourth quarters allowed Rainier Beach to cruise to a 71-40 victory. After the game, Cunliffe talked about the team’s mindset right now stating, “We just want to get one game at a time. Our goal right now is to get to the state championship.” When asked about work their way to regionals after an opening round loss in districts, he added, “Losing to O’Dea and the things that have happened, our team has come together after that loss.”

With the win, Beach meets Mercer Island on Saturday with the winner claiming the fifth and final seed to qualify for regionals. West Seattle’s season comes to an end with reason for optimism moving forward given its young talent.

The Final Score
Rainier Beach 71, West Seattle 40.

Top Performers:

Rainier Beach
Sam Cunliffe- 17 points

West Seattle
Yusuf Mohamed- 13 points

Rainier Beach Defends Crawford Court Against Garfield


Rainier Beach Defends Crawford Court Against Garfield
By Steve Dion

Tuesday- February 2nd 2016 Boys 3A Metro
Rainier Beach High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Garfield 21 20 13 15 69
Rainier Beach 20 16 20 20 76


Rainier Beach combo guard Kevin Porter

In a rematch of last year’s 3A state final, the defending champs Garfield ventured south to Crawford Court to take on Rainier Beach in front of a capacity crowd for a battle of the top teams in Washington.

Kevin Porter gave Rainier Beach an early lift by scoring ten first quarter points as part of his sixteen total including a pair of thunderous dunks. The Bulldogs’ lethal back-court of Jashaun Agosto, Daejon Davis, Terrell Brown, and Jaylen Nowell were faced with the challenge of operating without versatile forward Alphonso Anderson. Garfield received ample contributions from the four guard and carried a 41-36 lead to halftime through high-percentage buckets on dribble penetration.

The Bulldog lead reached eight in the opening minutes of the third frame and was dangerously close to hitting double digits, but Beach fought back. Tijohn Rodde knocked down a pair from downtown Seattle as part of an extended run for the home team which brought the score within two heading into the final quarter.

Sam Cunliffe who led all scorers with 25 continued to attack the rim with ferocity and helped the Vikings grab the lead and start to pull away. Daejon Davis who led GHS with a team-high 21 battled back with acrobatic finishes at the cup to keep the champs within striking distance. Needing a clutch bucket late, Agosto answered with a monster three-pointer to draw the game within a point leaving only 26 seconds to spare. Rainier Beach’s ability to bury free throws in the final possessions allowed them to create separation and secure a seven point victory.

The Final Score
Rainier Beach 76, Garfield 69.

Top Performer:

Rainier Beach
Sam Cunliffe- 25 points

Garfield
Daejon Davis- 21 points