The Federal Way Eagles boys basketball didn’t need to beat the Kentwood Conquerors in the regional round of the 4A state playoffs on Saturday at Puyallup High School in their third meeting since the calendar turned to February.

It’s true, Kentwood did something 63 other opponents failed to do, beat the Eagles — not once but twice.

But Eagles coach Jerome Collins hates to lose, and, for the Eagles, the third time was the charm. Collins turned to the matchup zone in the second half to not allow the Conks to score easy buckets in the paint like they did in their last meeting. The adjustments worked for Federal Way as they bested Kentwood 70-61 on Saturday in the 4A regional round at Puyallup High School.

The Eagles advance to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament and play Richland at 9 a.m. on Thursday at the Tacoma Dome.

“I thought we maintained our sense of playing hard, and I’m proud of the guys for that.,” Collins said. “We mixed up our defense a little bit, and I thought we did a good job of disrupting them. We took away the 3-balls for the most part. They got some, but that’s the game.”

While the game, aside from the element of pride, was meaningless for Federal Way (24-2) basketball as a whole, it meant everything to Eagles’ small forward Rashon Slaughter.

Slaughter is in a class all by himself.

Every member of Federal Way’s roster has experienced the lure of the Tacoma Dome except for Slaughter.

He spent the last two seasons as member of the Decatur basketball team before transferring back to Federal Way for his senior season. He played for the Eagles as a freshman but never made varsity. It was Slaughter’s team-leading 22 points, three rebounds and two steals that helped spurred Federal Way’s win, Saturday.

“Well, I finally got my legs under me,” Slaughter said. “Throughout the season I got a little tired from the long season, but I got my legs under me, and the team was able to find me for good shots.”

Slaughter admitted he was pressing early in the postseason. His shooting percentage from 3-point range dipped down below 30 percent.

He struggled to find his shot in the Eagles’ win over Curtis to the point Collins removed Slaughter from the game entirely in the second half.

This time around, he took over in the second half. Slaughter scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half. The old Slaughter would have continued to shoot 3-point shots after missing consecutive attempts. This Slaughter, however, recognized when he was shooting cold and turned to the 12-foot jump shot, which had his shooting parentage above 70 percent.

“Rashon did a good job consistently through the game,” Collins said. “I thought he anchored us on the offensive end.”

Federal Way led 37-19 at the half. Slaughter opened the second half shooting 4-for-4 and gave the Eagles eight straight points out of the gate.

He was helped out by Federal Way big man Malcolm Cola, who finished with 11 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks.

Slaughter said he holds himself to a high standard within this Federal Way program.

He said he, and the coaches, expect him to have the best mid-range jump shot in the state. Slaughter admitted he had been pressing against opponents like Curtis and Kentwood.

After the second loss to Kentwood on Feb. 18, Slaughter had to step back and take a long look in the mirror.

“I had to get back to my ‘old man game,’ ” Slaughter said. “I’m historically a mid-range guy, but Fed coaches wanted me to knock down the 3-point shot. Early in the season it was great. I’ve struggled a little bit lately, but the team found me in a good rhythm in this one.”

When asked about playing his first game in the Tacoma Dome, Slaughter met the question with a big grin.

He’s played a lot of basketball, and he hopes to spend a lifetime playing basketball. Slaughter said there hasn’t been a game to this point that has brought on nerves.

Slaughter anticipates a great deal of nerves, however, when he steps onto the Tacoma Dome hardwood on Thursday morning because he’s been aware of the big picture since the team’s first practice in the fall: a third straight state championship for the program and the first state title with Slaughter’s name attached to it.

“I feel like I’m poised, very humble to go there,” Slaughter said. “I’m going to have the jitters. I’m not going to lie. I already know I’m going to hear it before I step out on the floor. I’ll be excited, but once I step on the court, I’m a professional. I’ll have the jitters, but I’ll be ready.”