10 Best: Federal Way Eagles vs. Kentwood Conquerors
AUBURN – It was a record-breaking night as Kentwood ended Federal Way’s 63-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation, and avenged a loss to the Eagles in last year’s 4A state championship game with a 69-59 victory…
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Continue ReadingAUBURN – It was a record-breaking night as Kentwood ended Federal Way’s 63-game winning streak, the longest active streak in the nation, and avenged a loss to the Eagles in last year’s 4A state championship game with a 69-59 victory over Federal Way in the NPSL championship game. The contest was a back-and-forth battle throughout until the Conquerors pulled away late and handed Federal Way its first loss in over two years.
MVP: Darius LuBom. The Kentwood senior provided much-needed bursts for the Conquerors at the beginning and end of the game. The 6-foot guard scored nine points in the first quarter, six in the final period and finished with a team-high 22 points for Kentwood to help the Conquerors pull off the upset.
Play of the Game: D’Angelo Minnis. With 3:26 to go in the game, Minnis hit a 3-pointer from the corner that put Kentwood ahead 56-53. Federal Way would not lead again in the contest. Minnis had the honorable mention for this category too, when two minutes later he hit a 30-foot 3-pointer as the shot clock wound down to all but seal the victory for the Conquerors.
Best offensive performance: D’Angelo Minnis. The 5-foot-9 Kentwood junior showed just how clutch he was with big shots late and finished with 14 points off the bench for the Conquerors.
Best defensive performance: Rayvaughn Bolton. The 6-foot-2 senior guard began disrupting Federal Way almost from the get go. Bolton had a knack for making key steals late to help Kentwood pull in front of the Eagles and helped the Conquerors hold a Federal Way team averaging 87 points per game to a season-low 59.
Best guy off the bench: Palofino Jatta (11 points) had a chance to win this for Federal Way before D’Angelo Minnis helped put Jatta and the Eagles away with his late 3-pointers.
Best intangibles: Darius LuBom. LuBom, a four-year varsity player for Kentwood, led the Conquerors in scoring and was never far from the ball. He could be seen getting his teammates fired up late in the game and reaffirming their belief that they could be the team to beat Federal Way.
Best under-the-radar performance: Koby Huerta. The Kentwood senior scored 14 points – all in the second half – as the Conquerors raced to keep pace with Federal Way in a game that remained constantly up in the air. Until the final minutes, no team had more than a two-possession lead and Huerta helped keep it that way until Kentwood pulled away late.
Best underclassman: Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels is one of three sophomores on the Federal Way roster (Kentwood is comprised entirely of juniors and seniors). McDaniels didn’t get on the scoreboard but his presence was felt in other areas for the Eagles. The 6-foot-8 wing was all over the floor and came up with a few big rebounds in the third quarter as Federal Way kept pace with Kentwood.
Best performance by a guy trying to keep a record streak alive: Marcus Stephens. The Federal Way senior did all he could to help the Eagles get to 64 consecutive victories with a game-high 23 points. Stephens, a point guard, was also grabbing boards and helping run Federal Way’s up-tempo offense – which was aided with a few steals by Stephens.
Best story to watch going forward: How will Federal Way rebound to the loss? The top-ranked Eagles haven’t lost since a game against Bellevue on Jan. 19, 2015. Federal Way has won back-to-back 4A state championships and was the favorite going into this year’s tournament. The Eagles will remain the favorite, but with their streak ended, they may not be as intimidating to opponents as they could have been. And they’ll likely square off with Kentwood again either at the bi-district tournament or down the road at state.