High School Boys Basketball: R.A. Long repelled by Bremerton in State title tilt
The 2A Tournament – Lumberjacks watch late lead evaporate in 45-43 loss to Knights at SunDome
Jordan Nailon for Blast Zone Media / blastzonenews@gmail.com
SUNDOME – And-1. It’s a phrase that typically comes with positive connotations on the basketball court – as in, you just made a shot, drew a foul, and now you get to shoot a free throw for your troubles. Good for you!
But for R.A. Long the ubiquitous phrase of the hardwood has now assumed a new, more ominous meaning – as in, 27-1.
Twenty seven wins and one loss. A nearly perfect season tarnished on the final day, in the final quarter, in the final minute.
And-1.
After another historic season of rewriting the record books at Longview’s original high school, it’s the “and one” and questions about what might’ve been that will linger with these Lumberjacks following a 45-43 loss to Bremerton in the 2A State championship game, Saturday, in Yakima.
“There was a lot of silence in there for a while. Everybody’s hurting,” RAL head coach Jeray Key said after finally emerging from a somber locker room postgame. “Like I told the guys, in this moment it’s going to sting… it’s something you’ll never forget.”
Despite being undefeated, seeded No. 2 in the tournament and ranked No. 1 in the RPI all season long, the Lumberjacks did not have many believers in the fans who weren’t exclusively wearing red and black. That’s not a knock on the Jacks, it’s just a testament to how good the (now) two-time defending State champion Knights are. But flying too close to the sun doesn’t shield anyone from the pain of defeat, it only makes the sting burn worse.
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