Cofie, Eastside Catholic’s length disrupts Mount Spokane in 55-53 semifinal win
Jacob Cofie must have felt relieved. A three-quarter court lob pass was heaved his way with just three seconds remaining in the game, with Eastside Catholic clinging to a two-point lead against Mount Spokane in the Class 3A state tournament semifinals at the Tacoma Dome on Friday.
Mount Spokane took a timeout and drew up a play for its star guard, Ryan Lafferty, who was flipped a quick pass by a teammate. But Lafferty wasn’t able to fully collect the ball and would-be game-winner was doomed from the release, falling short.
Eastside Catholic won 55-53, and everyone in orange and blue exhaled.
“Man, I don’t even know what to say,” said Cofie, a 6-foot-10 forward who’s committed to play for Tony Bennett’s Virginia Cavaliers at the next level. “I’m just so happy to be in the championship, proud of my team. We played great, man. We played great.”
Strangely enough, Cofie isn’t the only 6-foot-10 player on Eastside Catholic’s roster. Sophomore teammate Yabi Aklog is also listed at 6-10 on the roster, giving the Crusaders length that few — if any — high school programs can match.
That length bothered Mount Spokane early, but the Wildcats kept clawing back into the game and were in it until the end with a chance to win. Still, a 37.3 shooting percentage was enough evidence that Mount Spokane never fully solved the puzzle.
“Me and my team, we do a real job using our length and I feel like no one can stop us when we’re long up in the paint and doing all the good things we do,” Cofie said.
Cofie finished with a team-high 20 points, snagged nine rebounds, had two asissts, blocked a shot and had two steals. Aklog recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Lafferty led Mount Spokane with 22 points.
The win sets up an all-Metro League championship game on Saturday against Rainier Beach, who has been the surprise of the tournament, blowing out O’Dea in the day’s first semifinal to reach the championship game.
“They’re a great team” Cofie said. “I can’t wait to play them.”
