Rainier Beach Outlasts Duncanville in High-Level National Contest

Rainier Beach set the tone early behind freshman guard JJ Crawford, who opened the scoring with a pretty-looking three-pointer. Duncanville responded immediately, and it was clear from the jump that this was going to be a tempo-driven game. Rainier Beach picked up full court, looking to speed Duncanville up, and an early and-one by Tyran Stokes pushed the Vikings out to a 10–3 lead midway through the first quarter. A Christopher Hunt Jr. three-pointer cut the lead to 10-6. A Jihren Mitchell corner three with 1:51 left in the opening quarter made it 16-14.

Duncanville never flinched. They answered every run, including a key corner three late in the quarter that helped them escape the opening frame with a slim 19–18 edge. Crawford continued to assert himself to start the second quarter, knocking down another three to regain the lead. A putback on a miss by Kam Babbs tied the game at 27. Still, Duncanville’s balance and ability to get downhill allowed them to head into halftime up 32–31.

The third quarter was a chess match. Rainier Beach leaned into its press again, but Duncanville consistently broke it and generated quality looks. Still, Stokes continued to impose his will inside and in transition, tying the game at 46 late in the quarter. Duncanville held a narrow 50–48 advantage heading into the fourth, setting the stage for a high-level finish.

The final eight minutes belonged to Stokes, the number one-rated player nationally in the class of 2026. He tied the game with an and-one early in the fourth, then delivered a momentum-shifting breakaway dunk to give Rainier Beach the lead. Three straight buckets from Stokes stretched the margin, and his ability to score through contact, finish in traffic, and run the floor proved to be the difference. Duncanville made one final push behind timely shot-making from Jirehn Mitchell, who drilled multiple threes late to keep it a one-possession game, but Rainier Beach stayed composed and knocked down free throws to close it out. The final score was Rainer Beach 74, Duncanville 70. Rainer Beach was led by Tryan Stokes, who finished with 33 points and 14 rebounds, and JJ Crawford, who finished with14 points. Duncanville was led by Jirehn Mitchell and Jordan Brooks, who both finished with 18 points.