High School Boys Basketball: R.A. Long axes Anacortes to reach State title game
The 2A Tournament – Lumberjacks hang on for 53-49 win in semifinals to earn school’s first-ever spot in championship clash
Jordan Nailon for BlastZoneMedia.com / blastzonenews@gmail.com
2A Prep Boys Basketball / State Report
YAKIMA – If basketball games could be won in the opening minutes then the Lumberjacks could have saved everybody – most of all themselves – a lot of time and energy Friday night in the semifinals of the 2A State boys basketball tournament.
The still undefeated and No. 2 R.A. Long boys basketball team opened the game on a 14-3 run and led by 19 points late in the second quarter. Most of that damage was done by senior Jeff Rooklidge, who opened the evening’s scoring with a quick 3-pointer and finished the first quarter with 10 points. Rooklidge wound up going 4-for-4 from beyond the arc in the first half, and finished with a game-high 21 points to go with six rebounds.
“Everything was just going in,” Rooklidge said.
That performance, which helped RAL earn a spot in the State title game for the first time in school history, was not some happy accident.
“I don’t want to toot my own horn or anything but I think I’ve shot more shots in the gym this week than anybody, so I’m so confident,” Rooklidge added. “I know I can knock down shots. I just know I’m built for these moments. I’m good in tough games and I can get the job done for my team when I need to.”
Now, if you think a game that featured zero ties and the same number of lead changes was probably a snooze fest – well – wait until you hear how things went down in crunch time. And if you want a hint – just know that the Seahawks knocked down a 3-pointer with 9.1 seconds left in the game to pull within three points.
A slip on a wet sport on the court here. A step on an untied shoelace there. The Jacks were just one stroke of misfortune away from winding up as the team that didn’t want to go to overtime. And who knows what could have happened then.
But as it stands, R.A. Long will be playing for its first State championship in any sport since the 1996 softball team brought home the gold trophy. And win or lose, it will be the biggest trophy the Lumberjacks of the hardwood have ever put in the trophy case.
“We probably celebrated more on the court,” RAL head coach Jeray Key said of the postgame scene in the locker room. “We just went in there and talked and guys were happy, but we’ve got one more and that’s what our goal has been.
“We’re trying to stay level right now and not get too hyped. And probably because we used all of our energy out there in that one, we’ve got a lot of recovery to do.”
The Jacks will have to get that recovery taken care of quickly, because it’s going to be a quick turnaround to play for all the marbles. After back-to-back late night tipoffs, the Jacks will be playing in the matinee time slot on Saturday against No. 1 ranked Bremerton.
— VIDEO: The R.A. Long Lumberjacks move their team name along on the big bracket after defeated Anaocrts 53-49 in their 2A State semifinal contest, Friday, March 6, at the Yakima SunDome. The Jacks will play Bremerton in the State title tilt on Saturday afternoon. / Video by Jordan Nailon for Blast Zone Media —
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