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2A Boys Basketball State Championship: Bremerton over R.A. Long 45-43 |
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Knights erased five point deficit in final two minutes to beat Lumberjacks |
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| Published March 7, 2026 4:30 pm |
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Ethan Pittsley, left, of R.A. Long and Jalen Davis of Bremerton vie for a rebound in the Class 2A boys basketball state championship game on Saturday, March 7, 2026 at the Yakima Valley SunDome in Yakima. (Micah Rice/The Columbian)
YAKIMA — As expected after an emotionally draining state championship loss, the R.A. Long team room was quiet and somber following Saturday’s 45-43 defeat to Bremerton in the Class 2A boys basketball title game.
For nearly 30 minutes inside the Yakima Valley SunDome, the Lumberjacks sat together and reflected on the game and their season. But coach Jeray Key reminded his players that while winning the program’s first state championship was their goal, his purpose as a coach reaches far beyond basketball.
“In this moment,” the coach said, “it’s going to sting. … “My mission here at R.A. Long isn’t just to win a state title. I hope that I made an impression on these kids’ lives so that one day they grow up to be great people and family men.”
“If you’ve got a healthy family, then you’re rich.”
Saturday marked the first time in program history that the Lumberjacks (26-1) played for a state championship. The runner-up finish surpasses the 1939 team’s third-place state trophy as the program’s highest state finish.
Point guard Cam Newsome led the Jacks with 18 points on 7 of 15 shooting and three assists. Thirteen of those points came in the first half, including a last-second 3-pointer to bring R.A. Long within 25-24 at halftime.
Possessions — and points, for that matter — were at a premium in the second half. R.A. Long led by five twice in the fourth quarter — 40-35 off a 3 by Newsome and again at 43-38 thanks to a 3 by Jeff Rooklidge (12 points).
Late in the contest, Key felt a number of officiating calls went against the Jacks during a critical stretch.
Perhaps the biggest one came when Bremerton standout guard Jalen Davis, the tournament’s MVP, was fouled in the key with 4.4 seconds to play in a 43-43 game. |
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He drilled two free throws that gave the Knights a 45-43 advantage. In Friday’s semifinal against Columbia River, Davis’ game-winning lay-in at the buzzer lifted the Knights to a 55-54 overtime victory.
“The guy drives baseline, tries to toss something up, and you call a foul instead of going into overtime,” Key said. “I don’t know.”
Davis, the tournament’s MVP, finished with 18 points. Aaron Matthews, whose top-of-the-key 3 tied the game at 43-43 with 48 seconds left, added 10.
R.A. Long went scoreless for the final 3:38 that included a 5-second call and an offensive foul that gave possession back to Bremerton.
Key has now played and coached in a state title game. He was an all-state guard for Mark Morris in 2008 and played on the 2007 Monarchs squad that placed second that year in Class 2A to Lynden.
In a season that ended with 26 victories and its best finish in program history, Key knows this year’s Lumberjacks’ story is well-written.
“I told these guys to hold their heads high and trust in God, and they’ll be all right.”
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BREMERTON 45, R.A. LONG 43
R.A. LONG — Cam Newsome 18, Jeff Rooklidge 12, Ethan Pittsley 0, Cash Coates 0, Anthony Herrera 0, Josh Crane 7, Landon Irwin 6, Brenner Coates 0. Totals 16-39 (7-14) 2-4 43.
BREMERTON — Enoch Taylor 5, Dillon McKay 0, Aaron Matthews 10, Junior Davis-McWhorter 6, " Jalen Davis 18, Mark Lomuda 0, Jay Beahan 6. Totals 16-43 (4-12) 9-14 45.
RA Long 13 11 11 8—43
Bremerton 6 19 9 11—45
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