State 2B boys: Kittitas holds off Liberty for title

As it turned out, perfection didn’t come easily for Kittitas on Saturday night.

But eventually, Brock Ravet and the Coyotes capped an undefeated season with a 72-69 win over Liberty in the State 2B boys championship game on Saturday at the Arena.

As he has all season, Ravet carried Kittitas to the finish line, scoring 46 points in one of the most dominant individual displays in tournament history.

A 6-foot-3 sophomore who averages 29 points, Ravet matched that total in the first half. He went on to 15 for 24 from the field before fouling out with two minutes left.

But at the end of the night, the only stat that mattered was the Coyotes’ 24-0 record.

It was earned the hard way, as Liberty nearly overcame a 13-point deficit in the final three minutes, but Kittitas held on at the end.

Kittitas led 8-4 on an early 3-pointer by Ravet, who fist-pumped the Kittitas fans as he ran down court. Liberty briefly retook the lead, but Ravet struck twice again on long 3-pointers from the top of the arc to give the Coyotes an 18-13 lead late in the first quarter.

Liberty regrouped again, forging a 21-all tie at the end of a fast-paced first quarter that saw the teams combine for 30 shots.

The tide briefly swung toward Liberty early in the second quarter, when Ravet was whistled for an offensive foul that also wiped out his go-ahead layin.

But Ravet came back with a layin and another three to put the Coyotes up five. At that point, Ravet had 21 of the Coyotes 26 points.

Ravet scored 40 points in the 67-59 semifinal win over St. George’s, but he was even more dominant on Saturday.

By halftime, the Coyotes led 32-28, with Ravet scoring all 12 Kittitas field goals while missing just six shots. He also made 5 of 7 shots from beyond the arc.

However, the rest of the Coyotes were 0 of 11 in the first half, and Liberty (20-7) stayed in the game thanks to 15 first-half points from Chase Burnham.

Liberty finally clamped down on Ravet in the third quarter. The Lancers stayed within two scores until late in the third quarter, when Bailey Gibson made a pair of jumpers to push the advantage to 42-35.

Ravet stifled another Liberty rally with a midcourt steal and layin to give the Coyotes their first double-digit lead, 50-40, with 5:56 left.