By The Seattle Medium
Rainier Beach put on a dominant performance in their final regular-season game inside their historic gym, overwhelming Eastside Catholic 90-62. This marked the last regular-season game to be played in their current gym before moving to the brand-new facility next season. Rainier Beach, the top-ranked team in the state, wasted no time setting the tone, using their speed, outside shooting, and defensive pressure to control the game from the opening tip.
Jaylen Petty opened the scoring with a three-pointer, but Eastside Catholic responded quickly with baskets from Isaac Corey and Tytan McNeal to take an early 4-3 lead. Yabi Aklog added a layup, pushing the Crusaders ahead 6-3 before Dre Morris drained a three-pointer to tie the game. Dash Lamebull-Ingram put Eastside Catholic back in front with a jumper. However, that would be the last glimmer of hope for the Crusaders as Rainier Beach’s offense kicked into high-gear.
The Vikings rattled off nine straight points, sparked by a Marques Ili-Meneese layup. Kaden Powers then knocked down a three-pointer, giving Rainier Beach their first lead of the night at 11-8. Moments later, Petty turned a steal into a fast-break layup, followed by another score from Morris to cap the run. The Crusaders momentarily halted the surge with a Tate Dawson basket, but Powers answered with his second three-pointer of the quarter. The first quarter ended in dominant fashion for Rainier Beach as Micah Ili-Meneese blocked a shot that led to another Petty fast-break layup, giving them a 22-12 advantage after one quarter.
Dawson opened the second period with a three-pointer, trying to keep Eastside Catholic within reach, but Micah Ili-Meneese responded with back-to-back layups, extending Rainier Beach’s lead to 26-15. Lamebull-Ingram hit a free throw and a jumper to trim the deficit to eight, but Rainier Beach then delivered another devastating scoring burst.
Petty knocked down a three-pointer, followed by another from deep less than a minute later. The Vikings turned defense into offense, as Ili-Meneese and Morris scored inside, pushing the lead to 34-20. Petty drilled his third three-pointer of the quarter, and a fast-break layup from Ili-Meneese, assisted by Powers, capped a 13-2 run. In the blink of an eye, Rainier Beach had built a commanding 39-20 advantage.
Achilles Reyna scored for Eastside Catholic, but Rainier Beach answered with another quick basket from Petty. The Crusaders managed one more score before halftime, but the Vikings entered the break with a dominant 42-24 lead.
Rainier Beach continued their offensive onslaught in the third quarter. Morris opened with a three-pointer, and Petty followed with a strong drive to the rim, finishing through contact, though he missed the free throw. Moments later, Morris came up with a steal and threw down a breakaway dunk, sending the home crowd into a frenzy as the Vikings extended their lead to 50-26.
Eastside Catholic’s Aklog tried to spark a response with four straight points, and McNeal added a basket, but Nyale Robinson kept Rainier Beach’s momentum going with a deep three-pointer. Petty and Ili-Meneese then each scored inside, maintaining the Vikings’ comfortable advantage at 60-35. Eastside Catholic got late buckets from Aklog and Dawson, but Rainier Beach still held a commanding 60-39 lead heading into the final quarter.
Lamebull-Ingram opened the fourth with a three-pointer, but Petty answered immediately with a mid-range jumper before throwing down a fast-break dunk off a steal. Eastside Catholic kept battling, as Dawson and Aklog added points, but Robinson delivered another dagger from behind the arc, extending the lead to 70-46.
Petty later picked up another steal and threw down his second fast-break dunk of the quarter, bringing his total to 31 points on the night. Aklog converted an and-one opportunity for the Crusaders, but Rainier Beach remained in control. Morris and Jay Wheeler-Burns added to the Vikings’ total, and Dav Houfmuse scored on a putback layup.
As the final minute approached, Rainier Beach continued to get contributions from across their lineup. Ray Proctor-Mills Jr., playing with a cast on his left hand, stepped to the free throw line and hit two of three attempts, adding to the Vikings’ dominant scoring night. Ili-Meneese and Houfmuse added baskets before Eastside Catholic’s Jordan Boggan-Cryer scored their final points of the game.
Petty led all scorers with 31 points, 5 three-pointers, 3 steals; while Dre Morris finished the game with 15 points, and Micah Ili-Meneese chipped in 14 points to lead the Vikings. Yabi Aklog led Eastside Catholic with 15 points, while Tate Dawson added 10 points, and Achilles Reyna finished the game with 8 points to lead the Crusaders.
With the victory, Rainier Beach extended their winning streak to 13 games, improving their record to 18-2 overall and a perfect 12-0 in Metro League play. Eastside Catholic, who entered the game in fifth place in the Metro League’s Mountain Division, fell to 11-10 overall and 7-7 in league play.
Source: Seattle Medium
