By Nathan Joyce
MaxPreps.com
The O'Dea Fighting Irish firmed up their claim for a dynasty.
The Seattle private school wrapped up its third Class 3A state title in four years by beating the Bainbridge Spartans, 56-31, at Bank of American Arena on the campus of the University of Washington.
O'Dea (25-5) was playing in its fourth-straight state title game. The win gave the Irish their fifth state title, a big-school record. O'Dea was tied with Rainier Beach with four titles entering the tournament. All five have come under coach Phil Lumpkin.
O'Dea, which entered the tourney as the No. 2 team in the state, beat a top-ranked Bainbridge (25-4) team that had beaten it three times - once for the Metro League Mountain Division title and once for the SeaKing District title.
"We just made sure we got the one that counts and that was tonight," O'Dea senior guard Jamelle McMillan told the Seattle Times.
McMillan, the son of Portland Trail Blazers coach Nate McMillan who was watching courtside, will play at Arizona State. McMillan had 12 points, seven assists and five steals playing in his fourth state title game.
Bainbridge struggled to hit shots and fell behind 14-2 after the first quarter. The more the Spartans missed, the more they tightened up and the further they fell behind. Bainbridge hit just 36 percent from the field, and the 31 points was a Class 3A state record for lowest score in a state title game, beating the 32 points Cheney scored in 1980.
Lumpkin said the experience was the key. Bainbridge hadn't made it to state since 1998 and hadn't played in a state title game since 1955. The island hasn't seen a boys basketball title since 1948.
"I think it's paramount," Lumpkin told the Times. "We're very comfortable in this setting, very comfortable in this environment and we know what needs to be done."
Gonzaga-bound guard Steven Gray led Bainbridge with 13 points. Gray was named tournament MVP.
The tourney marked the sixth-straight year and ninth out of 12 that the Metro League has won the state title.
Girls State Basketball: Ravens Win School's First Title
In the Class 3A girls state title game, Auburn Riverside (27-2) stopped the Chief Sealth juggernaut and won the school's first state title with a 56-46 win.
Chief Sealth of Seattle (25-4) had won the previous two state titles but they were stripped because of recruiting violations. The Seahawks were hoping to finally win one they could keep.
Arizona State-bound Stephanie Wilbur earned tourney MVP honors after scoring a game-high 16 points in the title game.
Boys State Basketball: Lynden Pulls a Florida
Four months after winning the Class 2A state football title, Lynden (25-2) won the state basketball title, handing Mark Morris (26-1) its first loss of the year, 62-48, at the Tacoma Dome.
Lynden jumped out to a 15-4 lead after the first quarter. Chris Bolt earned tourney MVP honors and had 12 rebounds in the title game. It's the 12th state basketball title for Lynden.
"It was our best game of the year," Lynden coach Brian Roper told the Seattle Times. "We picked the right time to do it. We came out aggressive and had a big shooting night."
In the girls title game, the Evergreen Conference was represented well as league rivals River Ridge of Lacey and Tumwater (19-8) hooked up to decide the title. River Ridge (25-2) cruised to the state title, 40-25.
Kayla Standish of Ellensburg was tourney MVP for fifth-place Ellensburg.
