YAKIMA — R.A. Long had every reason to believe it could win, no matter the score, situation and time remaining.
And who could blame them? The Lumberjacks, winners of 13 straight dating back to Jan. 19, had their mettle tested multiple times over the last month and a half, yet still found a way to win every single time.
So in Friday night’s Class 2A state semifinal against Lynden, trailing by seven points with three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, the Lumberjacks made their move, like clockwork, leading to the last 1.5 seconds with a game-winning shot at stake.
R.A. Long’s final look, a half-court inbounds pass to Cavin Holden for a deep 3-pointer, fell off the mark. Lynden (21-2) left the Yakima Valley SunDome with a 46-44 win and advanced to Saturday’s 2A title game against Pullman.
The Lumberjacks (21-3), who were playing in their first state semifinal game dating back to 1953, will face No. 1 seed North Kitsap in the third-place game Saturday at 1 p.m.
“I’m just super proud of my guys, the way we competed,” R.A. Long head coach Jeray Key said. “I knew the game was never over. I thought we were still going to win it, even when we went down (seven) … we battled through adversity all year. I’m just super proud of these guys, no matter what.”
Tied at 44-all, Lynden’s Anthony Canales scored what turned out to be the winning basket underneath on a feed from Jordan Medcalf with 22 seconds left.
The play followed a quick R.A. Long comeback. First, Jamond Harris hit a 3-pointer, then Stephen Rooklidge converted a three-point play to get the ‘Jacks within one point. With 45 seconds left, Aaron Ofstun spun and scored the game-tying basket in the paint.
Ofstun and Harris each scored 12 points to lead R.A. Long, while Holden added 10 points.
“This is a special group, this is a family. They didn’t want to lose because they didn’t want to disappoint each other,” Key said. “When you don’t want to disappoint the guy next to you, you’re going to give your all, no matter what was going to happen, the adversity, they were going to fight … We were going to keep fighting, and that’s what I expected from them. That’s what we built.”
R.A. Long’s three seniors, Ofstun, Harris and Rooklidge, will have one final game to play in a Lumberjack uniform on Saturday afternoon, but Friday’s battle against a perennial state power in Lynden served as another reminder of their legacy in the program.
This run marked R.A. Long’s first state tournament appearance since 2008, and was also the second straight year the ‘Jacks won the 2A Greater St. Helens League outright, including the 2021 spring season condensed due to COVID-19. And had it not been for the pandemic, this season’s district title could’ve been R.A. Long’s second in a row.
It’s a legacy the ‘Jacks believe they can and will build on as they return four of their top seven rotation players.
“It’s huge. We could be back in this situation next year, as long as our guys put in the work,” Key said. “… They just got to build into what these seniors are leaving, and leaving that legacy behind that they are. This run can keep on going, and eventually we will get that title.
“These seniors that built this up over the last four years, I mean, people act like, ‘Man, we haven’t really heard much about R.A. Long,’ but we’ve been here for the last four years and we’ve been making noise for years … We’re here, and we’re here to stay.”
LYNDEN 46, R.A. LONG 44
R.A. LONG — Lonnie Brown Jr. 2, Jake Gabbard 0, Aaron Ofstun 12, Cavin Holden 10, Stephen Rooklidge 8, Jamond Harris 12, Jaxon Cook 0. Totals 23 (7) 5-13 44.
LYNDEN — Kaleo Jandoc 2, Coston Parcher 4, Jordan Medcalf 19, Max Moore 0, Trey Smiley 0, Anthony Canales 19, Kobe Baar 2. Totals 23 (2) 2-6 46.
RA Long 12 14 8 10—44
Lynden 13 14 6 13—46
