Eastside Catholic eliminated from boys basketball tourney

The Eastside Catholic (EC) Crusaders boys basketball squad saw their season come to an end on Wednesday, falling to the Rainier Beach Vikings 82-45 to end their bid for the 3A state title.

EC opened aggressively with early baskets from freshman Steven Sun and Isaac Corey, jumping to a 4-1 lead. Unfortunately for EC, it was the first and only time the Crusaders would hold a lead. Rainier Beach responded immediately with Jaylen Petty and Dre Morris leading the Viking offense. Petty hit a 3-pointer to give the Vikings the lead and Rainier Beach never looked back. The Crusaders struggled to organize against the Viking offense and by the end of the first quarter, they trailed 21-10.

In the second quarter, EC’s Achilles Reyna tried to spark some momentum, scoring multiple times. But Rainier Beach’s offensive firepower was too much. Nyale Robinson and Micah Ili-Meneese combined for a string of threes as well as the occasional layup that extended the Viking advantage. By halftime, Rainier Beach was up 46-23.

The second half was similarly devastating for the Crusaders. Alex Elston managed to knock down a few shots for the Crusaders, but Rainier Beach continued to dominate. Kaden Powers and Robinson drained multiple 3-point baskets. By the end of the third quarter, Rainier Beach led 63-35, effectively putting the game out of reach for the Crusaders.

Even with the outcome all but decided, EC continued to play hard in the final period, adding 10 points to the board. However, the additional 19 points for the Vikings, including more threes from Petty, Robinson, and Maceo Rivers, made their victory even more lop-sided. When the final buzzer sounded, the Vikings had secured an 82-45 win. They would eventually go on to win the state championship three days later.

Eastside Catholic finished the season with a 14-15 record, reaching the round of 12 before being eliminated.