Auburn conquers Metro League, beating Rainier Beach in 3A championship game, 58-48
They say that in order to win the Class 3A high school state boys basketball tournament in Washington, teams have to go through the Metro League.
Well, the Metro League may want to cut the Auburn High School boys basketball team a check for $200, because the Trojans just passed Go.
In the 3A state championship game at the Tacoma Dome on Saturday night, Auburn beat Rainier Beach to win the title, 58-48. It was the third consecutive Metro League team Auburn beat in the tournament to hoist the trophy.
No. 1 Garfield in the quarterfinals? Check. No. 5 Seattle Prep in the semis? Check. Then on Saturday, a win over No. 4 Rainier Beach to hoist the trophy.
“It wasn’t planned but we wouldn’t want it no other way,” said Auburn senior guard Tre Blassingame, who scored 17 points in the win and racked up nine rebounds. “We want the best competition, we want to play the best games. We feel like we’re the best team in the state and we wanted to prove it.”
Auburn’s players heard the doubters the past couple years, saying they’d never cut it in the Metro League. On Saturday, the Trojans erased all doubt.
“We went through every frickin’ Metro team, we went the hardest way we had to,” said Auburn senior guard Kaden Hansen. “That’s what made us champions, the hard way.”
Hansen started the tournament with a good shooting effort in a first-round win over Kennewick, but cooled off against Garfield and Seattle Prep. In Saturday’s championship game, he returned to form, pouring in a game-high 19 points on 8 of 13 shooting from the field and 3 of 7 from the 3-point line.
“State championship, you’ve gotta be here, show out,” Hansen said. “First (shot) went in, started attacking, pump faking, getting them off their feet.”
Auburn finishes with a 27-2 overall record. Auburn’s state tournament history dates back to 1923. Saturday’s state title was the program’s first ever.
“It feels awesome,” said Auburn coach Ryan Hansen. “These kids have worked so hard. It’s a grind going through this state tournament. We had to battle all the way through. I’m just so proud of them, and they really took this to a new level, some place they’ve never been before. It’s a lot of fun.”
Auburn led comfortably most of the game, keeping Rainier Beach at arm’s length. But Rainier Beach went on a run in the fourth quarter and cut the deficit to three points with 5 minutes, 48 seconds to go. Hansen, Maleek Arington and Blassingame made shots down the stretch and Auburn never let Rainier Beach threaten any further, despite some sloppy turnovers, an intentional foul and a technical foul that could have proven costly. When it mattered most, Auburn’s best players made big shots, like they’ve done all season.
“We just told ourselves that we know at the end of the day it’s on us,” Blassingame said. “It’s how we do, it’s how we play. We just keep playing solid and tell our guys to stay ready, keep being strong mentally. That’s what happened.”
Rainier Beach was paced by guard Nahmier Robinson’s 17 points. Josh Conerly Jr., the nation’s No. 1 offensive line prospect in the 2022 class, added 12 points and eight rebounds. The Vikings shot 34.9 percent from the field and 21.4 percent from 3-point range. Auburn, meanwhile, shot 46 percent from the field and 28.6 percent from 3-point range. The Trojans forced 18 Rainier Beach turnovers.
Seniors Dae’Kwon Watson, Blassingame, Arington and Hansen have been playing together since middle school. Now, their names will be forever etched in the Auburn history books.
“They’ve been dreaming about this forever,” Hansen said. “Just thinking that I don’t get to coach these guys anymore, it’s emotional. Those guys have been special, real special. They put Auburn on the map and they’re going to be part of history forever.”
This story was originally published March 5, 2022 at 10:13 PM.
