The 2026 Washington State 3A Boys Basketball Championship brings a heavyweight matchup to the Tacoma Dome. The undefeated, top‑seeded Rainier Beach Vikings (23‑0) arrive chasing another title and a 10th championship for legendary coach Mike Bethea. Standing in their way is the hometown Lincoln Abes (19‑3), a young, fearless squad making their first meeting with the Vikings this season count on the biggest stage.
The Abe rides the momentum of sophomore guard Davion Shareef‑Dulanaey, who is fresh off a 32‑point semifinal performance capped by a clutch go‑ahead three. The Vikings counter with overwhelming star power: consensus No. 1 recruit Tyran Stokes, the 6’7”, 230‑pounder, do‑everything force, paired with 6’7” JJ Crawford, whose skill set is reminiscent of his father Jamal Crawford, just in a bigger frame. With elite talent supported by tough, disciplined role players, the Vikings played the role of a championship favorite—but Lincoln’s confidence and home‑city energy make this a true showdown.
Vikings freshman guard JJ Crawford’s 15-footer opened up the scoring in this game, followed by a soon-to-be patented Micha Ili-Meneese slash to the rim and a shot from KJ Hightower after he grabbed a loose ball and was on the seat of his pants to give the Vikings an early 6-0 lead. The Abes Shareef‑Dulanaey would miss his first three-pointer and make his second to give them their initial point in this game. The Abes would be held to one field goal in that initial quarter, while the Vikings seemingly converted every turnover into points, finishing the quarter on an 18-3 run, and would not be challenged in this matchup.
“We got out to a fast start,” head coach Mike Bethea said after their win. “The just had to get it across the finish line.”
The gameplan was clearly to stay in Abe’s sophomore guard, Davion Shareef‑Dulanaey’s face, and frustrate him by limiting his space and movement throughout the game. Micha Ili-Meneese shared their philosophy coming into the game.
“Give him hell, give him hell all night,” Vikings junior wing player Micah Ili-Meneese said, describing their defensive gameplan for the Abes Shareef‑Dulanaey. “We were not going to let him see any one-on-ones; no type of freelance action.”
Shareef‑Dulanaey scored the Abes’ second field goal of the game with 5:01 remaining in the second quarter to make it a 22-6 game. Tyran Stokes did not play most of the second quarter, yet the Vikings were able to outscore the Abes 12-3 in an early second-quarter run that extended their lead.
Scoring 12 points off turnovers and 12-0 points off the bench enabled the Vikings to take control of the game in the first half, and by limiting the Abes to 9.68 percent shooting from the field and 0-12 from behind the arc in that first half, leading to their 30-point lead after two quarters.
Though the Abes showed some life in the second half, and actually outscored the Vikings 25-16 in the third quarter. Shareef‑Dulanaey led all scorers with 11 points in the third quarter, but only managed to narrow their deficit to 21 points.
Both teams emptied their benches in the fourth quarter of this game. Young JJ Crawford led the Vikings with 18 points, on six for eight shooting, three rebounds, and three assists. The nation’s top high school recruit, Tyran Stokes, finished the championship game with 16 points, shooting six for seven from the floor, pulling down seven rebounds, and handing out five assists. However, after the Viking 75-53 win over the Abes, the tournament’s most valuable player medal was awarded to the Vikings’ Micah Ili-Meneese for his defense and consistency.
“He’s been one of the solid guys all tournament long,” coach Mike Bethea said about 6’4” Ili-Meneese, who just recorded a game-high 32 points in their semi-finals game. “He’s been our glue guy. When everyone was up and down, he was just steady!”
The first time I saw the Vikings play, Meneese’s ability to defend the opponent’s best player, and get himself in position to consistently make the right basketball play jumped out to me. His 15 points and 10 rebounds are further evidence of his ability to do the dirty work that this team needed.
“He has no ceiling. He’s always getting better; he’s such a great kid. He does whatever the team needs,” former three-time NBA Sixth Man of the Year Jamal Crawford said about Ili-Meneese. “We don’t win this championship or have the season we had without him.”
“Just doing whatever it takes for my team to have success. It’s been a lot of ups and downs with this team. But being one of the leaders of this team, we needed to hold it together,” Micah Ili-Meneese told me. “He’ll (Jamal Crawford) tell me to go get a bucket and draw something up for me. So, his presence has been really big for me, for my confidence.”
This was a talented Rainier Beach Basketball team! Even without the nation’s number one recruit, this team earned this state championship. Because this team was well constructed, they should be expected to defend their Washington State Championship again next season here at the Tacoma Dome.
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