TACOMA, Wash. -- In his first season as a high school basketball head coach, former Trail Blazers star Brandon Roy won the ultimate prize.
Roy coached Nathan Hale (Seattle) to a 68-51 victory against Garfield -- Roy's alma mater -- on Saturday night in the Class 3A boys state championship game of the state of Washington.
Nathan Hale forward Michael Porter Jr., the top-ranked high school basketball player in the country by ESPN, scored 27 points and grabbed 17 rebounds to lead the Raiders.
Roy was hired in June 2016, taking over a school that won three games last season. Porter Jr. and his brother, Jontay, a highly regarded junior, transferred to Nathan Hale in August 2016 after their father, Michael Porter Sr.. was hired as an assistant coach at the University of Washington.
The Raiders' fourth victory over Garfield this season capped a perfect 27-0 campaign after they finished just 3-18 a year ago.
Michael Porter breaks through for two! Nathan Hale up 56-45 with 3:52 to go #k5blitz #HardwoodClassic #wabkbscores @NH_Raiders pic.twitter.com/FNFBNSGBSU
— KING 5 Sports (@KING5Sports) March 5, 2017
Nathan Hale trailed by three at halftime but outscored the Bulldogs 23-11 in the third quarter and never let the Bulldogs get closer than five in the fourth quarter. Porter capped the game with an emphatic one-hand slam dunk after he passed to himself off the backboard in the closing seconds.
@TheMPJ1 throws it off the glass to himself, slams the dunk with 35s on the clock. Hale up 68-51 #k5blitz #HardwoodClassic #wabkbscores pic.twitter.com/oE6hSpbdfv
— KING 5 Sports (@KING5Sports) March 5, 2017
Garfield slowed the pace in the first half and finished the second quarter on a 6-0 run to take a 29-26 lead into the break. But the Raiders knocked down three 3-pointers to begin the second half, and closed the third quarter on a 9-3 run.
J'Raan Brooks led the Bulldogs with 15 points and Jamon Kemp added 12.
PJ Fuller finished with 12 points, and Jontay Porter and Tre'Var Holland each chipped in 10 for the Raiders.
Post game sound with @JontayPorter , who had 10 points and 6 rebounds in the @NH_Raiders win #k5blitz #HardwoodClassic #wabkbscores pic.twitter.com/kEHG63qSOi
— KING 5 Sports (@KING5Sports) March 5, 2017
KGW.com's Jared Cowley contributed to this report.
