Powers drops 28, Rainier Beach races past rival O’Dea in 3A semifinals
Kaden Powers just hosted his own shooting clinic at the Tacoma Dome.
Rainier Beach’s junior wing had a game-high 28 points, and No. 10 Rainier Beach knocked off No. 4 O’Dea, 59-46, in Friday’s state semifinals at the Tacoma Dome’s Hardwood Classic – guided by Powers’ shooting prowess and an exceptional defensive performance over its 3A Metro rival.
Powers was the ultimate shot-creator, both dangerous from the perimeter and difficult to stop in iso-ball from mid-range. He posted 16 points in the first half, pushing Rainier Beach to a double-digit lead as early as the first quarter.
“I’m just proud of my team, man,” Powers said. “We came a long way. A lot of people didn’t see us coming this far.
“We came together. We don’t care about stats, we don’t care about none of that. We’re just playing together.”
Powers was 11-of-19 from the field (58 percent) and 4-of-5 from three-point range. The 6-foot-5 wing grabbed four rebounds, dished three assists, and blocked three O’Dea shots.
Each and every time O’Dea sank a bucket and attempted to grab momentum, Powers answered. He beat the first-quarter buzzer and banked home a trey off the glass, extending an early lead that Rainier Beach never surrendered.
“My goal is always to be aggressive, but I was feeling it tonight, so I was just letting it fly,” Powers said.
Late in the third quarter, Powers created a tough, mid-range jumper from the right corner and dropped an impressive fadeaway, but referees blew the play dead mid-shot for an official’s timeout. Instead, no basket. So Rainier Beach drew up the exact same play on its ensuing trip – and Powers knocked down the shot again.
Vikings defenders forced the Fighting Irish into tough looks that wouldn’t fall. O’Dea wing Malcolm Clark posted a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds – five of which came off the offensive glass. His early, interior presence created opportunities for second – or sometimes third – looks, and kept the Irish within striking distance.
But another trey from Powers in the fourth pushed Rainier Beach’s lead as high as 22. O’Dea built a late run but ran out of time.
“Our energy was on a hundred the whole game,” Powers said.
Rainier Beach’s Maceo Rivers knocked down a pair of contested jumpers in the first half and finished with 14 points and six rebounds. Point guard Nyale Robinson added seven points and two assists.
The Vikings (18-12, 10-10) finished eighth in a competitive 3A Metro – but Powers’ performance on the biggest stage has Rainier Beach in Saturday’s 3A state title game at the Tacoma Dome. It meets the winner of the adjacent semifinal between rival No. 2 Eastside Catholic and No. 6 Mount Spokane. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m.
Rainier Beach is an eight-time state champion, including a three-peat from 2012-14. Saturday could bring a ninth.
“Especially going to the new (Rainier Beach High School) … hang up a new banner? Perfect,” Powers said.
This story was originally published March 1, 2024 at 6:05 PM.
