By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
Facing each other for the third time this season, and for the second consecutive for the Metro League Girls 3A Championship, Garfield and Lakeside met again at Seattle Pacific University in the Metro League championship game. During this season, Lakeside snapped the Bulldogs’ 31-game win streak with a 58-36 victory and holding Garfield to a season low in points. Knocking off the number one team in the state, Lakeside would finish the regular season on a five-game streak of their own.
Suffering their first loss in two seasons, Garfield, led by standout junior guard Katie Fiso and first-year Head Coach Tre Simmons, followed suit, finishing on a five-game streak of their own heading into the Metro League Championship. Just one year ago, the Lady Bulldogs beat Lakeside 64-57 behind Fiso’s 21 points, Naveah Talbert’s 15, Malia Samuels and Imbie Jones 10 points to claim the Metro League title.
Despite the arrival of a new coach, a much different roster, and without the services of senior guard Malia Samuels due to injury, the Lady Bulldogs’ goal was still the same and that was to repeat as Metro League Champions.
The matchup was filled with All-Metro League selected players on both teams. Garfield’s Fiso was recently named the Metro League’s most valuable player and first-team All-Metro, Imbie Jones also earned first-team honors, while Rakiyah Jackson was named second-team All-Metro. For Lakeside, Head Coach Mia Augustavo was named the Metro League Coach of the Year, while Claire O’Connor earned first-team All-Metro honors, and Mia Broom was a first-team All-Metro selection as well as defensive player of the year.
With five of the league’s best players playing the in game, the stage was set for the Metro League championship game.
From opening tip-off Lakeside would snatch the momentum, as O’Connor and Broom combined to score all of Lakeside’s 14 first quarter points and they’d do it with their ability to score from inside and out. O’Connor would make a three-point shot to start the game and follow that up with an old-fashioned three-point play. Broom would go perfect from the free throw line and then make two three-pointers, one of which came as the clock expired to end the first quarter.
After being held to just seven after eight minutes of play, the high-scoring Bulldogs responded quickly to start the second quarter. Imbie Jones started a 7-0 run by Garfield with a left-handed layup, Naveah Talbert came off the bench and made a three-pointer and a layup off of an assist from Fiso to tie the game at 14.
After a timeout called by the Lakeside coach, Augustavo, the Lions quickly responded with another three-pointer from Broom. However, Garfield quickly went on another scoring run as they dominated the glass both offensively and defensively. The Bulldogs took advantage of second-chance points, as they held the Lions to just one shot per possession.
The Bulldogs went on to force turnovers and capitalized on them with a combination of Jones converting an and-one layup and hitting a long-range three-pointer. This helped the Bulldogs outscore Lakeside 16-8, giving them a halftime lead of 23-22. Despite only leading by one point at halftime, the Bulldogs came out and completely dominated the third quarter thanks to their core group of players — Fiso, Jones, Talbert, and Jayda Lewis. Fiso, who hadn’t scored much in the first half, found her rhythm with a reverse layup near the baseline, a mid-range jump shot in transition, and a long-range three-pointer.
Fiso’s impressive play helped spark her teammates. Jones continued to dominate the rebounds, Talbert scored in bunches, and Lewis applied strong on-ball defensive pressure, drawing charges, forcing five-second counts, and making it difficult for the Lakeside guards to run their offense.
Combined, these efforts helped the Bulldogs explode offensively. They scored 15 points and held Lakeside to under 10 points for the second consecutive quarter, expanding their lead from one point to nine heading into the fourth quarter.
Despite scoring only 15 points in the first two quarters, Lakeside’s deficit was only nine. In the fourth quarter, they turned to their first-team All-Metro guard O’Connor to mount a comeback. O’Connor ignited a quick 6-0 run to bring the score to 39-33 early in the fourth quarter. O’Connor’s 11 points helped the Lions mount a comeback, but the reigning Metro League Champions remained calm through the storm.
Fiso, Jones, and Talbert continued to lead their team even as momentum appeared to shift in Lakeside’s favor. Fiso’s high basketball IQ was on display as she made smart decisions, knowing when to score and when to pass. Jones continued to score down the stretch and find open opportunities for her teammates, and Talbert made just about every shot she took.
With 1:16 remaining and a 47-42 lead, Talbert came up with a huge play. She stole the ball and passed it to Fiso for a layup in transition. In the closing 8 seconds, she sealed the victory by making both of her free throws. Talbert’s clutch performance pushed Garfield’s lead to 53-47, and as time expired, the Bulldogs became back-to-back Metro League Champions.
When asked how it felt to become a back-to-back league champion, Fiso expressed, “It feels amazing. I’m super blessed and thankful to have done this with this team!”
Pictorial Highlights of the 2023 Metro League Girls Basketball Championship
