Garfield Proves Strength in Regional Victory Over Rams


Garfield Proves Strength in Regional Victory Over Rams
By Steve Dion

Saturday- February 27th 2016 Boys 3A Regionals
Bellevue College 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Wilson 11 26 26 17 80
Garfield 33 29 26 30 118


Garfield Bulldogs

Defending 3A champions Garfield entered this season as a clear favorite to repeat in 2016 given their returning core group and added talent this year. Saturday’s regional contest with Wilson served as the Bulldogs final step to get back to the state tournament.

Wilson found themselves in a tough situation early when Garfield’s defense strung together a series of turnovers leading to transition buckets. This stifling defensive display resulted in 33 big first quarter points. The Rams were able to match the ‘Dogs bucket for bucket as the half progressed including five finishing with double digits led by senior captain David Jenkins Jr. who ended with 19. However, the halftime lead created by knock-down Jaylen Nowell jumpers and Terrell Brown slashing to the cup gave them an edge they would not put in jeopardy.

As the second half wore on, Wilson’s Nate Fisher found a groove recording a cool 17 points on 6/7 shooting, but former Wilson Ram Alphonso Anderson netted 20 in addition to 8 rebounds. This proved enough to eventually put this game on ice. Afterwards, Anderson talked about facing former friends on Wilson saying, “It was fun playing against the old guys. Dave, Montre; been playing with them since I was little.” When asked about the depth of this talented Bulldogs roster, Anderson responded, “We’ve got pretty much ten division-1 basketball players on the team. At practice, we get each other better.” Finally, he said the defensive intensity shown is a result of the team’s eagerness on offense and that, “Defense leads to dunks, so as many steals as we can get, the more dunks we get!” Ed Haskins finds himself three wins from three state titles in a row, can Garfield complete the task at hand?

The Final Score
Garfield 118, Wilson 80.

Top Performer:

Garfield
Alphonso Anderson- 20 points, 8 rebounds

Wilson
David Jenkins Jr.- 19 points, 4 rebounds

Audio Recap: Metro League Championship – Garfield vs. Rainier Beach

Game Recap
Metro League Championship – Garfield vs. Rainier Beach 2-12-16



Metro League Champions – Garfield Bulldogs

Back-to-back state champions Garfield met defending Metro League champs Rainier Beach on Friday night for their second contest of the season; the Metro Championship. The Viks prevailed in round one, could the Bulldogs even the score for the league title? Listen as Nic Beckman provides an audio recap of the match-up including pre-game comments from Ranier Beach head coach Mike Bethea!

To listen to the game recap, simply click on the PLAY BUTTON below.

 


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Garfield Claims Metro League Title; Edges Beach by Three


Garfield Claims Metro League Title; Edges Beach by Three
By Steve Dion

Friday- February 12th 2016 Boys 3A Metro League Championship
Ingraham High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Rainier Beach 16 13 20 14 63
Garfield 20 14 17 14 65


Metro League Champions – Garfield Bulldogs

Round two of what could be a four game series between Garfield and Rainier Beach took place Friday night for the Metro League championship. Rainier Beach prevailed in the regular season matchup 76-69 at Crawford Court. The defending state champs Garfield were focused on avenging the loss, but the Vikings were eager to win the league title again. Before the game when asked about the key to the game, Rainier Beach head coach Mike Bethea stated, “The one thing I want to see is coming out and playing hard and cutting out the mental mistakes early.”

The Bulldogs took the lead early in the contest as junior guard Daejon Davis was able to finish some acrobatic shots near the cup scoring 9 of his 19 total shots in the first quarter alone. Sam Cunliffe countered by recording 8 of his team-high 23 in the frame taking advantage of some Bulldog defensive breakdowns. As the first half wore on, Garfield’s Jaylen Nowell took control of the contest by scoring at will which propelled his team to a 34-29 lead at the break.

Rainier Beach emerged from the locker room recharged by opening the second half on a 14-4 run to grab the lead and prompting a Bulldog timeout to talk things over. The height of excitement occurred midway through the frame as a wild series of dunks, blocks, and steals lined up back to back. Daejon Davis knocked down a mid-range jumper at the third quarter buzzer to give his team a 51-49 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Bulldogs held a marginal lead into the final minutes of the contest until Keith Smith buried a clutch three late to tie the ballgame at 61 apiece. Garfield struck back to gain the lead for the final time and a Terrell Brown steal put a bow on it. The Bulldogs tie the season series 1-1 and hoist the hardware. Coach Bethea said the rivalry between these teams, “Is basically like going back in time, like a throwback to how it used to be. And that is when basketball is at its best.” The anticipation for the next round is building.

The Final Score
Garfield 65, Rainier Beach 63.

Top Performers:

Garfield
Jaylen Nowell- 25 points

Rainier Beach
Sam Cunliffe- 23 points

Garfield Downs Lakeside Despite Brown’s Fifty


Garfield Downs Lakeside Despite Brown’s Fifty
By Steve Dion

Friday- January 8th 2016 Boys 3A Metro
Lakeside High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Lakeside 13 13 16 20 62
Garfield 16 22 26 20 84


Garfield senior Terrell Brown

The nightcap of Friday night hoops at Lakeside was the boys varsity game between host Lakeside and defending 3A champions Garfield. The high energy of both student sections in the cozy confines of the packed gymnasium translated to the court as the first eight minutes was a back-and-forth affair. The Lions held the Bulldog attack at bay early and led late in the first frame. However, they failed to knock down several attempts from downtown so the margin was slim. J’Raan Brooks capped of the first quarter with a tip-in at the buzzer.

The second quarter picked up where the first left off as Brooks inspired a scoring spree that gave Garfield a lead they would not relinquish. The full compliment of weapons that Coach Ed Haskins has on his roster began to heat up including Jaylen Nowell and former Lakeside Lion Daejon Davis. Isiah Brown made a valiant effort in this game to keep the Lions competitive by scoring 50 of Lakeside’s 62 points. Many of Brown’s shots were in heavy traffic and a number of them were from well beyond the arc. Garfield continues their dominance of Washington state hoops heading into the home stretch of league play.

The Final Score
Garfield 84, Lakeside 62.

Top Performers:
Garfield
Jaylen Nowell- 21 points

Lakeside
Isiah Brown- 50 points

Garfield’s Tempo Too Much for Young Panthers


Garfield’s Tempo Too Much for Young Panthers
By Steve Dion

Tuesday- December 15th 2015 Boys 3A Metro
Seattle Prep High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Seattle Prep 11 19 12 25 67
Garfield 20 25 21 23 89


Garfield junior Jaylen Nowell

Terrell Brown led the top ranked Garfield Bulldogs with 23 points in their victory over Seattle Prep on Tuesday night. Ed Haskins’ defending state champs were victorious by a comfortable 22 point margin, but Steve Kelly’s young Panthers squad showed they can compete with the state’s best in this one. The first half was very physical and thus many key players from both sides received fouls that tested the depth of both rosters. Garfield had early success when they applied the full court press, especially with Prep’s floor general Aaron Nettles on the sidelines. The front court battle of Garfield’s Alphonso Anderson and J’Raan Brooks against SP’s Collin Welp and Nic Lynch was exciting as both duos were integral scoring combos for both teams early. The forwards combined for 14 and 13 in the first two quarters respectively. At the break, Brown’s five field goals helped the Bulldogs earn a 45-30 lead.

Needing to chip away the GHS lead to give themselves a chance in the fourth quarter, Seattle Prep needed to start the second half strong. However, the opposite occurred. Garfield extended the lead to 21 points early in the third as they were able to play at a high tempo and score on the fast break. Jaylen Nowell put a stamp on the game when he threw down a pair of dunks as part of his 14. Prep’s lack of consistent shot-takers dashed their ability to keep pace with the high-flying Bulldogs. The Panthers put together a strong final quarter even though Garfield’s big lead was not in jeopardy. The home team earned 20 trips to the free throw line in which 13 were made. Coach Haskins was able to distribute minutes up and down his roster in the fourth quarter to close out the ballgame. Double digit scorers for the Bulldogs included Daejon Davis, Brown, Nowell, and Brooks. Seattle Prep’s Nettles, Welp, and Lynch scored in double figures.

The Final Score
Garfield 89, Seattle Prep 67

Top Performers:
Garfield
Terrell Brown- 23 points (5/7 FTs)

Seattle Prep
Aaron Nettles- 20 points (8/10 FTs)