The Kentwood High boys basketball team was finally able to exhale Friday night at Foss High.

Behind a lock-down defensive performance and clutch shooting throughout from guard Tre Tyler, the Conquerors knocked off Beamer 58-37 in a winner-to-state, loser-out West Central District III game.

Kentwood (17-10) was eliminated in the same loser-out, winner-to-state scenario in each of the last two years at the district tournament. Friday night, the Conquerors were able to relieve some of the pressure – and frustration – of the past two years. With the win, Kentwood grabbed its first state berth since 2007. The Conquerors will open the state tournament at the Tacoma Dome on Wednesday. They will not know who they play until Sunday afternoon, when seeding for the tournament will be decided.

“There is a (big) sense of relief,” admitted Tyler, a senior who scored a game-high 18 points, which included four 3-pointers. “We knew as a team that we had to get it done and we knew we could get it done. There was a lot of pressure, especially on me and Josh (Smith) because we’ve been on this team (since our freshman year). We went to state as freshmen and we wanted to end our last year on a good note.”

Kentwood ended on a good note on Friday thanks to a relentless fourth-quarter defense. Trailing 38-37 with 7:10 remaining in the contest, the Conquerors ended the game on a 21-1 run, holding the Titans without a field goal during that span.

During the run, the Conquerors spread the wealth as well, getting a little something from all of their starters. Smith led the late-game charge with six points, followed by five from Alec Wilson, four from Mikell Everette, three from Tyler and two from Jason Boyce.

The balancing act is essentially what has led to Kentwood winning seven of its last eight games.

Afterward, Smith spoke of the pressure he has felt during the last couple of years and how it compared to this season.

“(The pressure) weighed on me a lot,” admitted Smith, who scored 16 points, grabbed 13 rebounds and blocked four shots. “I took a lot of criticism when we didn’t go to state (the last two years). … It’s a team, it’s not just one thing. We won (tonight) as a team. We won a lot of games as a team when we were down.”

Another key to Friday’s win over Foss was the defense of Boyce, Smith and Taylor Jones on Beamer star Kevin Davis, a 6-foot-8 center. Davis came into the night averaging just under 22 points per game. He finished with a season-low eight, which included just two points in the decisive fourth quarter.

Boyce guarded Davis for the bulk of the game.

“Boyce just stepped up,” said Kentwood coach Michael Angelidis.

Despite the final score, the game was anything but a blowout through the first three quarters, which included six lead changes and two ties.

Beamer held the lead for much of the first quarter, until Tyler nailed a 3-pointer at the buzzer, giving the Conquerors a 14-11 advantage after eight minutes. Tyler kept the Conquerors alive during the first period, scoring 12 of Kentwood’s 14 points in the frame.

Beamer (17-8) would not go quietly.

Davis made his presence felt in the second quarter, scoring six of his eight points and leading the Titans to a 23-20 halftime advantage. Kentwood’s Smith missed most of the second period with three fouls.

The Conquerors didn’t take back the lead until Boyce hit a 15-foot jumper from the top of the key with 5:40 remaining in the third, giving Kentwood a 26-25 lead. But the Titans responded, going on a 6-2 run to end the third and open the fourth to take a 38-37 lead.

Kentwood, however, would not be denied a state berth for a third year in a row.

During the two-minute span that followed, each Kentwood starter scored at last once. The 5-foot-8 Everette gave the Conquerors the lead for good with an offensive rebound and putback. Tyler followed with a long 3-pointer. Boyce then deposited a 13-foot jumper. Wilson helped the Conks remain hot, draining a 3-pointer before Smith delivered a quick putback, giving Kentwood an insurmountable 49-38 lead with 3:00 remaining.

The Conquerors pushed the lead to 57-38 before clearing the bench. Angelidis was embraced by all five starters as they walked off the floor with the win in hand.

A relief?

“It is,” Angelidis conceded. “Every team wants to go to state, but if you start overthinking it and overpressing, then you don’t play relaxed and you don’t let it happen. And I think we were finally able to (relax). With that finally out of the way, I think we’re going to have some fun down in Tacoma.”