Jayden Simon’s game-high 26 points, 11 boards not enough to lift Lincoln past 3A state favorite Rainier Beach
Rainier Beach High School boys basketball continued to showcase its recent dominance over Tacoma schools Friday night, with a 75-57 win over Lincoln in a Class 3A state regional showdown at Garfield.
The game was a rematch of last season’s state semifinals meeting, when the Vikings slipped away from the Abes late, derailing their chance at becoming the first Tacoma metro school to win a championship in the Tacoma Dome since the Abes topped Ferris for the 4A title in 2002.
A day earlier in that tournament, Rainier Beach ended Wilson’s hopes of the same feat in the quarterfinals.
And, Friday, the Vikings (20-4) pulled away from Lincoln (19-5) in the second half to secure a first-round bye in the 3A state tournament, which begins Wednesday in the Tacoma Dome.
“It means a lot,” five-star Rainier Beach forward Marjon Beauchamp said. “We get a bye, so that’s good, and we get an easier route. We’ll be ready.”
The Abes will have to play their way into the double-elimination portion of the bracket, and open with a loser-out game against the winner of Saturday’s regional game between Stanwood and O’Dea.
“I’m confident,” said Abes senior Jayden Simon, who scored a game-high 26 points, pulled down 11 rebounds and recorded three steals against Rainier Beach.
“We just have to get back to practice. I believe in my team.”
Simon, a Colorado football signee, poured in nearly half of Lincoln’s points, mainly working against defenders in the paint, and asserting his back-to-the-basket presence.
He was 7 of 9 shooting from the floor in the first half — and 11 of 14 for the game — and scored 15 of his points and recorded eight of his rebounds in the opening two quarters to keep Rainier Beach within reach, trailing 31-27 at the break.
“We were definitely getting in and out,” Simon said. “We definitely got some shots up in the beginning and made them respect it, so they had to come out and close us out and it opened up the game for me to work in there.”
But, despite Simon’s continued success under the hoop in the second half, Rainier Beach pulled away, using a 23-point third quarter to build a double-digit lead the Vikings never lost. They led by as many as 21 in the fourth quarter.
“Our defense was clicking and we were getting fast breaks, and started running our offense, so that got us open shots,” Beachamp said.
At times, the Abes contained Beauchamp, who has Division I offers from 12 schools, including forcing him to foul out midway through the fourth. Beauchamp scored 12 of his 17 points in the opening half, and also tallied four assists.
The teams combined for five technical fouls during the contest.
“They came out hard. They came out to stop me, so that kind of threw me off,” Beauchamp said. “I had to play through it, but I was getting frustrated tonight. … My teammates followed through with it, so I’m proud of them.”
Division I recruit Jamon Kemp scored a team-high 18 points for Rainier Beach, pulled down nine rebounds and recorded three steals. Micah Monroe added 10 points, nine rebounds and four steals, while Stevie Smith had 10 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
Simon was the only scorer in double figures for Lincoln, though younger brother Julien Simon added six points, seven rebounds, five assists and five steals.
NO. 6 LINCOLN | 12 | 15 | 13 | 17 | — | 57 |
NO. 3 RAINIER BEACH | 17 | 14 | 23 | 21 | — | 75 |
INDIVIDUAL SCORING
L – Armoni Bashay 1, Reggie Archibald 3, Kashaud Babbs 9, Mykel Campbell 6, Chris Whitford 3, Ezra Nightingale 3, Julien Simon 6, Jayden Simon 26.
RB – Kenneth Curtis 8, Marjon Beauchamp 17, Stevie Smith 10, Julian Agusto 8, Micah Monroe 10, Kobe Elleby 4, Jamon Kemp 18.
