High School Wins First Boys Basketball State Championship in 121 Years
The Davenport Gorillas finally got the monkey off their back, winning the 2023 WIAA 2B Boys State Champions for the first time in the high school’s history.
121 Years in the Making
Since Davenport High School had its first class graduation in 1902, the high school basketball team has made 12 trips to the boys basketball Washington State tournament and never won.
The Davenport girls won their first State Championship in 1992/3 and then again in 1994/5 but Davenport had never won a boys basketball State Championship until now.
Gorillas had Something to Prove in 2023
Last season the Davenport Gorillas boys basketball team finished 4th in the Bi-County after finishing 17-6 in 2021/22 and missed the state tournament.
The coach of the team Matt Henry said the team “quite honestly didn’t meet expectations” and that the team was ” pretty devastated” after missing the state championship tournament last year in a news interview.
The Gorillas star player Tennessee Rainwater had the same sentiment saying “me and the guys, we’d get in the gym, play pickup basketball, get shots up because we knew our senior year we have something to prove.”
They did “prove it” in 2023 with Davenport High’s first Boys Basketball State Championship.
Tennessee Rainwater, Davenport HS 6’6″ Basketball Star
The star of the new championship team is 6’6 guard Tennessee Rainwater, who moved to Davenport in 8th grade from Western Washington.
When he moved to Davenport, he was only 5’9, but quickly grew to his current 6’6 stature.
Hidden in Davenport, Washington at 6’6
He was worried about getting noticed after moving to the tiny town of Davenport, but now that seems to have all changed.
He averaged around 28 points, over 9 rebounds, 5 assists, and 2 steals per game for the 2023 season by the end of January.
After leading the Davenport Gorillas to their first Washington State boys basketball championship, I think it is safe to say schools at the next level are paying attention.
He is currently unsigned for college ball, but I am guessing that will change soon.
Davenport Gorillas Beat the Brewster Bears for State Title
The Davenport Gorillas finally got the monkey off their back beating the Brewster Bears in the state title game.
The Gorillas trailed at the end of the first half but made a late comeback to take the lead and never looked back.
Rainwater scored 20 of his 24 total points in the second half, and Jaeger Jacobsen went 4 of 4 on free throws (10 total) at the end to seal the victory.
The Gorillas won 65-58, grabbing the first State Championship for Davenport High School in boys basketball. It only took 121 years to accomplish it!
I am a Davenport High School Graduate
On a personal level, this is especially cool to me having lived in Davenport for most of my life. I graduated from Davenport High in 1993, the year the girls basketball team won their first State Championship.
Congratulations guys, you make everyone from the little town of Davenport, Washington proud!
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