By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
This morning, the four-time defending state champion Garfield Bulldogs took on the Stanwood Spartans in a 3A state girls’ basketball tournament quarterfinal matchup at the Tacoma Dome, with both teams looking to extend their postseason run.
Stanwood won the opening tipoff, and Ellalee Wortham quickly scored the first two points of the game. Garfield’s Kahmiya Bryant then fouled Wortham, sending her to the free-throw line, where she converted one free throw. Garfield answered back when Lena Most drained a jump shot, putting the Bulldogs on the board for the first time in the game. Stanwood began to get into a rhythm, effectively moving the ball and knocking down shots. Ave DePew and Wortham each scored a basket before Garfield’s Jayda Lewis finished a heavily contested shot in the paint. With half of the first quarter remaining, Stanwood led 7-4, forcing the Bulldogs to push for a momentum shift.
Shortly after the halfway mark, Bryant picked up her second foul, sending her to the bench while E. Carter-Vincent checked into the game. After subbing in, Carter-Vincent took a trip to the free-throw line but missed both shots. On the next possession, she fouled Wortham, who converted both free throws to extend Stanwood’s lead to 12-4. In the final two minutes of the quarter, the Bulldogs finally began to get in sync and build some momentum, closing out the quarter on an 8-0 run led by Lewis, Most, and Carter-Vincent to take a 14-12 lead heading into the second quarter.
Garfield opened the second quarter with the ball, and Smiley wasted no time scoring two points. The Bulldogs followed with a basket by Lewis on the next possession to make the score 18-12. Stanwood, which had started the game with high energy, began to slow down and show signs of exhaustion. Meanwhile, Lewis took full control of the game for Garfield, scoring seven second-quarter points and dictating the pace of the game. By halftime, the Bulldogs had built a commanding 28-17 lead, and the Spartans were struggling to find an answer.
The Bulldogs started the second half with possession, but the Spartans quickly forced a turnover. However, Most responded with a steal of her own, setting up Mariah Roy for an easy basket to extend Garfield’s lead to 30-17. For the next three minutes, both teams struggled to score until Roy drained a deep three-point shot, pushing Garfield’s lead to 33-17. Stanwood answered on the next possession with a basket from Wortham, cutting the deficit to 33-19.
The Bulldogs had built up momentum and were clearly outplaying the Spartans. With five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Roy struck again with another three-point shot. On Stanwood’s next possession, Lewis stole the ball and raced down the court for a fast-break layup, forcing Stanwood to call a full timeout. The Spartans were struggling to keep up, facing a frustratingly low-scoring quarter. Although Jazmyn Legg and Wortham continued to take shots, they couldn’t seem to find their rhythm.
Garfield, on the other hand, never let up. Their defensive intensity forced multiple turnovers, and the Bulldogs capitalized at every opportunity. Most was sent to the line with 1:51 remaining and converted both free throws, stretching the lead to 40-19. DePew finally managed to break the Bulldogs’ run with a layup, making the score 40-21. Shortly after, Roy picked up her third foul, sending Legg to the free-throw line on an and-1 opportunity, but she missed the extra point, leaving the score at 40-23. In the closing seconds of the third quarter, Most grabbed another steal at midcourt and raced down the floor for a layup, giving Garfield a 42-23 lead heading into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter started with Garfield in possession, but they were unable to convert on their first attempt. Stanwood’s DePew brought the ball down the court and assisted Stella Berrett for a basket, cutting the deficit to 42-25. Carter-Vincent responded with a basket on the next possession with an assist from Most. Garfield quickly regained possession, and Lewis grabbed an offensive rebound off a Most miss and put it back up for another two points for the Bulldogs.
As they gained momentum on offense, the Bulldogs also increased their defensive intensity. Bryant stole the ball and drove down the court for a quick two points. Smiley followed with a steal of her own, passing the ball to Lewis, who was fouled on the shot and converted one point at the line, making the score 49-25. Desperate to stay in the game, the Spartans needed a scoring surge. Wortham added a contested layup, leading Stanwood to call a timeout in an attempt to reset.
Garfield had built up a 49-27 lead, and it didn’t stop there. With 4:40 remaining, Smiley converted one free throw, and on the missed second attempt, Roy grabbed the rebound. The Bulldogs worked through the extra possession, showcasing strong ball movement, but the score remained at 50-27. Stanwood’s Presley Harris gave her team a small burst of energy when she drained a three-pointer, bringing the score to 50-30 with three minutes left to play.
At this point in the game, Garfield’s Head Coach Roydell Smiley was telling his girls to get down the court quicker, and they did just that, as Smiley got down and scored two points, extending the lead to 52-30. To close out the final minute of the game, Garfield began to ease up, slowly but effectively setting up plays, and ended the quarter calmly with a 52-30 victory over Stanwood.
Lewis finished the game with 18 points, five rebounds, and five assists, while Most added 12 points, three rebounds, and four assists to lead Garfield. Wortham led all scorers for Stanwood, finishing with 16 points, five rebounds, and one assist.
After the game, Coach Smiley praised his team for buying into the game plan, noting their ability to execute everything he drew up on the board. He also highlighted Lena Most’s continued development and her growing impact on the team.
“Everything is carrying over from the previous game,” Smiley said. “Lena has been finding a way every game. She is new out here, but every game, she keeps improving, and that is all we can ask for.”
With the win, Garfield advances to the semifinals on March 7, where they will take on the winner of the Kennewick and Central Valley game at 3:45 p.m. Meanwhile, Stanwood moves into the loser’s bracket and will face the loser of the Kennewick and Central Valley game tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. in a loser-out game.
