By RayJaun Stelly, The Seattle Medium
In the regional round of this year’s 3A state tournament, the top-seeded Garfield Lady Bulldogs looked to extend their nine-game win streak, which included victories in both the Metro League and 3A District 2 championship games, and advance to the quarterfinals of the state playoffs.
In order to do so, the Lady Bulldogs (19-1), led by All-Metro Team selections Katie Fiso, Imbie Jones, and Rakiyah Jackson, would have to get past the eighth-seeded Meadowdale Mavericks (18-6), who were riding a two-game winning streak of their own, in which they completely dominated their opponents.
Meadowdale would throw the first punch, going on a 6-1 run thanks to back-to-back three-pointers by Gia Powell, which forced an early timeout by Garfield Head Coach Tre Simmons. Following the timeout, Garfield’s Jayda Lewis would stop the run with a putback layup.
However, Garfield was not able to slow down Powell and her Maverick teammates. Powell’s individual play was practically unstoppable, as she was able to score in multiple ways. Whether it was from the free-throw line, laying the ball up over taller Garfield opponents, or shooting from three-point range, Powell would help her team control the first quarter of play with her outstanding performance.
But in true Lady Bulldog fashion, Garfield would not let the individual play of Powell faze them.
Garfield’s Rakiyah Jackson would get her team going as she began to do it all for her team.
Jackson would showcase her all-around game, blocking shots, making off-the-glass shots, and hitting a three-pointer, which gave her team the spark it needed. Shortly after, Katie Fiso scored a basket, and Imbie Jones’s putback ‘and-one’ layup as time expired finished off a Lady Bulldog rally, which saw them end the quarter trailing only by two points, at 17-15.
Facing a first-quarter deficit like they did against Lake Washington in the District 2 championship game last week, the Lady Bulldogs would respond immediately.
In a matter of just one minute, Garfield would earn their first lead of the game at 19-15 courtesy of Sarah Lessig’s layup and a pair of free throws by Jackson. From that moment on, the Lady Bulldogs would impose their will throughout the second quarter.
During the quarter, Jackson would continue to be a force to be reckoned with, finishing from all around the painted area including an ‘and-one’ layup, a putback layup off an offensive rebound, and making a baseline jump shot as the shot clock expired. Lessig also played an impactful role for the Lady Bulldogs, scoring layups, rebounding, and reading the passing lane for a steal that resulted in a wide-open layup by Fiso on the other end of the court.
However, it wasn’t just Jackson and Lessig providing a spark for the Lady Bulldogs. Garfield’s defense as a whole held the Mavericks to just five points in the second quarter, while scoring 17 points of their own as Garfield took a 32-22 halftime lead.
In the third quarter, the Lady Bulldogs did not become complacent with their lead as they started the second half on an 8-0 run, including six straight points from Jackson and a layup from Fiso that forced Meadowdale to call a timeout.
Garfield would completely take over the third quarter by not allowing Meadowdale to get very many second-chance opportunities, as Jones, Jackson, Fiso, and Lessig dominated the glass combining for 25 of their team’s 28 rebounds.
As a result, the Lady Bulldogs stretched their lead from 10 to 16 points, as they held a 48-32 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
With just eight minutes left in the game and a first-round bye next week on the line, the Lady Bulldogs seized the moment and finished the game off strong.
As the game came to an end, Fiso would dazzle the crowd with her exceptional ball-handling skills, going behind her back to get past a defender and finding Lessig for an easy layup. The following possession Fiso executed a left-handed hesitation dribble, that saw her finishing at the rim for her 12th point of the night.
The sequence from the Metro League’s most valuable player would ultimately be the final dagger that Garfield needed to put the game out of reach. Once the final horn sounded, Garfield’s undefeated streak improved to 10 games, as they secured a first-round bye in the WIAA Girls 3A championships next week with 62-48 victory over Meadowdale.
Jackson led the Lady Bulldogs in both scoring and rebounding, finishing with 21 points and 8 rebounds, while Lessig finished the game with 14 points and 7 rebounds for Garfield.
The number one-seeded Lady Bulldogs will look to complete their quest of a state championship three-peat as they return to action at 10:30 am on Thurs., March 2 at the Tacoma Dome. Meadowdale will play the winner of Lincoln and Mead on March 1 at 2:00 p.m.
