BETHLEHEM - The fanfare and reputation that Muhammad Ali Abdur-Rahkman towed with him into Friday's District 11 Class AAA final against Pottsville lived up to its billing.
Abdur-Rahkman played every bit like the Division I basketball player that he has the offers and potential to become.
The 6-foot-4 senior knocked down a pair of 3-pointers from the top of the key to kick start the unbeaten Vikings, who dominated the Crimson Tide on their way to a fourth straight district title with a 64-34 victory at Bethlehem Freedom's Joseph McIntyre Gym.
Abdur-Rahkman finished with a game-high 34 points, increasing his career total to 2,052 points to pass Billy McCaffrey as the Vikings' all-time leading scorer.
Both teams advance to the PIAA Class AAA state playoffs, which begin March 7. ACC (27-0) meets District 3 sixth-place West York, while Pottsville (23-5) will await the loser of today's District 1 final between Holy Ghost Prep and Lower Moreland.
Pottsville, one of the top defensive teams in the Schuylkill League, had no answer for Abdur-Rahkman, who scored from beyond the arc, inside the paint and added a two-handed flush on
a breakaway following a steal in the second quarter that brought the crowd to its feet.
It wasn't a case of the Tide giving up what they could to Abdur-Rahkman and trying to lock down the rest of the Vikes.
"I wish that was the case," Pottsville coach Dave Mullaney said. "We were actually trying to ... we actually sunk and were supposed to be helping every time he caught the ball. I don't think we did a great job of that. But at times, he's that good that it doesn't matter if you're helping or not. He can play. He can score."
In reality, Abdur-Rahkman had plenty of help from his mates, especially from the perimeter, as ACC bagged 10-of-20 3-point attempts.
Zay Jennings hit three triples, Brian McCarthy added two, Ben Pratt drilled one and Abdur-Rahkman knocked down four.
Pottsville was able to limit 6-8 center Brendan Wagner to just 10 points, and 6-5 forward Jean Lee Baez left the game with an injury in the first half. However, Wagner contributed 14 rebounds as the Vikings outrebounded the Tide 35-16.
"I always think playing a team like that is going to help you moving forward," Mullaney said. "I can't think of too many positives.
"I think as far as us defending in the post, we did what we wanted to do," he continued. "You're always going to give up something against a team of that caliber. We though we'd give up some outside shooting. Unfortunately, they made everything."
Travis Blankenhorn led Pottsville offensively with 16 points, while Eli Nabholz added 10. Nabholz had the Tide's only two 3-pointers as Pottsville went 2-of-13 from beyond the arc and finished 13-of-43 from the field.
Fortunately, it's not the end of the road for Pottsville. Mullaney and his staff rallied their troops in the locker room with the intention of refocusing the Tide for next week's game, which could land at Blue Mountain's gym.
"We were just talking about that with our guys. We'll get a game at Blue Mountain next Friday," Mullaney said. "A game that, if we play our game, we could get a victory. We've just got to come back, refocus and get ready for next week."