Rainier Beach used a strong second quarter to pull away and never look back, outscoring Renton 23-10 in the stanza to take a 33-26 advantage into the half after falling behind 16-10 at the end of the first period.
The Vikings continued their momentum in the second half and methodically stretched the lead to 53-42 at the end of the third quarter before pouring things on in the final frame.
Top-ranked senior prospect Tyran Stokes filled the stat-sheet to lead Rainier Beach to the win in his debut with the Vikings. (PHOTO: Jason Wang)
Aside from the obvious Stokes headlines, Wednesday night's contest also marked the debut of highly-regarded freshman
J.J. Crawford, the son of 20-year NBA veteran Jamal Crawford.
Crawford had a strong showing in his first high school basketball game, finishing with 15 points and a pair of blocked shots while knocking down three shots from 3-point range.
The freshman showed flashes of his father's ball-handling skills in a sequence mid-way through the fourth quarter, hitting his defender with a flurry of moves before knocking down a tough fading mid-range shot on the baseline.
Stokes withdrew from
Notre Dame (Sherman Oaks, Calif.) on Nov. 5 and subsequently enrolled at Rainier Beach eight days later.
After entering the season ranked No. 46 nationally, Rainier Beach jumped up to No. 6 following the transfer of the star wing.
Rainier Beach (1-0) returns to the floor Dec. 9 for its first home game of the season against
Bishop Blanchet (Seattle).
Renton (2-2) looks to bounce back against
Palm Springs (Calif.) tomorrow night.
Freshman phenom J.J. Crawford shined in his first high school basketball game at his father's alma mater. (PHOTO: Jason Wang)
