By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
The Garfield Lady Bulldogs have earned themselves a number one seed throughout this postseason and rightfully so, considering they’ve only lost one game in the last two seasons and have remained unbeaten since January 21. Loaded with talent, the Lady Bulldogs, who feature Metro League MVP Katie Fiso, First-Team All-Metro Imbie Jones, and Second-Team All-Metro Rakiyah Jackson, came into their game against Lake Washington looking to repeat as District 2 champions.
Lake Washington (23-2), who were facing Lady Bulldogs for the first time since their loss to Garfield in last year’s state championship game, came into the game looking to keep their 16-game win streak alive by capturing a district title and avenging their loss from a season ago.
Fiso would start the game off for Garfield with back-to-back three-pointers, and from then on, the game was off to the races. Lake Washington would run their offense close to perfection, scoring off backdoor cuts and finishing everything at the rim. Defensively, the Lady Kangaroos also began dominating on the defensive end, blocking shots, and holding the Lady Bulldogs to just one shot per possession.
Their combination of offense and defense helped Lake Washington secure a 24-20 lead through the first eight minutes of play, as they carried their lead, momentum, and impressive play into the second quarter. Offensively, the Lady Kangaroos, led by Sydney Hani and Ashley Uusitalo, couldn’t miss from three-point range.
Despite being down the Bulldogs continued to battle back, Fiso’s basketball IQ allowed her to facilitate and find open teammates for high-quality shots, Jones’s length and size allowed her to finish around the rim and become a defensive anchor, and Jayda Lewis’ on-ball defense made it difficult for Lake Washington’s guards to run their offense smoothly.
After facing a four-point deficit to begin the second quarter, the Lady Bulldogs secured a 34-33 lead going into halftime and they’d remain in control throughout the second half, as their dominance continued with the play of Lewis.
Lewis would start the third quarter by getting an offensive rebound over the outstretched arms of a few Lake Washington defenders and found Jones for a layup. She then followed up by forcing an over-and-back call on the defensive end.
Setting the tone with those types of winning basketball plays, Lewis helped spark an 8-0 run by the Lady Bulldogs to begin the second half. Fiso continued to push the pace in transition as she found open teammates, Jones couldn’t miss from the painted area, and the lady Bulldogs’ defense as a whole held Lake Washington scoreless for the first three minutes of the third quarter.
Although Lake Washington seemed to have managed the storm, Garfield did not take their foot off the gas. The Lady Bulldogs continued to dominate defensively with Lewis jumping in passing lanes for steals, Jackson’s offensive rebounds gave Garfield many second chance opportunities, and Fiso imposed her will on offense scoring as she weaved through the Kangaroo defense.
The Lady Bulldogs would go on to outscore Lake Washington 24-10 as they built a 60-43 lead at the end of the third quarter. However, Lake Washington didn’t go away easy, as they started the fourth on an 8-0 run that included back-to-back threes and a pair of free throws, and just like that their deficit was under double digits.
Although Lake Washington wouldn’t go away just yet, Garfield remained poised regardless of the run that didn’t favor them. Lady Bulldogs had seen their lead go from 17 to 7, but thanks to their defense they would hold Lake Washington scoreless for the final two minutes of the game.
As a result, Garfield never gave up the lead for three straight quarters and became back-to-back district champions under new Head Coach Tre Simmons.
With the win, the Lady Bulldogs claimed the number one seed in the WIAA state 3A tournament and begin their quest for a three-peat on February 24 at 6:00 p.m. against Meadowdale.
Despite their loss, Lake Washington will enter the state tournament as the third seed and will face Stanwood in the opening round of the tournament on Lake Washington’s home floor on February 25 at 8:00 p.m.
