When Bill Liley took the position as head coach of the Eastside Catholic boys basketball team, he knew the perception of both the program and its potential.

He also knew he had a plan, and what it would take to implement it.

“I felt like the world was urging me against it,” he said of taking the job three seasons ago. “But I don’t back down from a challenge.”

Liley and the Crusaders have answered that challenge in the biggest way possible all year, beating Metro rival O’Dea and securing a division championship and spot in the league’s final four.

They repeated that feat with a 61-55 win over the Irish in the conference tournament semi-finals Tuesday, and faced top-ranked Rainier Beach for the championship Friday at Garfield.

“It’s been so long since we were considered as having an opportunity to go to state,” Liley said of a goal that is now only one Sea-King tourney win away. “I felt like this had a chance.”

It didn’t take long for the longtime head coach and state champion at 1A King’s (Shoreline) to make a mark in Sammamish.

During his first season in 2011, Liley did not take his team on the summer league and tournament circuit, opting instead to hunker down and focus on fundamentals. While the approach was not popular at first, players didn’t take long to adapt.

“We had to instill a work ethic here, and sometimes that meant the coach had to be a little over the top,” Liley said. “When you work hard and work smart, you should expect to win.”

Liley said he held two weeks of closed practices to begin his tenure, focusing on defense and building a team-first mindset.

For current seniors and twins Ian and Nathan Christie, the Liley’s belief only reinforced their dedication to the program’s future.

“He knew it was going to happen,” Nathan said. “He had no second-guesses about it, and that was good.”

The Crusaders saw an immediate impact with a new coach and his ability to pull the best out of players, especially on the defensive end. They reached the district tournament in his first year, and were only a game away from the program’s first 3A state tournament berth in more than a decade last season.

This year, the pendulum has swung.

The Crusaders beat rivals O’Dea and Seattle Prep during the regular season, and lost only two Metro League games all year en route to a division title and spot in the conference’s final four.

Eastside Catholic once again used balanced scoring and a strong defensive effort to reach the championship game, beating the Irish for the second time behind a game high 25 points from Ian Christie, 12 more from Mattise Thybulle and 10 from Worthy.

Liley’s squad already owns a spot in the Sea-King District Tournament, where they will try to earn another signature moment Tuesday in a winner-to-state game.

Junior Mandrell Worthy, who Liley called one of the core members of the program since he took over three years ago, said that mission has galvanized the group.

“We just need to stay humble and stay together, and do whatever coach needs us to do,” Worthy said. “We want the Tacoma Dome.”