OLYMPIA, Wash. – What occurred practically 25 years in the past within the Kingdome is simply lore to Mason Juergens. He wasn’t round.
However his uncle, Chris, performed in that 1998 WIAA boys basketball ultimate for the Bears in opposition to Rainier Seashore, which held on for a 44-40 victory to seize the Class 3A crown.
That was a painful second for not solely the neighborhood, however Juergens’ household – which is why {the teenager} hoped that the rematch sport 25 years later – a Bears’ 65-49 win – would provide some comfort.
“I hope slightly bit,” Juergens mentioned. “However I do know they’d do something to return and play that sport once more.”
WSU-bound Parker Gerrits led all scorers with 28 factors as Olympia pulled away within the third quarter behind a 13-2 run to seize a 46-33 lead.
Miles Gurske led Rainier Seashore with 17 factors – 11 coming within the first half.
However the night time in entrance of a sold-out crowd was larger than only a sport. It was a 25-year reunion between the 2 packages – and a renewal of one of many extra distinctive teaching friendships within the state.
A 12 months in the past, each groups made deep runs on the WIAA championships within the Tacoma Dome – with the Bears grabbing a Class 4A third-place trophy and Rainier Seashore advancing to the Class 3A title sport, dropping to Auburn.
It was there that Olympia coach John Kiley and Rainier Seashore Mike Bethea bumped into one another a number of occasions. The 2 started speaking about the way it was practically 25 years since their basic assembly within the 3A title sport.
“These are the friendships you find yourself establishing and cherishing,” Bethea mentioned. “We had been each younger coaches feeling our method by means of, and we have held that mutual respect for one another.”
On the ultimate day, Kiley urged the 2 groups maintain a reunion whammy of kinds – deliver again a number of the guys off the 1998 squads after which play a non-league sport between the present-day groups.
Two months later, the 2 coaches finalized a sport – and Bethea needed to take his group to Olympia.
“An enormous night time,” Kiley mentioned.
Within the days main as much as the sport Saturday, Bethea anticipated his two largest stars that week in Seattle – NBA-bound guard Jamal Crawford and David King, now his assistant – to be a part of the 25-year reunion. However each had been referred to as to out-of-state AAU tournaments.
For Kiley, 10 of his 12 varsity gamers had been in attendance Saturday, together with all-state guard Mark Bigelow, who ended up enjoying at BYU and professionally abroad. All of them had been launched previous to tipoff.
“We went toe to toe with them,” mentioned Bigelow of the 1998 matchup with Rainier Seashore. “We had numerous missed alternatives. However on the identical time, you look again at it with fond, fond recollections.”
It was the Bethea’s springboard to a hall-of-fame teaching profession as that was the week he captured the primary of eight WIAA championships.
And to this present day, he nonetheless calls it essentially the most loaded subject for a state event he is seen with Mount Vernon, Mercer Island, Rainier Seashore, Olympia and O’Dea within the combine.
In entrance of practically 20,000 followers for the state semifinals. Olympia beat Mercer Island (52-50) whereas the Vikings edged Mount Vernon (57-56).
Each squads had been senior-led, however it was the Vikings who held a 35-18 lead late within the third quarter.
However Matt DeBord’s 3-pointer on the finish of the third quarter sparked a Bears’ rally. They adopted with a 14-0 run, taking a 38-37 lead with 2:21 to go.
On the opposite finish, Crawford transformed a tricky 14-foot leap shot for Rainier Seashore, then had a blocked shot on Bigelow seconds later. The Vikings by no means trailed once more.
So, watching his Bears get slightly revenge Saturday night time – did it take any sting out of the big-stage loss all these years in the past?
“No, no,” Kiley mentioned with a stern tone. “However it’s good.”
