By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, the Eastside Catholic Crusaders faced off against the Bellevue Wolverines in the District Championship at Bellevue College.
The Crusaders won the opening tip, and Sophie Lugolobi immediately put Eastside Catholic on the scoreboard to claim the game’s first lead. From there, both teams settled into a back-and-forth rhythm, trading baskets on nearly every possession throughout the first quarter. Defensive intensity matched the offensive pace, as Bellevue and Eastside Catholic forced each other into multiple shot clock violations. As the quarter came to a close, the two teams had battled to an 11-11 tie. Amy Nduka led the Crusaders with 8 first-quarter points, while Iyla Jones had 4 for the Wolverines.
The Crusaders struck first in the second quarter as they took a 13–11 lead, but the Wolverines, led by Dilynn Johnson and Jones, went on a 6–0 run. Nduka responded with a clutch three-point shot that energized the Crusaders bench and trimmed the deficit to 17–16. The back-and-forth battle continued throughout the quarter, highlighted by additional three-point shots from Nduka and the Wolverines’ Syesha Simanton. In the final minute, Simanton knocked down another three-point shot and drew a foul on the play. Simanton briefly exited the game as she suffered an injury on the play. So it was Jones who stepped in to convert the extra point, giving the Wolverines a 34–29 lead heading into halftime.
Eastside Catholic started with possession to begin the second half but quickly turned the ball over. While Bellevue still held onto a slim 5-point lead, both teams continued to rack up points, keeping the score close. Nduka was a beast in the paint, making contested shots and drawing fouls. With 2:36 left on the clock and the score 43-38 in favor of Bellevue, Simanton scored 4 points, and teammate Trinity Palmer-Wilson converted a free throw as the Wolverines continued to increase their lead. However, the Crusaders’ Talia Cermak drained back-to-back three-point shots to close the gap to 48-44 heading into the fourth quarter.
The fourth quarter began with both teams struggling to score points. The Wolverines’ Nayvi Robinson broke the scoreless period with a three-point play that pushed Bellevue’s lead to 51-46. Nduka followed by converting two points at the line, but Robinson struck again, knocking down a three-pointer at the shot clock buzzer, further extending the lead to 55-46. Eastside Catholic then went on a 5-0 run, led by Nduka and Cermak, to narrow the gap to 55-51.
The final minute brought a surge of energy to the gym as the Crusaders pushed for a comeback. Robinson calmly knocked down two free throws, but Lugolobi answered with a clutch three-point shot to trim the deficit to 56–54, forcing the Wolverines to call a timeout with 12.6 seconds remaining. Out of the break, momentum shifted when Raquel Dunnam was called for an intentional foul, sending Simanton to the line. Simanton converted both free throws, stretching the lead to four with just 8 seconds left. Simanton then added two more points at the line in the closing moments, and although Sa’Fine Sampson sank a three-point shot at the buzzer, Bellevue held on for a hard-fought 60–57 victory.
Bellevue was led by Simanton, who finished the night with 18 points, while Robinson chipped in 13 points. Eastside Catholic was led by Nduka, who finished the game with 24 points.
Photos/Aaron Allen
