Vonchae Richardson led the way, in mind and spirit, making clutch free throws down the stretch as the defense pitched in greatly, too.

That came after a time out called by the coach that led the Mount Rainier Rams to, though not a state championship, still a very good place after beating the Columbia River Chieftains, 53-46, in a loser-out game of the 3A WIAA state basketball tournament at Key Arena Friday.

"Our top goal was making it to state," said Richardson. "Our next goal was to get to the semifinals."

Get to semifinals? Not done.

"Our next goal was to get a place at state," said Richardson.

Done.

But these Rams definitely did not let a quarterfinal loss stop them, even though it kept them out of the semifinals.

"We re-focused, and kept it together," said Richardon, as fleet-footed as they come and he will lead this team next year, too, because he's only a junior. CRC was a worthy team for the Rams but they just stepped it up which you have to do to get a trophy.

Even before they played for the fourth or seventh place state 3A trophy, it was already known the Rams would be a top eight, state trophy team in the state of Washington.

Nice to see how the Rams' blood pumped like it did, showing no ill effects of just having suffered an excruciating attack on their bodies, and, minds, dashing dreams of one of their biggest goal.

Following a heartbreaking overtime loss to the Seattle Prep Panthers, it looked like the Rams were next going to get beat by the Chieftains. A 28-20 Rams halftime lead evaporated to nothing-and then some- on a 12-0 run that had the Chieftains ahead, 32-28, just 2:30 into the third quarter. Quite an evaporation. And it looked like, even after the Rams' first points of the quarter on an Alfie Miller bucket with 3:45 left in the third quarter, that they were finally getting a lucky score and would continue to suffer a second straight day of collapse. The Rams led Seattle Prep, 34-17, the day before playing CRC, with three minutes gone from the third the game before Columbia River and somehow someway could not continue the great play that got them up so much on the 2006 and '00 state champion Panthers.

So, the Chieftains looked like they would go up a lot, up 36-31 with 2:00 left in the third quarter.

Things looked bad as the Chieftains scored a bucket from their big 6-foot, 9-inch guy that, to note, destroyed Kennedy in a game that put them into the loser-out one with the Rams that the Rams won by one to qualify for state. That kid was good. He was destroying Lakes, had his Chieftains team up, 23-12, at halftime in the game before the Kennedy one, a quarterfinal, following the Chieftains' upset of one of the state favorites, Mercer Island.

But what was most disconcerting, just had to be, was that the Rams' point guard was on the bench as the Chieftains went on that run to get away from the Rams, 36-31. The Rams' point guard was Richardson, and he was having some problems controlling the offensive flow of the game. So his coach benched him.

Richardson sat until a couple minutes into the third quarter, with the Chieftains up, 38-34. The momentum still was with CRC.

"We took a time out and talked about not falling apart," said Johnson.

It was then that, first, that 6-2 senior Sam Bowie, scored to make it 38-37 as he made a free throw after being fouled.

Then, at the 6:35 mark, Richardson was fouled. He shot 1-for-2 free throws and the Rams were still down, 40-37. Rashaun Butler, a 6-0 senior, hit a shot to make it 41-39. Then, with 5:00 to go, CRC made 1-of-2 free throws. Then Richardson, driving the lane back-to-back times being fouled, made 1-of-2 free throws to make it 42-41 with CRC leading.

The Rams' defense at this point appeared to really clutch up, just being in passing lanes so that the CRC could not do anything more than dribble straight around the basket, or, be cut off going to the hole, or get a pass intercepted.

Richardson again was dribbling down the floor and again drove, and, was fouled. He made two more free throws. He definitely won this game with his free throw shooting making a perfect number of seven straight to finish off CR.

"When I'm happy they're happy," said Richardson, who joked around during the tournament. That speaks of Richardson and of course...the Rams.

Richardson scored 16 to lead the Rams and Butler and Miller each had 10. Jon Morine had six and Theo Bowie, five. Josh Armstrong chipped in two and Tyrell Lewis, two.

Kyle Thurston had 16 and Steven Bjornstad, 12, for CRC.