2A Prep Boys Basketball: Crane, Newsome push R.A. Long over Columbia River in District semis
State Bound — Jacks dispatch Rapids 63-58 to set up Civil War III
By Nick Sisson for Blast Zone Media
THE LUMBERDOME — With a crowded field of talent, winning a league championship had significant meaning this season in the 2A Greater St. Helens league. And the narrative that local basketball fans had envisioned all year played out in a predictable manner for those who’ve been paying close attention.
The 2A GSHL featured four extremely good teams this season, and they were all in action in Longview on Tuesday night for the 2A District IV Tournament semifinals. On the south side of Lake Sacajawea at The Lumberdome the first-place R.A. Long Lumberjacks were looking to pull ahead in the season series with Columbia River, who came into the contest as the No. 3 seed 2A GSHL.
Most close observers knew full well as soon as the District bracket came out that the path to the happy end of the bracket would be most challenging for the teams who drew the odd numbers, simply because of the re-matchup that loomed between the Jacks and Rapids. Over the course of the regular season, though, R.A. Long earned the right to play the rubber match on its home court, and that advantage turned out to be worth its weight in red and black.
Joshua Crane dropped a game-high 23 points on some ridiculously difficult attempts from the field, and Cameron Newsome came off the bench to net 20 more while helping the hosts ride a momentous wave of energy in the second half all the way into the District Championship game with a hard-fought 63-58 win over the Rapids.
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