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West Seattle Bounces Back From Metro Final with SeaKing Stunner
By Steve Dion

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West Seattle Sophomore Jenna McPhee

SeaKing tournament play at Bellevue College started with a clash of state title contenders West Seattle & Garfield. Following their 62-46 defeat in the Metro League Championship game to undefeated Bishop Blanchet on Friday, Darnell Taylor’s ability to refocus his young Wildcats squad was an interesting storyline heading into the ballgame.

Garfield’s potent attack was evident early with Juanita Agosto racking up tough points in the paint and quick-draw Sam Tolliver firing from beyond the arc. West Seattle slowly clawed back from the early deficit as the first half wore on including a deep three at the 2nd quarter buzzer by Izzy Turk. This cut a ten point lead by the Lady Bulldogs to a manageable 7 heading into the locker room.

The Wildcats clamped down on defense in the third frame and set themselves up for a late run by allowing only 9 points in the quarter while bringing score within a single field goal heading into the fourth. A back-and-fourth final eight minutes featured an offensive explosion by Jenna McPhee & Jasmine Gayles for the Wildcats who netted 7 apiece while being countered by 10 from Tolliver. West Seattle grabbed the lead for the first time since the infant stages of the game heading into the final minutes of the game.

Leading by one with under 5 seconds remaining, the Wildcats simply needed a successful inbound pass to either run out the clock or draw a foul. Garfield’s Tamia Mobley picked off the inbound and promptly hoisted a three-point attempt which was corralled by Jayla Howard. The buzzer sounded as Howard went up for the uncontested putback which fell through the hoop, but a moment too late. West Seattle breathed a huge sigh of relief as they advance in the winner’s bracket of the SeaKing playoff bracket.

The Final Score
West Seattle 64, Garfield 63

Top Performers:
West Seattle
Jenna McPhee- 20 points

Garfield
Samaiyah Tolliver- 25 points