Cleveland Defeats Blanchet for Back-To-Back Metro League Titles

Cleveland Defeats Blanchet for Back-To-Back Metro League Titles
By Steven Dion

Garfield High School played host to the boys and girls 3A championship games for the Metro League tonight, the first of two the girls game featuring Cleveland and Bishop Blanchet. Cleveland won this game last year over Seattle Prep and eventually won the state title. Bishop Blanchet is a team on the rise that seems poised to be in contention for years to come. Would the Eagles repeat as Metro champs or would the newcomers shock everyone at the GHS gym Friday night?

The first half was back-and-forth as Bishop Blanchet traded three pointers from freshman guard Taylor Chambers with buckets from Cleveland’s variety of scoring options. It appeared we were set for a high octane game as the first quarter score read 21-19 in favor of the defending champs. The Eagles eventually found their groove of suffocating defense in the second quarter as a number of turnovers in the backcourt on successive possessions resulted in a growing lead for CHS. When playing Cleveland, it is understood that field goals count for twice as much because they score in bunches. At the half, Cleveland held a double digit lead.

Bishop Blanchet caught their opponent on the heels early in the third quarter as the Eagles’ lead was cut to six midway through the frame. Jaydn Bush played solid on both sides of the floor as the freshman blocked several shots as well as made several buckets for the Braves. Blanchet battled throughout the game, but Cleveland is the defending state champs for a reason as senior Makala Roper buried several clutch shots down the stretch to put the game out of reach for the challenger. When the buzzer sounded, the Eagles raised the hardware for the second consecutive year by the final score of 65-50. After first round byes, Cleveland will face the winner of Liberty/Seattle Prep and Bishop Blanchet will take on the victor of Juanita/Holy Names in the first round of the SeaKing district playoffs.

Top Performers:
Cleveland
Cleveland-Myzhanique Ladd, Jayde Christopher, Alexia Mefi, Makala Roper (All double-digit scorers)

Blanchet
Bishop Blanchet-Taylor Chambers, Jaydn Bush (double-digit scoring, strong defensive effort)