By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Last night, the Roosevelt Roughriders hosted the Garfield Bulldogs in a tightly contested matchup but ultimately came up short in the final seconds.
Roosevelt tried to set the tone early as Pearson Duke started the game by blocking Garfield’s Ohmono Bomet shot in the game’s opening minutes. However, Garfield quickly regrouped and went on a 9-0 run to start the game. Nas Souleyman started the Bulldogs’ scoring spree with a layup, then added two free throws to make it 4-0. Bryson Hotter-Knight followed with a tough shot under the rim, and Souleyman finished the run with a three-point shot.
Roosevelt finally got on the board when Jake Sprangers knocked down a three-point shot at the 5:30 mark of the first quarter. However, Garfield responded immediately with a bucket from Bomet and a three-point shot from Drew Hamant, as the Bulldogs extended their lead to 14-3, forcing Roosevelt to call a timeout.
Following the timeout, Kayden Brooks added another basket for Garfield. Roosevelt’s Dukes answered with a three-point play, and Sprangers chipped in with two free throws and a layup on the next possession. Still, Garfield controlled the pace. With three minutes left, Isaiah McMillion and Bomet sank tough, contested shots as the Bulldogs extended their lead to 18-6. Roosevelt began to find its rhythm late in the quarter as Sprangers added another bucket. Nick Huntington hit one of two free throws in the closing seconds as they cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 20-14 at the end of the first quarter.
The two teams engaged in a back-and-forth battle in the second quarter. Shots by Souleyman and Hotter-Knight gave Garfield a 10-point lead at 24-14. Roosevelt got back-to-back three-point shots from Vincent Sclafani and Sprangers to cut the deficit to 24-20. Brooks responded with back-to-back baskets in the paint to push the lead back to 28-20, but Roosevelt stayed aggressive with a tip-in from Huntington, a bucket from Jason Dollar, and a three-point shot from Dukes to pull within one point at 28-27, forcing Garfield to call a timeout with 3:48 left.
After the timeout, Brooks scored again for Garfield, but Roosevelt remained in the game as Flynn Selig drained a three-point shot to tie the game at 30-30. Huntington followed with a basket to give Roosevelt its first lead of the game at 32-30.
Although Garfield didn’t let up as Hotter-Knight scored to even it up right before Brooks came up with a steal and converted an and-one to regain the lead, which Bomet extended with another basket, making the score 37-32. In the final minute, Selig hit a crucial three-pointer to cut it to 37-35, but Garfield closed the half strong as Brooks scored and then assisted Hamant on another and-one, converting the free throw to end the first half leading 42-35 into halftime.
Hotter-Knight tied the game at 32, but Brooks quickly responded with a steal and an and-one to reclaim the lead. Bomet added another score to make it 37-32. In the final minute of the half, Selig knocked down a clutch three-pointer to bring Roosevelt within two. But Garfield closed out the quarter scoring five unanswered points to take a 42-35 lead into the half.
Garfield started the new half with a quick shot from Brooks to give them a 44-35 lead, but Roosevelt immediately followed with a shot by Dukes, followed by back-to-back baskets from Sprangers and Dollar to pull within just three points at 44-41. Momentum started to shift when Brooks intercepted a pass intended for Selig from Huntington, drove the ball down the court, and found Souleyman for a three-point shot to give Garfield a 47-41 lead with 4:50 remaining in the third quarter.
Roosevelt responded with a run of its own. Sprangers scored, Dukes followed with a three-point shot, and Sprangers hit a three-point shot of his own to give the Roughriders a 49-47 lead with two minutes remaining in the quarter. Garfield then tied the game at 49 with a basket from McMillion and then took the lead after Bomet made his way through the paint to the hoop. Sprangers hit a shot to even the score once again. However, Brooks struck back with a three-point shot to make the score 54-51 with 16 seconds left.
The back-and-forth play continued, as Garfield held a 54-53 lead heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Roosevelt started off strong and took a brief 56-54 lead, but Garfield fought back with a series of scores, including back-to-back threes by Brooks to take a 62-56 lead. After a Roosevelt timeout with 5:53 remaining, Garfield continued to push the pace as it built a 10-point, 72-62 lead highlighted by a steal and layup from Souleyman and a three-pointer from Zane Moreland.
With under three minutes remaining and trailing by 10, Roosevelt needed a late surge to challenge the Bulldogs. The Roughriders faced a setback when Sprangers went down with an injury but returned shortly after and immediately scored to help cut the deficit. Roosevelt continued to chip away with timely baskets and free throws, but Garfield held firm, pushing the score to 80-73 late in the quarter. In the final seconds, after a missed free throw and a pair of Roosevelt buckets, Garfield sealed the win as Hamant capped the night with a dunk at the buzzer, securing an 82-77 victory.
Garfield’s Kayden Brooks finished the game with 27 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Jake Sprangers scored a game-high 32 points to lead the Roughriders.
Despite the loss, Sprangers was extremely proud of his team after the game and how hard they fought until the final buzzer.
“I think that we played really hard,” said Sprangers. “I know, obviously, it is not the outcome we wanted, but you know we now have something to build off of this. But we played hard tonight.”
Photos/Aaron Allen
