By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Tuesday afternoon, the Seattle Prep Panthers faced off against the Eastside Catholic Crusaders in a highly anticipated WIAA 3A state playoff loser-out game between two Metro League rivals at the Tacoma Dome.
The first quarter of the game flew by very quickly as the two teams battled back and forth throughout the period. It was a see-saw battle. Seattle Prep defensive stopper Kylin Kinchen picked up her second foul with just 30 seconds remaining. Eastside Catholic’s Sophie Lugolobi and Tavia Carter both scored five first-quarter points as the Crusaders held a 12-11 lead at the end of the opening quarter.
Seattle Prep’s Addy Jack drained a three-point shot to open the second quarter to give Seattle Prep a 14-12 lead. Eastside Catholic’s Amy Nduka then tied the game at 14 with a layup. Lugolobi followed with a basket as the Crusaders took a two-point, 16-14, lead over Seattle Prep before taking a timeout. Following the timeout, Kinchen made a steal and drove the ball down the court for a basket to tie the game at 16, which brought the Seattle Prep faithful to their feet as they began to outcheer Eastside Catholic’s fans—intensifying the game both on and off the court.
Energized by their crowd, Seattle Prep then went on a 6-0 run, led by Grace Renners, Elise Lydon, and Kinchen, as they took a 22-16 lead with 1:55 remaining in the first half. Lugolobi stopped the bleeding with a jump shot, but Renners followed up with a basket of her own, extending Seattle Prep’s lead to 24-18. As the first half neared the end, Lugolobi closed out the first half with a basket as the Crusaders trailed Seattle Prep 24-20 heading into halftime.
Both teams got off to a slow start after the break, as neither team was able to score in the first three minutes of the half. Nduka then made a basket with a little over five minutes remaining, bringing the score to 24-22. With 3:45 remaining, Seattle Prep’s EJ Ovena drained a three-point shot to extend the Panthers’ lead to 28-23. Renners then followed with a layup that caused Eastside to call a full timeout. After the timeout, the Crusaders regrouped and went on a 4-0 run to narrow the Seattle Prep lead to 30-27 with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter. Tavia Carter then sent Ovena to the line, where she converted both free throws to make the score 32-27. Lugolobi hit a two-point buzzer-beater shot to end the period with Seattle Prep leading 32-29.
The final quarter started slowly, with Eastside Catholic’s Lugolobi scoring the only basket in the first three minutes. With 4:51 remaining, the pace began to pick up as Seattle Prep’s Kylin Kinchen picked up her third foul, sending Amy Nduka to the free-throw line. However, Nduka was unable to capitalize, missing both attempts. On the Panthers’ next possession, Kinchen was whistled for her fourth foul, once again sending Nduka to the line. But luck was not on Nduka’s side, as she missed both free throws for the second time.
Kinchen quickly bounced back, sinking a jumper to cut the deficit to 34-31. Seattle Prep’s Ella Castro responded by converting both free throws, extending the Panthers’ lead to 36-31.
With three minutes remaining, the game turned into a back-and-forth battle, with both teams scoring on nearly every possession. Seattle Prep’s Hizer and Elise Lydon added key baskets, while Eastside Catholic kept pace behind scores from Nduka, Lugolobi, and Tavia Carter. With 1:42 left, Seattle Prep clung to a 41-39 lead when Kinchen picked up her fifth and final foul, forcing her to exit the game. Despite the setback, Kinchen remained engaged, cheering on her teammates from the sideline.
The final minute saw multiple trips to the free-throw line as both teams attempted to preserve as much time as possible. The Crusaders and Panthers each converted five of six free throws down the stretch, keeping the game tightly contested. However, with just 1.3 seconds left on the clock, Eastside Catholic ran out of time to mount a comeback, and Seattle Prep secured a hard-fought 48-46 victory.
Ovena led Seattle Prep with 12 points and one assist, while Grace Renners contributed eight points, 10 rebounds, and one assist. For Eastside Catholic, Nduka delivered a dominant performance with 17 points, 17 rebounds, and three assists, while Lugolobi added 17 points and eight rebounds.
After the game, Seattle Prep Head Coach Talia Walton said her team was prepared for the hard-fought battle and was very proud of the mental toughness her team displayed during the game.
“We knew it was going to be a dog fight, and I am very proud of the toughness that my girls displayed today,” said Walton. “It was a true team effort, and we managed to get enough stops and make free throws during crunch time to secure the win,” Walton said.
“Shoutout to Eastside Catholic, Darnellia, and her coaching staff on one heck of a season!” added Walton.
With the win, Seattle Prep will take on Lakeside on March 6 at 12:15 p.m., and Eastside Catholic’s season has come to an end.
