Ahmaad Rorie Cools Heads, Scores 34 Points in 53-46 Clover Park Victory Against Lindbergh

TACOMA—Clover Park's Xavier Means is usually the player keeping his teammates cool.

The 6-foot 4-inch junior forward erupted from a technical foul against Lindbergh freshman Brandon Brown resulting in a four-point swing with less than 15 seconds in the first half. The mental mistake gave the Eagles a 26-23 lead at halftime during a regional seeding matchup.

"He (Ahmaad Rorie) was there for me when I was mad," Means said. "He helped me keep my cool and everybody else on the team."

Rorie and the Warriors stayed cool in the fourth quarter by holding Lindbergh to one field goal and winning 53-46 Monday night at Foss High School. They closed strong on an 8-0 run beginning with a pair of free throws by sophomore Rorie.

He electrified the crowd and led all scorers with 34 points and was a perfect 13-for-13 from the free throw line. The victory secured the Warriors a No. 3 seed to the 2A regional playoffs.

The Eagles played with intensity. Led by James Keum who scored a team-high 13 points, Lindbergh out-scored the Warriors 8-2 in the last 90 seconds of the third quarter, 44-38.

But like all good basketball players, sinking your free throws in clutch situations can be the difference between winning and losing. And when Rorie stepped up to the charity stripe ahead by just three points with 13 seconds left, 49-46, he relaxed and converted both after playing all 32 minutes on the court.

"Teams are going to foul you if you can't shoot free throws," Rorie said. "I just take my time at the free throw line. Outside of the game, I just practice."

After losing David Crisp earlier in the playoffs, Clover Park head coach Mel Ninnis said to focus more on floor spacing, balance and execution.

"Right now, we're not a well-oiled machine," Ninnis said. "Hopefully, in three days, we'll be a lot better.

What did Ninnis say about Rorie's performance?

"Get out of his way and turn him loose," he said.

The Warriors travel to Tumwater and will play Mark Morris in a loser-out regional contest at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The winner advances to the state tournament at the SunValley Dome in Yakima.

Lindbergh     10   16   18   2 — 46

Clover Park   12   11   17  13 —53