The fourth time was the charm, but for Mount Rainier it was the wrong team.

The Rams defeated Renton three times during the 2009-2010 season and then lost to them, 45-41, in a Class 3A state boys basketball tournament game last Thursday. The loss, coupled with a 77-61 defeat at the hands of O'Dea the day before, spelled the end of the season for Mount Rainier.

"As usual, you win the first three games with a team and then lose the important one, like at state," said Rams head coach Brian Johnson, whose team finished with an 18-9 overall record after tying for first place in the Seamount League season.

Even though the team was cut sort of the state title -- or any placing game -- Johnson did not feel bad about the season.

"My goal for the season was to get to state," Johnson said.

The Rams certainly got there, but were greeted by the loud crowd of O'Dea, an all-boys school.

The crowd dominated the noise game with a wide variety of cheers, but ended with a friendly, "Drive home safely."

Bryce McPhee of Mount Rainier started off the action on the Tacoma Dome floor with a dunk only 15 seconds in.

The lead then changed by only one point eight times in a row.

Mount Rainier was the team to finally snap the roller coaster ride.

Cameron Harris sank a pair of free throws to make it 10-9 Mount Rainier with 4:35 left in the first quarter, then Yusuf Ayante used his 6-foot, 6-inch frame on an inside shot and McPhee scored at the 3:10 mark following up on his own missed dunk.

The Rams led, 14-9, at that point, but the back-and-forth pattern resumed and O'Dea climbed within 18-15 by the end of the first quarter.

The Irish of Seattle then came back to take the lead, 23-18, on an eight-point streak that ended with back-to-back three-point goals by Sekou Wiggs.

Mount Rainier's Delvonte Aliifua helped his team get back into it with a three-point basket to end the second quarter, making the halftime score, 35-29, in favor of O'Dea.

McPhee had a rebound and slam during the third quarter, but the Irish could not be caught and led, 56-44, at the end of the period. O'Dea rolled on to win, 77-61, in the end.

Harris paced the Rams with 22 points and McPhee finished with 15 to go with 10 rebounds

Aliifua added nine points and five rebounds and Harris also had six rebounds and three steals.

Kevin Bodle scored four, Malik Rodgers three and Wes Joyner and Allen Graves two each.

Devante Williams led O'Dea with 20 points. Dustin Watts scored 17, Wiggs 14 and Tyler Hasty 10.

Coach Johnson had no problem pointing out his team's main problem in the 45-41 loss to Renton the next day.

Mount Rainier only shot 6-for-21 for 28 percent from the free throw line.

"And we still only lost by four," said Johnson, whose team did out rebound Renton, 46-29, to stay in the game.

McPhee scored a team-high 10 in that game and hauled down 10 rebounds, while Yusuf Ayanle hit nine, Harris eight, Aliifua six, Joyner four and Eric Brown and Bodle two apiece.

The Rams managed to run up a 9-4 lead by 4:23 to go in the first quarter, with McPhee hitting a three and Brown, Harris and Joyner each scoring goals of the two-point kind.

Renton snuck back to only trail, 12-9, by the end of the first quarter, then Mount Rainier controlled a very low-scoring second quarter, 4-2.

That left the halftime score at 16-11, but Renton came back in the third quarter to lead, 28-25, by the time it was over.

Ayanle hit five in a row for the Rams to tie it 25-25 with 41.5 seconds to go, but Achoikie Moikobu of Renton hit a three-point shot at the buzzer for a 28-25 Renton lead.

The Rams scored eight of the first 10 points in the fourth quarter for another lead, this time at 33-30, but Hanley Shum of Renton buried a
three-point shot to tie it up again at 33-33.

Mount Rainier then battled to a 37-33 lead and the game was then tied at 37-37, 39-39 and 41-41.

Adrian Gilbert of Renton then hit two free throws for a 43-41 lead with 6.5 seconds to go, and a Mount Rainier pass down court was intercepted by Adrian Gilbert with 4.5 seconds left.

Gilbert was fouled and hit one of two free throws to clinch the win at 45-41.

McPhee, Ayanle, Joyner, Aliifua, Bodle and Allen Graves all graduate for the Rams, who are moving up from the 3A Seamount League to the 4A South Puget Sound League next year.

"Overall for us it was a good season," Johnson said. "They're good listeners."