[wpbvideo id=”336704″]
By Kai Raymer (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
When Rainier Beach (Wash.) – a team filled with athletic wings – dials in, watch out. As Parkview found out, the game can turn in a hurry.
Rainier Beach put away a pesky Parkview squad with a dominant fourth quarter. Rainier Beach outscored the hometown Vikings by 22 in the final frame and won 75-46 Friday night in the Tournament of Champions consolation bracket.
Rainier Beach tallied 36 points off 27 Parkview turnovers. The blue and orange Vikings also had a 50-12 edge in points in the paint.
“We like to speed teams up, make teams play faster than they want to play… play at our pace,” said Rainier Beach coach Mike Bethea. “We’re a good team when we do that; we’re an average team when we have to play walk-up basketball. It’s just not us.”
Rainier Beach junior guard MarJon Beauchamp, a 6’6” five-star recruit with interest from schools like Kentucky, UCLA and Washington, led all players with 19 points and 10 rebounds.
Five other players scored eight or more for Rainier Beach. After touring the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium earlier in the day, Rainier Beach improved to 11-2 overall.
“It was nice seeing all the different animals,” said Rainier Beach senior forward Javion Garrett, who had 14 points. “I’m liking our hotel – you can bond with your team and other teams.”
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE GAME
Nakai Johnson led three Parkview players in double figures with 15 points.
Parkview started the second half with three consecutive 3-pointers to go in front, 31-27. Rainier Beach responded with an 11-0 run and never looked back.
“It seemed like we had all of our momentum right there (early in the third quarter), then a couple of things went bad and (Rainier Beach) turned it on a bit,” said Parkview coach Landon Cornish. “We needed to be able to dig in a little bit better when they went on their run.”
Parkview had its chances, though.
Rainier Beach went scoreless through the first six minutes of the second quarter, enabling Parkview to cut into a 12-point deficit. Rainier Beach was also 0-for-13 from 3 until making its first try of the fourth quarter.
“We have a tendency to fall into droughts, and we experienced a little bit of that in the second quarter,” Bethea said. “A lot of it is lack of effort and not executing. Second half, we finally got into our groove and played Rainier Beach basketball.”
Parkview’s 27 turnovers led to Rainier Beach getting extra possessions – and shots. The Vikings from Washington shot 32-for-71 overall. Parkview shot 15-for-45.
Jamon Kemp, the son of former NBA star Shawn Kemp, had seven steals.
Rainier Beach came into the tournament ranked No. 14 nationally in USA Today’s Super 25.
“It’s definitely a different level of competition for sure,” said Parkview guard Jevin Huddleston. “Guys are bigger, quicker, stronger and more physical. It’s a great experience for us… there’s nothing we can’t handle as you can see.
“When we got our head in the game and have that right mindset… we want to do everything we can to win.”
Parkview (9-8 overall) faces Springfield Catholic at 2:30 p.m. Saturday in the Tournament of Champions 7th place game. Rainier Beach plays Belleville West (Ill.) at 4 p.m. in the 5th place game.
“Playing people like (Rainier Beach) just brings us together as a team,” Johnson said. “Next game, we just have to bring the effort like we did for the first three quarters.”
Rainier Beach 75, Parkview 46
Rainier Beach 23 4 15 33 — 75
Parkview 11 11 13 11 — 46
Rainier Beach – MarJon Beauchamp 19, Javion Garrett 14, Micah Monroe 10, John Hart 10, Jamon Kemp 9, Stevie Smith 8, Kenny Curtis 5
Parkview – Nakai Johnson 15, Dontae Taylor 13, Latre Morrison 10, Jevin Huddleston 5, Jon Franklin 3
