TACOMA — It ended up being James Keum versus the Port Angeles boys basketball team.
Against most teams, the Lindbergh shooting guard’s record-breaking performance might have been enough.
Not against these Roughriders.
Port Angeles survived a tournament record 49-point night from Keum to beat the Lindbergh Eagles 77-75 in a double-overtime thriller that vaulted the Riders to their first state berth in four years.
Hayden McCartney scored a team-high 21 points, knocking down all three of his 3-point attempts in the two extra frames, and Ian Ward added 18 points, seven rebounds and four assists in the Class 2A West Central District affair at Foss High School.
“That was the craziest game I’ve ever played in,” said McCartney, who sank 7 of 8 field goal attempts on the night. “That’s right up there with the Sequim game this year [that also went two overtimes].
“Our team fought through adversity really well. It was a great team win.”
Port Angeles (18-8 overall) punched its ticket to the regional round of the 2A state playoffs with the win.
The Riders will take on Southwest District No. 2 Black Hills (8-15) on Friday in a loser-out regional contest at Mount Tahoma High School.
A win there would put them one game away from the eight-team tournament in Yakima on March 3-5.
“Ever since Year One we wanted to get to the state tournament,” said second-year Rider coach Wes Armstrong, whose team won the district’s sixth state seed.
“It’s really huge for this group of seniors.
“Three coaches in four years, it’s really hard to get any continuity, but these guys have a tremendous work ethic.
“We’re happy. It’s great for the Port Angeles community, and we are really excited for this group.”
The Riders had four players score in double figures while dishing out 18 assists as a team with just 12 turnovers.
Senior forward Colin Wheeler added 13 points and seven rebounds and junior guard Keenen Walker had 12 points for a Port Angeles team that shot 47.5 percent from the floor (28 of 59).
Yet with Keum hitting all manner of shots (floaters, pull-ups, fadeaways, layups, etc., etc.) off the dribble from all over the court, the Riders could never quite pull away in a game that featured 12 ties and eight lead changes.
“I have never in all my years coaching seen a kid make the kind of shots that [Keum] did. He was unbelievable,” Armstrong said.
“Thank God we were able to overcome a super human performance.”
Port Angeles went up by eight on three different occasions between the second, third and fourth quarters.
Each time Keum and company had an answer.
The 6-foot shooting guard knocked down 17 of 34 shots on the night, including 9 of 23 from beyond the 3-point line.
Many of those were actually well behind the arc, most notably his game-tying shot at the end of regulation; an NBA-esque stepback bomb that knotted the score at 59 with 10 seconds to go.
“In all honesty I’m not surprised by that,” Lindbergh coach Matt Leamer said of Keum’s night. “He’ had four or five 30-point games this year.
“When he wants to take over, I don’t know if he can be stopped. He’s just that good of a shooter and a scorer. So I was impressed, but it doesn’t shock me.”
After Ward opened the first overtime with a 16-foot jump shot, Keum answered with another pull-up 3 and an 8-footer in the lane for a 64-61 Eagle lead.
That’s when McCartney sank the first of his three clutch 3-pointers in the overtimes.
That included another moonshot from the wing with 25 seconds to go in the first extra period that put Port Angeles ahead 69-66.
Keum dished off to teammate Dewayne Brown on Lindbergh’s next possession, and he nailed a clutch 3 of his own to send the game to another OT.
It wasn’t until McCartney’s final 3 of the night, sunk with 1:10 to go in the second overtime, that the Riders took the lead for good at 76-73.
“That was the greatest feeling possible,” the 6-foot-3 junior forward said of hitting those shots. “It was awesome. I can’t even really describe it.”
Said Armstrong, “He’s just a big shot man.
“It was kind of funny because every time that he shot the ball tonight, I knew it was going in.”
Keum had three attempts at the tying shot on the other end but missed them all.
His final 3-point attempt, a pull up from four feet behind the line, was blocked by Ward, setting off a celebration that actually resulted in a Rider technical foul.
At that point, however, it didn’t matter.
There was just 0.6 seconds left on the clock, and Keum had run out of magic.
His 49-point night had shattered the old 2A West Central District tournament single game scoring record of 41 set by Steilacoom’s Kendrick Holley in 2002 against Port Townsend.
But that wasn’t enough to beat a Rider team that won three of four district playoff games in six days.
“I don’t care about scoring 49 if we lose,” said Keum, who came into districts averaging 20.4 points per game.
“That was probably one of the most exciting games of the season, but we didn’t pull out the victory. It was really disappointing.”
Brown was Lindbergh’s only other scorer in double figures with 10 points.
Lindbergh out-rebounded Port Angeles 35-26 on the night. But the Eagles (8-13) had just eight assists as a team.
In the end, the all-around team effort of Port Angeles’ offense — which hit 19 of 31 2-point shots — ended up being the difference between going home and going to state.
“You could just see, neither team gave in,” Leamer said. “Both teams’ wills were just amazing.
“That’s what I think made it such a special game to be a part of. I’m wishing I was on the other end, but I’ll remember it because it was a special game.”
Port Angeles 77, Lindbergh 75 (2OT)
Port Angeles 15 21 18 15 10 8 — 77
Lindbergh 17 17 18 17 10 6 — 75
Port Angeles (77)
Phair 3, Braithwaite 3, Walker 12, Antioquia 4, Ward 18, Wheeler 13, McCartney 21, Smith 3.
Lindbergh (75)
Brown 10, Mitchell 5, Keum 49, Huppe 4, Toms 7.