YAKIMA – A season of firsts for the King’s Way Christian boys basketball program finished with a fourth.
The Knights wrapped up their first trip to the Class 1A state tournament by beating Castle Rock 46-41 in overtime on Saturday at the SunDome to claim the fourth-place trophy.
Kienan Walter’s driving basket put the Knights ahead to stay with 2:52 left in overtime. King’s Way then let its defense and free-throw shooting close out the win as Castle Rock scored only one overtime point.
Walter finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds as the Knights outlasted their Tricio League rival to finish 21-7 on the season.
“This is the coolest thing I’ve ever done with basketball,” Walter said. “It means a lot to me, and to get the win for the seniors.”
Those seniors are starting guard Cole Jensen and reserve forward Mikey Johnson.
“We were predicted to be fourth in league and wound up getting fourth in state,” said Jensen, who scored five points. “In the process I’ve developed a close bond with my teammates and my coaches and I know I’m going to have best friends for life.”
Both teams struggled with perimeter shooting. King’s Way was 5 for 23 from 3-point distance, Castle Rock 2 for 18. But late in the fourth quarter a Brock Johnson 3 gave the Rockets a 40-37 lead. Walter, who was 3 for 9 from behind the arc, hit his third trey to tie the score with 50 seconds left.
Saturday concluded a season that included the program’s first Trico League championship, and first chance to play for a 1A state tournament trophy. King’s Way previously finished fifth in Class 2B.
With most of the team returning, next season could also be special. Though after narrowly escaping the district tournament and the regional round, they know it won’t be easy to get back to Yakima.
“The upside of our program is great. But that doesn’t mean anything,” King’s Way coach Daven Harmeling said. “We know the amount of work we have to do during the summer to get the point where we’re competing with the top (teams in the state).”
KING’S WAY CHRISTIAN 46, CASTLE ROCK 41 (OT)
CASTLE ROCK – Ty Johnson 12, Taite Kleine 0, Brock Johnson 8, Mason Klingberg 18, Kyle Koopman 2, Nick Proudfit 1, Adam Clark 0, Dakota Golden 0, Colton Titus 0. Totals: 12-46 (2-18) 15-18 41.
KING’S WAY (21-7) – Kienan Walter 21, Cole Jensen 5, Arda Aydin 9, Joe Mills 3, Kyle Gonzales 3, Nick Pulicells 5, Tony Huser 0, Karter Graves 0, Mikey Johnson 0. Totals: 15-47 (5-23) 11-19 46.
Castle Rock 8 13 13 6 1–41
King’s Way 11 13 6 10 6–46
