Richland 75, Beamer 61
The Bombers remained unbeaten on the season with the impressive win over the Titans Friday night in the Class 4A semifinals at the Tacoma Dome. That they did from the start, leading 14-12 after one quarter and then 33-20 at the half, shooting 52 percent from the field. Beamer was never really in the game during the second half of play. The closest the Titans got during the third quarter was when a Bliznyuk 3-pointer cut the Richland lead to 10 points, 48-38 with two minutes remaining. But the Bombers doubled the lead to 20 points midway through the fourth
[ okoli from page 8]
minute and found Barrett at the top of the box for a shot. Minutes later, Gardner was replaced by Mechack Jerome in stoppage time, but that couldn’t prevent Okoli from continuing to run rampant. His debut, while limited in minutes, was impactful and a sign of his growth over his first two months as a professional. “He has been improving all preseason. He’s gotten better each preseason game. He played as a forward at Wake Forest, so he’s learning a little more how to play wide,” said Schmid, noting that Okoli’s youth was never going to hinder his playing time. “You’re not old or young; you’re either a good player or a bad a player.” One of five players on Seattle’s roster who grew up in the Puget Sound area, Okoli draws on Neagle and
beamer 57, gonzaga prep 49
For the first time in school history, a Beamer basketball team won a game at the state tournament. The Titans used a frantic comeback in the second half to down the Gonzaga Prep Bullpups Thursday night at the Class 4A Hardwood Classic, 57-49. The win moved the Titans into the 4A Final Four. Beamer struggled big-time in the first half inside the massive Tacoma Dome. The Titans tallied only 16 points during the first 16 minutes of action to trail the Bullpups by 12 points, 28-16, at halftime. The Titans finished 0 for 6 from beyond the 3-point line during the first half, which was a far cry from what Beamer did Saturday during a Regional Tournament win over Bothell. The Titans had eight different players make a 3-pointer against Bothell. Beamer also turned the ball over 12 times during the first half, resulting in only 21 shot attempts in the first and second quarters. Williams led the Titans with six points in the first half. The SPSL South Division Player of the Year, Bliznyuk, had just two points. But it was all Beamer in the second half. The Titans outscored Gonzaga Prep, 41-21, during the third and fourth quarters. Beamer took its first lead on a 3-pointer from Bliznyuk midway through the fourth quarter, 44-42, and the Titans dominated from then on. Beamer was also clutch from the free-throw line down the stretch, making 5 of 6 in the final 22 seconds. Williams, the Titans’ point guard, led the way with 18 points. Burch-Manning finished with 15 and Bliznyuk chipped in 13, which was seven points below his season average. Sam Dowd and Brendan McClary each scored 12 points for Gonzaga Prep.
DeAndre Yedlin for advice. As the club’s first Homegrown Player signing, Yedlin set the bar high with an AllStar season in 2013, but he also paved the way for other products of the Sounders FC Academy system. “Watching ‘D’ do his thing last year made me more excited and gave me a lot of confidence to step in and start my career on a good note. It’s nice to see us going out there and doing well,” Okoli said. “Lamar helps me out a lot on the field, so it was nice to make an impact when I came in for him.” His performance on Saturday was one he won’t soon forget, nor will the 39,240 in attendance at CenturyLink Field. And while there is plenty of local pride on display, the most may have come from Yedlin, who grew up playing with Okoli.
Nia Alexander, Beamer
The 5-foot-9 wing was a first-team, AllSouth Puget Sound League South Division selection by the league’s coaches after a stellar sophomore season for the Titans. The daughter of Beamer head coach, Alexander averaged 10.5 points on the season, which was third on the ultra-deep Titans. But Alexander always seem to play big during the biggest games of the season, averaging 12 points during the postseason. Alexander’s high scoring game of 21 points came during a regional-clinching win over Kentridge on Feb. 15. She also had 17 during a loss to Mount Rainier in the SPSL Championship game.
Quinessa Caylao-Do, Beamer
The sophomore had another impressive season for the Titans and was named a firstteam, All-SPSL South selection. Caylao-Do is a 5-foot-9 guard and averaged 11.1 points for Beamer during the season. She finished in double figures 14 times during the year and had a high game of 24 during a win over Emerald Ridge. CaylaoDo also finished with 12 points during the Titans’ season-ending loss to Arlington at the Regional Tournament.
Bria Rice, Beamer
The 5-foot-8 Rice was the point guard for the Titans for the second year in a row and was named a second-team, All-SPSL South selection. Rice averaged 8.2 points a game and led Beamer in assists. She had her best scoring game of the season during the Titans’ impressive 64-59 victory over Mount Rainier during the regular season. Mount Rainier went on to win the SPSL, West Central/Southwest District title and finish as the state runnerup. Rice finished with 16 points against the Rams on Dec. 27. Rice will return for the Titans next season, along with Alexander and Caylao-Do. Beamer should be an early-season favorite to win the state championship.
Kayla Smith, Federal Way
Smith led the Eagles in scoring this season at 13.5 points a game. The 6-foot senior was an honorable mention, All-SPSL South selection by the league’s coaches. Smith
scored in double figures 11 times during the season and led Federal Way to eight wins. Smith scored a season-best 23 points during a 56-55 win over Battle Ground on Jan. 4 and had 22 during a season-opening loss to Auburn Mountainview. She also had 20 points during a loss to Curtis on Jan. 21.
SPSL 4A North
MVP—Brittany McPhee, Mount Rainier Coach of Year—Bob Bolam, Mount Rainier; Bob Sandall, Kentridge FIRST TEAM Sarah Toeaina, Sr., Kentwood; Jordan McPhee, Sr., Mount Rainier; Courtnae Williams, Sr., Kentridge; Chardonae Miller, Sr., Tahoma; Emily Fiso, Jr., Mount Rainer. SECOND TEAM Kate Kramer, Sr., Kentwood; Alicia Dugan, Jr., Kentridge; Brittany Williams, Jr., Auburn Riverside; Jenny Johnson, Sr., Kentwood; Brianna Aldridge, Fr., Tahoma. HONORABLE MENTION Auburn — Seandalynn Faleagafulu. Auburn Riverside — Simona Allen, McKenzi Williams, Emily Valnes. Kent-Meridian — Savannah Lackey. Kentlake — Morticia McCall, Sydney Peterson, Jada Leonard. Kentridge — Bobbi Westendorf, Michelle Keowla. Kentwood — Alycea DeLong, Ashley Rolsma, Zaria Jones. Mount Rainier — Aqeelah Williams, Kaiti Freeberg. Tahoma — Rachel Paulsen, Kaelan Shamseldin.
SPSL 4A South
MVP—Megan Huff, Beamer Coach of Year—Jackie Thomas, Curtis FIRST TEAM Quinessa Caylao-Do, So., Beamer; Riley Clarke, Jr., Emerald Ridge; Braylie Jeffers, Sr., Puyallup; Sierra Dean, Sr., Curtis; Nia Alexander, So., Beamer. SECOND TEAM Bria Rice, So., Beamer; Maloree Miller, Sr., Rogers; Marissa Miller, Sr., Puyallup; Addie Picha, Sr., Puyallup; Kayreeona Mack, Sr., Bethel. HONORABLE MENTION Bethel — Peyton Schwartz. Curtis — Murielrose Shipp, Makenna Woodfolk, Qua’Shaya Hammon. Emerald Ridge — Alyssa Heslip, Kayla Frank, McKayla Mattes. Federal Way — Zaedrea Robinson, Kayla Smith, Sydney Dewitt. GrahamKapowsin — Hannah Kennach.
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nals. Issaquah lost to Garfield, the eventual state champions, in the other semifinal Friday. Garfield’s title was the 12th the school has won, which is a state record. Beamer’s appearance at the state tournament was just the second in the history of the school. The Titans’ other appearance came in 2009, when they lost their only two games at the state tournament. Thursday night’s win over Gonzaga Prep was the first-ever state tournament win by a Beamer basketball team. Against Issaquah, Beamer played solidly during the first three quarters. The Titans clung to a 36-33 lead entering the final eight minutes of the game. But that’s when Issaquah and star senior guard, Ty Gibson, took over. The Eagles started the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run to take a commanding 10-point lead and put the game away. Gibson hit several clutch 3-pointers during the fourth-quarter run and finished with 18 points after scoring just three during the first half. Trey Burch-Manning led Beamer with 16 points and seven rebounds. Bogdan Bliznyuk had eight points and five rebounds. The Titans were outscored 27-13 in the fourth quarter. The loss ended the most successful season in Beamer history. The Titans won the school’s first-ever South Puget Sound League South Division championship and the program’s first West Central/Southwest District Tournament title.
quarter. Richland shot 49 percent from the field (25 of 51) and 36 percent (7 of 19) from 3-point range for the game. Steven Beo led Richland with 29 points, while Jacob DeVries added 18. Quadir Williams’ 14 points led the way for Beamer.
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March 14, 2014 [19]
www.federalwaymirror.com [ all-city from page 8]