Garfield Sneaks Past Issaquah to Face Bombers in State Final

Garfield Sneaks Past Issaquah to Face Bombers in State Final
By Colin Caruso

In their fourth matchup on the year, the one loss Garfield Bulldogs faced off against the 19-6 Issaquah Eagles for a trip to the 4A state final. Garfield’s only loss came to these Eagles in the latter half of the regular season by just two points, a loss Garfield avenged in the KingCo championship game with an 18 point win.

The pace of this game was frantic at the beginning, resulting in one key player on each team getting two early fouls. Senior Jake Henke for the Eagles and senior Brayon Blake for the Bulldogs both sat the remainder of the first quarter and well into the second with their foul trouble. Garfield’s leading scorer Tramaine Isabell led all first quarter scorers with eight, and the Bulldogs took a four point lead into the second.
Issaquah took the momentum back in the second quarter behind 11 points from senior Brian Watson. He led the 21 point rally for the Eagles, who tied the game going into half at 34.

Foul trouble again became a factor in the third quarter, with both Blake and Torrence Baker for Garfield picking up their fourth fouls. Issaquah capitalized on the line and took a three point lead into the fourth.

The fourth quarter remained nail-biting close. Garfield shot well from the free-throw line all night, 23-27 overall, and they were able to tie the contest with just over two minutes to play. Zachariah Shepherd hit a three for the Dogs to put them up three, but fouled on the next defensive possession, fouling him out of the game. Ty Gibson hit two free-throws for the Eagles on the other end, but Isabell converted on a great dribble drive to regain the lead by three. Addison McIrvin was fouled on the next Issaquah possession and hit one of two at the line. He was fouled again on a Garfield miss and made both to tie the game at 59 with one minute to go. A kick ball gave the Bulldogs more time on the shot clock, and Henke fouled Jashaun Agosto for the Bulldogs on a three pointer with 20 seconds remaining, Henke’s fifth foul. Agosto hit two of three to go up 61-59. After a timeout, Eagle Brian Watson attempted a fade away from the baseline that missed, and the Bulldogs hung on to advance to the 4A state final. What a game!

Top Performers:
Garfield
Tramaine Isabell – 19 points, 5 rebounds
Brayon Blake – 11 points, 6 rebounds

Issaquah
Ty Gibson – 16 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals
Brian Watson – 17 points, 4 rebounds