Sports
Warriors Blaze Through Bulldogs Without Crisp in District Playoffs, 64-49
Clover Park sophomore Ahmaad Rorie torches Foster for 32 points to secure a state berth. But a second straight championship run will be much tougher this year after David Crisp suffers a season-ending foot injury in previous game.
Ahmaad Rorie and David Crisp are two players joined at the hip. The sophomore guards are like brothers on and off the basketball court. Together, they are arguably the most feared combo across the state in the 2A classification.
But a rare scene took place in Clover Park's 64-49 lopsided victory against Foster during its first game of the West Central District tournament at Lakes High School on Thursday night. The tandem—for the first time in years dating back to AAU and summer hoops before entering high school—separated.
"It (game against Foster) was tough because I had to take all the double-teams," Rorie said. "He’s always there for me."
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Rorie and the top-ranked Warriors will miss Crisp for the duration of the playoffs after the guard—who averaged 19.3 points this season—broke his right foot in the sub-district championship the previous game.
There was still little doubt the district's top-seed would lose. Clover built a quick double-digit lead in the first quarter and never looked back. Rorie collared the Bulldogs by scoring a game-high 32 points.
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His teammate Isom Brown added 11 points, respectively.
Clover Park head coach Mel Ninnis knows that replacing Crisp is impossible and the team must take it up another notch.
"Each of us has to grab two more rebounds, score six more points and get a couple more steals," Ninnis said. "And take an extra step in believing in ourselves that we can accomplish this goal."
Clover Park will square off against White River (16-5) at 8:15 p.m. on Saturday at Franklin Pierce High School for the right to compete for a district championship and a No. 1 seed to the state playoffs Monday at the ShoWare Center in Kent.
Box Score
Foster            4   6  16  23 — 49
Clover Park  18 14  14  18 — 64
Foster: Gutierrez Gabe 14, Forsyth Connor, Ablie Leigh 15, Cedric Cooper 3, White Jordan 2, Horton Jimaun 4, Husanovic Ammar 2, Buckmaster Ian 6
Clover Park: Dwayne Crawford 9, Deshawn Johnson 6, Isom Brown 11, Ahmaad Rorie 32 and Xavier Means 6.
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