After winning the state championship last season, the Federal Way boys basketball team knew they’d have a target on their backs.

All season long they endured every team’s best punch.

Even when opposing teams had them on the ropes, the Eagles found a way to win.

On Saturday, Federal Way absorbed one last blow as they prevailed 66-54 over the Kentwood Conquerors in the 4A state championship game to win their second consecutive state title.

“I’m so proud of our guys,” Federal Way head coach Jerome Collins said. “I’m proud of them for what they’re doing in the classroom. I’m proud of their work ethic. I’m proud of their dedication. I’m proud of their focus and commitment to do something incredible and leave their legacy.”

In each game this season the Eagles seemed to have a different player step up and lead the team.

Kentwood led Saturday’s matchup for most of the first three quarters. While they never led by more than nine points, they were able to keep the Eagles at bay.

They couldn’t put the Eagles away, however, and a big part of that was the play of Christian Jones.

Jones, a University of Washington baseball commit, was second on the team in scoring with 18 points. He also tied for the lead in rebounds with 12.

Five of those 12 rebounds were offensive boards, allowing the Eagles second-chance points they wouldn’t have gotten otherwise.

When the Eagles needed a basket, he seemed to be in the right place for a pass and an easy chance for a score.

“He does everything,” Jalen McDaniels said of Jones. “He gets rebounds, putbacks, plays great defense, always has energy and always bringing us together when we know we need to make a run or something like that. It’s always good to have him on the team.”

Eventually, momentum began to swing in Federal Way’s favor.

With 3:48 left to play in the third and Federal Way trailing 35-30, Ferron Flavors went to the line for a couple of free throws. He sank both of them.

Those free throws marked the beginning of a 14-0 run for the Eagles.

Kentwood’s Rayvaughn Bolton ended the run with a 3-pointer early in the fourth quarter, but the deficit was too large for the Conquerors to overcome.

They cut the Federal Way lead to three with 5:45 left in the fourth quarter, but that would be the closest they would get.

With Kentwood having little life in the game, the Eagles decided to add an exclamation point to their win.

The Conquerors were trailing by nine points with under a minute to go and looking to cut into the lead. D’Jimon Jones had other plans when he intercepted a pass and found Flavors who was sprinting down the court.

Flavors saw his teammate, Jalen McDaniels, trailing him on the fast break. He tossed the ball off the backboard for McDaniels to slam down with both hands.

“I saw him coming and then I knew he was gonna finish it,” Flavors said. “I feel like that really put the cap on the game. Last championship I threw one to him down the stretch, but it wasn’t off the glass. But I saw him coming, so I had to throw it again for sure.”

With only 30 seconds remaining, Kentwood was out of chances to make a comeback. The final seconds rolled off the clock and the Federal Way players stormed the court.

“It’s a wonderful feeling to go out on top two years in a row,” Christian Jones said. “It’s crazy. I couldn’t do it without coach Collins. I couldn’t do it without all 12 guys on this team. This is maybe the most all-around team in state history. To keep the winning streak alive, I feel like we left a legacy as one of the best teams ever.”

The Eagles got a much tougher fight from their opponent this season than they did in last year’s championship when they defeated A.C. Davis High School 65-46

Bolton was a nightmare for Federal Way to guard against in the first half. He led all players with 14 points at halftime.

Kentwood as a team shot 52 percent from the floor in the first half, going 13-for-25.

Federal Way’s defense picked up in the second half, and the Conquerors only made seven of their 23 shots for a meager 30.4 percent.

“I like the second one better,” D’Jimon Jones said. “It was closer. The first one was still a state championship game, but we had played [Davis] one time already and beat them by like 40. [Kentwood] was making every single shot. We knew we had to step up and win this game. Just like this whole year, we had to step up and win games.

“We accomplished what our main goal was, which was to win a championship and not lose. I feel great right now.”

The Eagles’ winning streak is now up to 43 games. Their last loss was on Jan. 19, 2015, against Bellevue.

“I remember we lost to Bellevue last year, and I remember we said we’re not taking any more losses ever again,” McDaniels said. “We just stuck by it.”

“I just don’t want to lose; none of these guys do,” said Flavors. “We weren’t going to let them take a championship away from us. I’m just happy I was able to help my team win, especially two years in a row. Ferris is the only 4A team to do it besides us. It feels good.

“Usually when teams feel pressure, it breaks them. It doesn’t break us. We’re a family. We come together, especially at times when we’re down and not playing good. If we’re not playing good, then we come together and play even harder. We’re a big family and we love each other.”

The Eagles coasted to a 69-55 win over Lewis and Clark in the quarterfinals, leading the Tigers by as much as 22 points in that game.

Federal Way’s biggest scare came in the semifinals against Gonzaga Prep, when they won 46-44. They trailed the Bullpups by nine at one point in the third quarter before finally making a comeback in the fourth. The final shot by Gonzaga Prep’s Anton Watson bounced off the backboard and the front of the rim before falling off to the side.

“We got everybody’s best every night out and we stood the tide,” Collins said. “I couldn’t think of a more well-deserved group to get it done. We focus on the student and the person. We focused on that and the wins kept coming.

“We’re going to celebrate today and tonight, hit church in the morning and give God some praise and say thanks. Then we’ll take some time off and enjoy it. We’ll take two weeks off and then get back to the grindstone, just like last year.”

D’Jimon Jones, Christian Jones, McDaniels and Flavors are the only seniors on this year’s roster. Marcus Stephens, the team’s third-leading scorer, is the only starter who is not graduating this year.

Federal Way finishes the season 29-0.

Photos by Dennis Box, for the Mirror

Photos by Vince Miller, Vince Miller Studio