TACOMA — Bethel ruined Kentwood's dream of back-to-back Class 4A state boys basketball titles.

The hoop hardware would have made a matched set with the state 4A football trophies the Covington school collected in 2001 and 2002.

Instead, the Conquerors lost a defensive struggle 33-29 and have to console themselves with a splendid run of finishing 3-1-2 in the past three basketball tournaments.

"They played real good defense and our shots weren't falling tonight," said senior Aaron Boyce.

The Conquerors shot only 30 percent (12 for 40) and missed all nine three-point attempts.

Kentwood had shot better than 50 percent in its three victories on the way to the title game and had made 8 of 30 three-point attempts.

"They felt good but they just didn't do down," said Blake Solomon, who missed all four of his three-point attempts last night.

Solomon spoke as Bethel players cut down the nets, a ritual that was Kentwood's last year.

"That was ours last year," he said as he watched the Braves take down the nets. "We made a good run this year. Nobody expected us to be here. But right now, we're just disappointed."

Kentwood (24-6) never had a double-digit scoring quarter, and the final score sounded like a football game. The South Puget Sound League North Division team lost the state title game to an SPSL South that scored only four points in the final quarter and all on free throws.

Told that Bethel didn't score a field goal in the final period, Matt Mgebroff seemed amazed.

"They didn't?" he asked.

One key Kentwood player who gets another try to cut down the nets is junior guard Toussaint Tyler, son of the former University of Washington football player of the same name.

"They wanted it more than us," said Tyler.

The junior agreed that shooting was another key difference. "The shots just weren't falling like they usually do," he said. "Some nights are just like this. ... You can't do anything about it but keep on going."

Some Kentwood players had tears in their eyes after the game as they walked over to the fence separating Conquerors fans from the floor and hugged classmates and parents before starting the long walk to the locker room. That walk was a lot more fun last year after beating South Kitsap for the title.

Craig Smith: 206-464-8279 or csmith@seattletimes.com