TACOMA — The sweat clung to Kaden Perry’s face, a droplet of perspiration falling from his chin in a slow but steady drip. The Battle Ground senior wore on his face what the rest of the team was feeling: the fatigue of a long season that saw its bitter end Wednesday in a 78-57 loss to Federal Way in the 4A State round-of-12.
Perry finished his junior campaign with the Tigers with 26 points and 16 rebounds. He had three dunks, including an alley-oop to himself off the backboard in the third quarter.
“I may show (fatigue), but I was still fired up at the end,” Perry said. “This was our last game so I wanted to give it my all.”
The lone starting senior, Brendan Beall, added 13 points to cap his career.
While Federal Way’s relentless press, sharpshooting and stifling defense proved too much Wednesday, it was a season of progress for Battle Ground.
For the second straight season, the Tigers end in the Tacoma Dome. It’s the first time since 1992 the program has achieved such a feat.
“It was a group that if you look at on basketball court, you question if they even play basketball,” BG coach Manny Melo said. “But then they come out there, work that hard and get that many wins and win big games.”
The Tigers (15-11) are hopeful for the future. With a team centered around the future Gonzaga big man, they return four starters including point guard Nate Millspaugh (nine points Wednesday), Max Ramirez and Cole Billingsley. It’s a group Perry knows can take the next step.
“We had a lot of ups and downs throughout the season and through the thick and thin of it, the players and coaches came together at the end of the day and won basketball games,” Perry said. “Overcoming all those obstacles really made it special.”
Wednesday was just too big a challenge to overcome. Federal Way hit 57 percent of its shots (28-49) and went 12 of 23 from beyond the arc. The Eagles pulled to a 38-21 halftime lead and continued to press until the Tigers had nothing left in the tank.
“We just struggled to get any type of rhythm,” Melo said. “We were just fighting a losing battle out there. Credit to Federal Way; they knocked down shots.”
Federal Way (24-5) advances to face third-ranked Mount Si in a 7:15 p.m. quarterfinal Thursday.
FEDERAL WAY 78, BATTLE GROUND 57
BATTLE GROUND (15-11) — Max Ramirez 2, Cole Billingsley 2, Nate Millspaugh 9, Brendan Beall 13, Kaden Perry 26, Bishop Straube 0, Jake Kostman 5, David Reed 0, Brian Week 0. Totals 21-56 (3-15) 12-16 57.
FEDERAL WAY (24-5) — Jaylen-Wes Williams 18, Peter Erickson 15, Jared Franklin 12, Bradley Graham 12, Jaden Call 3, Marcus Cole 5, Ja Colmbelli-Silva 0, Isaiah Afework 2, Lamarron Johnson 5, Drelyn Decuire 0, Dace Pleasent 6, Darius Williams 0. Totals 28-49 (12-23) 10-12 78.
B. Ground 10 11 11 25—57
Fed. Way 14 24 24 16—78
