Bothell Grinds Out Overtime Victory at Garfield

Bothell Grinds Out Overtime Victory at Garfield
By Steven Dion

With postseason hoops around the corner, teams are jockeying for position to make the big dance in their respective leagues. A pair of KingCo squads on the outside looking in were matched up on Wednesday night in Bothell (5-6 league, 11-6 overall) and host Garfield (3-8, 6-10). Those in attendance for tonight’s game would have thought this was a playoff game as it took more than the usual thirty-two minutes to declare a winner.

The Bulldogs scored the first two buckets of the contest, but would quickly concede the next ten points to the Cougars. BHS found early success by feeding Taya Cordsdale on long passes down the court after sneaking behind the Garfield defense. The six point lead Bothell picked up in the first quarter was erased quickly in the second frame as Garfield’s scrappy defense forced several Coug turnovers. Similarly, the Bulldogs shored up their early offensive struggles by using up more shot clock and finding high percentage shots. Garfield had six scorers in the second quarter and as a result, took a 22-20 lead into the break.

The offense-oriented tone of this game continued into the second half as both squads took advantage of their opposition’s inability to stop the attack. Garfield built a slight lead early in the third from turning rebounds on the defensive end to outlet passes in transition and easy buckets. Bothell was able to close climb back in by closing the third strong largely due to three more field goals by Cordsdale. Taya continued here strong play in the final frame by plucking offensive rebounds and muscling through defenders for put-backs. The Cougs regained the lead for the first time since early in the second quarter with six minutes remaining. With thirty-five seconds remaining in regulation, Bothell grabbed a three point lead after a pair of made free throws. Garfield sophomore Krysma Patu knocked down the tying three-pointer merely seconds later. A missed shot at the buzzer by Bothell would force this contest to be settled beyond the regular four quarters. The Bulldogs picked up the first four points of OT and were seemingly one more basket away from sealing the victory. The reliable Hanna Tyndall responded by knotting the ball game back at 49 apiece. With under a minute remaining, Cordsdale fouled out. A pair of free throws courtesy of Tyndall once again gave BHS the lead. Garfield was unable to find an open look on the final possession and the win was awarded to the road Cougs by the final score of 53-51.

Top Performers:
Bothell
Taya Cordsdale – 15 points

Garfield
Juanita Agosto – 25 points