Gary Bell was denied Friday night in the boys Class 4A state basketball tournament.
So too were his Kentridge High teammates.
Bell managed 16 points — 14 of which came in the fourth quarter — but it wasn’t enough to slow down top-ranked Federal Way in a 66-54 semifinal loss at the Tacoma Dome.
“They put a box-and-one on me, (and) didn’t let me get my shot off easy,” said Bell, who did drain 4 of 6 from 3-point land in the fourth quarter, but was contained the previous three quarters. “It was pretty frustrating.”
The loss drops eighth-ranked Kentridge (19-9) into the consolation round of the state tournament. The Chargers will play third-ranked Foss at 3:30 Saturday for third place. Federal Way (27-2) will play Garfield (23-3) at 9 p.m. for the state championship.
Federal Way proved to be too quick. Too athletic. And, ultimately, too talented for the Chargers to keep up with.
Andre Barrington led the way for the Eagles, scoring a game-high 22 points, 12 of which came in the pivotal third quarter, when the Eagles outscored the Chargers 20-11 to take a commanding 45-33 lead with eight minutes to play.
“Federal Way is just so athletic and so deep,” lamented Kentridge coach Dave Jamison. “Andre Barrington just killed us tonight. He’s so quick and so strong. Overall, their quickness .. they’ve been able to (substitute) a lot the last couple nights and we’ve been playing with five and sometimes six (players). It got to us a little bit. I thought we had some shots inside, (but) we didn’t finish very well and turned the ball over more than we’re used to doing.”
Kentridge came out strong in the first quarter, taking a 9-4 lead on a 3-pointer from Laron Daniels.
Federal Way proceeded to rip off a 13-0 run to take a 17-9 lead. It was a lead the Eagles would not relinquish the rest of the night.
But Kentridge remained close, going into the half down by three, 25-22.
Defense, however, proved to be Federal Way’s key. The Eagles held Bell, Kentridge’s leading scorer, to just two points in the first half. In addition, they kept do-it-all guard Shaquielle McKissic from getting to the hoop much of the night. And when McKissic did get to the basket, his shots were contended by at least two — if not more — Federal Way defenders.
Along with Bell’s 16, McKissic finished with 13 points and eight rebounds. No other Charger reached double figures.
“They’re just very good,” Jamison said of Federal Way. “They had a very good game plan. They know us. They did a good job getting in Gary’s face … he kept fighting and the guys kept doing what they needed to do.”
Federal Way 66, Kentridge 54
Kentridge 11 11 11 21 — 54
Federal Way 17 8 20 21 — 66
Kentridge: Gary Bell 16, Shaquielle McKissic 13, Laron Daniels 9, Brendon Westendorf 6, Dylan Zylstra 2, Colin Westendorf 8.
Federal Way: Isiah Umipig 6, Andre Barrington 22, Michael Hale 12, Cole Dickerson 10, Jeffrey Forbes 16.
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