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Rainier Beach Blasts Lincoln in Quarterfinals

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Rainier Beach Blasts Lincoln in Quarterfinals
By Steve Dion

Thursday- March 3rd 2016 Boys 3A State
Tacoma Dome 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Lincoln 18 10 17 18 63
Rainier Beach 16 24 19 22 81


Rainier Beach junior N’Keil Nelson

A battle of teams hailing from Seattle and Tacoma placed Rainier Beach and Lincoln in a Thursday lunchtime bout. The Abes enjoyed the home court advantage from the opening tip by taking a two point lead into the second frame. The Abes converted on a number of possessions in which they attacked the rim.

However, the suffocating Rainier Beach defense started to roll as the half wore on and posted 24 points in the second frame alone putting the Vikings up by a dozen at the break.

The contributions of Lincoln’s Brandon Cotton and Trevion Brown who netted 15 and 14 respectively proved not enough as leading scorer Sam Cunliffe who finished with 19 was joined by four other double figure scorers (Keith Smith, Marquis Gurski, Tijon Rodde, N’Kiel Nelson) before the final whistle. A rematch of the 2015 state final between Rainier Beach and Garfield takes place tomorrow at 5:30!

The Final Score
Rainier Beach 81, Lincoln 63.

Top Performers:

Rainier Beach
Sam Cunliffe- 19 points, 6 rebounds

Lincoln
Willie Thomas- 11 points, 7 rebounds

Audio Recap: SeaKing- Rainier Beach vs. West Seattle

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Game Recap
SeaKing- Rainier Beach vs. West Seattle 2-19-16


Rainier Beach senior Sam Cunliffe

In a must-win district SeaKing playoff match-up between Rainier Beach and West Seattle, the Vikings stepped up to advance to Saturday’s last winner-to-regional contest. Listen as Nic Beckman provides a game recap including post-game comments from Rainier Beach senior Sam Cunliffe!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 

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

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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

Audio Recap: Metro League Championship – Garfield vs. Rainier Beach

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Game Recap
Metro League Championship – Garfield vs. Rainier Beach 2-12-16


Metro League Champions – Garfield Bulldogs

Back-to-back state champions Garfield met defending Metro League champs Rainier Beach on Friday night for their second contest of the season; the Metro Championship. The Viks prevailed in round one, could the Bulldogs even the score for the league title? Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the match-up including pre-game comments from Ranier Beach head coach Mike Bethea!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 

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Garfield Claims Metro League Title; Edges Beach by Three

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Garfield Claims Metro League Title; Edges Beach by Three
By Steve Dion

Friday- February 12th 2016 Boys 3A Metro League Championship
Ingraham High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Rainier Beach 16 13 20 14 63
Garfield 20 14 17 14 65


Metro League Champions – Garfield Bulldogs

Round two of what could be a four game series between Garfield and Rainier Beach took place Friday night for the Metro League championship. Rainier Beach prevailed in the regular season matchup 76-69 at Crawford Court. The defending state champs Garfield were focused on avenging the loss, but the Vikings were eager to win the league title again. Before the game when asked about the key to the game, Rainier Beach head coach Mike Bethea stated, “The one thing I want to see is coming out and playing hard and cutting out the mental mistakes early.”

The Bulldogs took the lead early in the contest as junior guard Daejon Davis was able to finish some acrobatic shots near the cup scoring 9 of his 19 total shots in the first quarter alone. Sam Cunliffe countered by recording 8 of his team-high 23 in the frame taking advantage of some Bulldog defensive breakdowns. As the first half wore on, Garfield’s Jaylen Nowell took control of the contest by scoring at will which propelled his team to a 34-29 lead at the break.

Rainier Beach emerged from the locker room recharged by opening the second half on a 14-4 run to grab the lead and prompting a Bulldog timeout to talk things over. The height of excitement occurred midway through the frame as a wild series of dunks, blocks, and steals lined up back to back. Daejon Davis knocked down a mid-range jumper at the third quarter buzzer to give his team a 51-49 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Bulldogs held a marginal lead into the final minutes of the contest until Keith Smith buried a clutch three late to tie the ballgame at 61 apiece. Garfield struck back to gain the lead for the final time and a Terrell Brown steal put a bow on it. The Bulldogs tie the season series 1-1 and hoist the hardware. Coach Bethea said the rivalry between these teams, “Is basically like going back in time, like a throwback to how it used to be. And that is when basketball is at its best.” The anticipation for the next round is building.

The Final Score
Garfield 65, Rainier Beach 63.

Top Performers:

Garfield
Jaylen Nowell- 25 points

Rainier Beach
Sam Cunliffe- 23 points

Rainier Beach Defends Crawford Court Against Garfield

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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

Audio Recap: Rainier Beach vs. Roosevelt

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Game Recap
Rainier Beach vs. Roosevelt 1-5-16

The high-flying Rainier Beach Vikings visited the Roosevelt Rough Riders on Tuesday night for a Metro League contest! Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the game!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 

Rainier Beach Rides Past Roosevelt

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Rainier Beach Rides Past Roosevelt
By Steve Dion

Tuesday- January 5th 2016 Boys 3A Metro
Roosevelt High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Roosevelt 14 12 7 11 44
Rainier Beach 28 18 19 18 83


Rainier Beach senior Travis Washington

The first Tuesday of the new year featured a full slate of hoops including a Metro League matchup between the high-flying Vikings of Rainier Beach and host Roosevelt. The game opened with an explosive first half by Beach which put them on pace to reach 100 points in the contest. Sam Cunliffe and Kevin Porter recorded ten and nine points respectively in the first quarter alone. Roosevelt’s Jonathan Lang countered with 9 of his team-high 19 points in the first frame. However, despite Lang’s efforts, Rainier Beach’s suffocating defense continually forced turnovers which led to fundamental buckets in transition. The margin grew wider in the second quarter when Cunliffe finished at the rim with a pair of two-handed slams. N’Keil Nelson joined the dunk show with a baseline rim rocker of his own before the break. Roosevelt would need more Dylan Jacobi threes and Lang jumpers if the Riders were hopeful in erasing the twenty point hole at halftime.

Mike Bethea evidently emphasized the defensive success in the first half because the Vikings tightened the clamps even more in the third quarter. Rainier Beach only allowed seven points in the frame and increased their lead even further. Khalil Shabazz recorded half of his dozen points in the quarter and Beach was able to cruise to a comfortable road victory despite a valiant effort shown by the Riders until the clock hit triple zeros.

The Final Score
Rainier Beach 83, Roosevelt 44.

Top Performers:
Rainier Beach
Sam Cunliffe- 23 points
Roosevelt
Jonathan Lang- 19 points