The Kennedy Catholic Lancers tried to keep an emotionally wounded Federal Way Eagles in box — a box- and one-zone defense to be exact.
The Federal Way boys refused to be held down, however, and behind a near-flawless shooting effort from senior Rashon Slaughter, who finished with 25 points, six rebounds and two steals on 11 for 20 shooting, the Eagles stared the Lancers’ zone in the face and confidently knocked down shots to put Kennedy Catholic away 77-56 Friday morning in their state boys basketball consolation game at the Tacoma Dome.
The Eagles move on to play at 8 a.m. Saturday against Curtis in the fourth-sixth place game.
Eagles players were still visibly upset from their surprising loss the day before as they entered the arena early Friday morning. Reality has set in for Federal Way — there’s no chance the team will play for a third straight state championship.
Eagles coach Jerome Collins said they are playing for something more important than a physical award.
“Pride. You’re playing for pride, ” Collins said. “That ‘F-Dub’ [W] that’s on your chest. It’s not an individual thing. It’s that F-Dub that’s on your chest. All the guys that have come through helped build the tradition and the program to what it is. You’re representing that, and I thought they did that.”
Though Federal Way (23-3) had to drag itself off the bus upon arriving at the Tacoma Dome, once the boys came onto the Tacoma Dome hardwood, the thrill, excitement and drive came rushing back to Eagle players.
Disappointment from the loss the day before still lingered over Federal Way through the opening quarter, though, as Kennedy Catholic (20-9) forced four early turnovers with its zone, jumping out to a 5-2 lead.
Slaughter knocked down a 3-pointer, however, as the first quarter came to an end, and the Eagles seized a 17-16 lead.
“It just brought up our spirits, getting back out there,” Federal Way point guard Marcus Stephens said. “We love the game, we love each other and we love scoring a lot of points. It brought the guys’ spirits back up to play the way we did today.”
The Eagles busted right through the box Kennedy Catholic forced them into with a press-into-zone of their own, and Slaughter forced two turnovers resulting in break-away layups.
The sudden surge boomed Federal Way’s lead to 26-18 when Lancers’ coach Don Hoffman furiously called timeout.
Stephens and Slaughter grew more and more confident to take the ball and shoot right in the heart of Kennedy Catholic’s zone as time went on.
They combined to lead the team in first-half points, and the Eagles went into halftime up 35-28. Both teams were confident in their zones, and each team forced the other to commit seven turnovers, keeping the score close.
And the Eagles players who first shuffled into the Dome earlier that morning walked off the court at halftime with confidence.
“In life, you’re going to run in to some stumbling blocks,” Collins said referring to Wednesday’s loss. “You cannot let it deter you. You bounce back and move forward.”
Federal Way charged forward with Slaughter in the second half.
Even though Slaughter was still visibly upset about Thursday’s loss, he pushed through it while on the floor.
He opened the third quarter with five straight points, and just like that, Federal Way had a double-digit lead.
“I’m still lost for words after the last game,” Slaughter said. “Tonight was just about pride and just win.”
Collins’ message to the team prior to taking the floor for the game was “play with pride and character,” and Slaughter took it to heart in the final eight minutes.
He knocked down three 3-point baskets for a nine-point quarter. Slaughter also came up with four rebounds.
The fire from being poked and confined to a box through the first 24 minutes forced Federal Way to explode over the final minutes.
In fact, Federal Way went on a 10-0 run from the second quarter into the third to extend its lead to 13 points, and it outscored Kennedy 43-28 in the second half.
“The goal is to always be No. 1 and state champion,” Slaughter said. “We’re still going to compete. We’re not quitters. It still hurts, but we’re going to show people we’re still the best team.”
The 2016-17 Federal Way Eagles play their final game together Saturday morning. For Stephens, he ends his career on a full circle.
He started with the Curtis basketball program as a freshman. Now it’s his job to make sure his former team doesn’t confine his current one to a forgettable state tournament run.
“I’ve been talking to some of the guys because they’re in the same situation we are,” Stephens said. “We’re going to try to put them away, compete on the court. Of course those are my guys, but we have a mission to finish.”
