Avenging a loss from one week ago, Clover Park of Tacoma won its first boys basketball state championship in history Saturday night with a 69-54 victory over Squalicum of Bellingham.
Squalicum, which had been the three-time defending champion in Class 2A, had beaten Clover Park 56-54 last week in a regional championship.
The loss ended a 12-game playoff winning streak for Squalicum, a team that graduated a variety of contributors from last year's championship team and started the season 3-6 before rebounding with a 15-3 record prior to the title tilt.
In a state tournament dominated by upperclassmen, it was the play of two freshmen, David Crisp and Ahmaad Rorie, that led the way for Clover Park. Rorie led the team with 21 points, and Crisp chipped in 15. Neither shot well from distance, going a combined 3-for-15 from beyond the arc.
In the crucial period at the beginning of the second half, however, Rorie and Crisp combined with senior Tana Pritchard (13 points, 9 rebounds) to help push a four-point advantage at the half to a 47-32 lead after three quarters.
Clover Park had the rebounding advantage 43-29.
Squalicum, a northwestern Washington school near the Canadian border, was led by 20 points from guard Joseph Chunphackvenn.
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