SEATTLE - Coughing up the basketball 29 times on turnovers turned into a critical affliction that became fatal in a Class 4A ninth-ranked Decatur boys basketball 58-53 loss to Class 3A top-ranked Rainier Beach on Monday at the 2010 King Holiday Hoopfest at Bank of America Arena in Hec Edmundson Pavilion.

"They're No. 1 in 3A for a reason," observed Gator head coach Kevin Olson. "Rainier Beach is athletic, aggressive and physical. It took us a quarter to adjust. Our team has character and we kept battling. We hung around and had our chances. We just didn't get it done."

Rainier Beach employed its lightning quick speed to shackle Decatur with an imprisoning man-to-man defense that forced 11 first quarter turnovers and a 14-3 first quarter lead that turned into a 19-10 advantage by the end of the quarter.

Despite its early struggles in ball control and rebounding, Decatur, ranked ninth in 4A, fought hard in its gallant comeback effort from as much as a 13 point deficit in the second quarter against the Vikings (10-3).

After RB led 24-11 early in the second quarter, Decatur doggedly kept drawing closer until pulling within 30-26 at the half.

Staying within two to four points throughout the third quarter, the Gators trailed 46-42 after three quarters.

Capitalizing on the Vikings' three of 10 effort from the free throw line in the first six minutes of the fourth quarter, the Gators (10-4) tied the game twice and kept clawing back until Jordan McCloud tied the game for the final time at 53-53 on a layup with 1:22 remaining.

Two offensive fouls on two consecutive Decatur possessions conspired with Beach making five of its final 10 free throws for the final margin.

"Defensively, I thought we played pretty well," Olson concluded. "We kept fighting, stayed strong and didn't give up."

Forward McCloud paced the Gators with 23 points and 10 rebounds. Jerron Smith added 14 points while Anthony Williams scored 10 points and recovered eight rebounds.

Vikings senior Lonnie Pearson finished with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Teammate Jeff Perkins totaled 13 points, 13 rebounds and five steals for the Beach.

Rainier Beach shot 15-of-30 from the charity stripe.