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

Rainier Beach Defends Crawford Court Against Garfield


Rainier Beach Defends Crawford Court Against Garfield
By Steve Dion

Tuesday- February 2nd 2016 Boys 3A Metro
Rainier Beach High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Garfield 21 20 13 15 69
Rainier Beach 20 16 20 20 76


Rainier Beach combo guard Kevin Porter

In a rematch of last year’s 3A state final, the defending champs Garfield ventured south to Crawford Court to take on Rainier Beach in front of a capacity crowd for a battle of the top teams in Washington.

Kevin Porter gave Rainier Beach an early lift by scoring ten first quarter points as part of his sixteen total including a pair of thunderous dunks. The Bulldogs’ lethal back-court of Jashaun Agosto, Daejon Davis, Terrell Brown, and Jaylen Nowell were faced with the challenge of operating without versatile forward Alphonso Anderson. Garfield received ample contributions from the four guard and carried a 41-36 lead to halftime through high-percentage buckets on dribble penetration.

The Bulldog lead reached eight in the opening minutes of the third frame and was dangerously close to hitting double digits, but Beach fought back. Tijohn Rodde knocked down a pair from downtown Seattle as part of an extended run for the home team which brought the score within two heading into the final quarter.

Sam Cunliffe who led all scorers with 25 continued to attack the rim with ferocity and helped the Vikings grab the lead and start to pull away. Daejon Davis who led GHS with a team-high 21 battled back with acrobatic finishes at the cup to keep the champs within striking distance. Needing a clutch bucket late, Agosto answered with a monster three-pointer to draw the game within a point leaving only 26 seconds to spare. Rainier Beach’s ability to bury free throws in the final possessions allowed them to create separation and secure a seven point victory.

The Final Score
Rainier Beach 76, Garfield 69.

Top Performer:

Rainier Beach
Sam Cunliffe- 25 points

Garfield
Daejon Davis- 21 points

Garfield Ends Rainier Beach’s Reign


Garfield Ends Rainier Beach’s Reign
By Colin Caruso

Saturday March 7 2015 Boys 3A State Final
Tacoma Dome 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Garfield 11 15 18 22 66
Rainier Beach 12 14 15 10 51


Garfield Bulldogs

In a rematch of the Metro championship game, and a matchup of the two best teams in the state of Washington, the stage was set in Tacoma to watch the athleticism unfold between Rainier Beach and Garfield. Both inter-city Seattle schools, both defending state champions (Garfield won 4A last year) with the coveted 3A crown to take home.

The game began with a frantic pace, as it always does with these two teams. Beach got off to a quick lead behind eight first quarter points from star De’Jounte Murray. But the Bulldogs responded on the back of Jaylen Nowell, a sophomore star who responded with seven in the first.

Neither team slowed down in the second quarter; the pace remained at the highest level of the tournament. Even with the extremely fast pace both teams took care of the ball quite well, not allowing the opposition to get easy buckets in transition. Both defenses held firm, and the halftime score was tied at 26.

The Tacoma Dome was electric to start the second half. Neither team was able to pull away in the third quarter, but Garfield appeared to have more control going into the fourth.

After a back and forth third, Garfield held a 44-41 lead entering the final frame.
Shadeed Shabazz started the quarter hot for the Vikings, converting on two straight layups in under 30 seconds to take a one point lead. The teams exchanged baskets, and Garfield continued to attack the basket, getting into the bonus, and knocking down their free throws. With three minutes to play, the Bulldogs held a five point lead.

De’Jounte Murray responded with a beautiful reverse layup, but the Bulldogs answered with a put back layup by Jaylen Nowell. After a Rainier Beach miss, Austin Anderson for the Bulldogs knocked down two more from the line to take a seven point lead, the largest of the game for either team. From there, the Bulldog floodgates opened, ending the game on a 17-2 run.

Congratulations to Garfield, the back to back state champions! This Garfield win ended a Rainier Beach run of three consecutive 3A boys state titles.

Top Performers:
Garfield
Jaylen Nowell – 23 points, 10 rebounds, 3 steals
Alphonso Anderson – 17 points, 14 rebounds, 2 blocks

Rainier Beach
Shadeed Shabazz – 22 points
De’Jounte Murray – 15 points, 13 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks

The #1 Bulldogs Handle Seattle Prep, Advance to Metro Final


The #1 Bulldogs Handle Seattle Prep, Advance to Metro Final
By Colin Caruso

Wednesday February 11 2015 Boys 3A Metro
Ingraham High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Seattle Prep 14 11 15 9 49
Garfield 20 14 16 14 64

Seattle Prep knew they were in for a tough matchup when facing the #1 3A ranked team in the state, the 4A defending champion Garfield Bulldogs. Garfield came out swinging early in the first frame of this contest, putting up a cool 20 on the Panthers, who had no match for the speed and quickness of the Bulldogs. But Prep would not go down without a fight, scoring 14 points on the back of Collin Welp’s 7 to trail by just six going into the second.

The first five minutes of the second quarter all belonged to Seattle Prep. The Panthers zone defense was stifling to the quicker but smaller Bulldogs. Prep cut the Bulldog lead to just one, 26-25 with three minutes to play in the half. But the Bulldogs responded, as they normally do, with a commanding 8-0 run to end the first half with a nine point lead.

Garfield extended their lead again in the third quarter, with sophomores Jashaun Agosto and Jaylen Nowell leading the charge. Prep continued to hang around, but the Bulldogs were in control.

The fourth quarter came down to the final three minutes, with the Bulldogs clinging to a six point lead. Prep could really never get over that barrier, as Agosto forced two late turnovers that sealed the contest for the Bulldogs, 64-49. What a great game!

Top Performers:
Seattle Prep
J’Raan Brooks – 12 points
Jack Stewart and Collin Welp – 11 points

Garfield
Jaylen Nowell – 22 points
Jashaun Agosto – 21 points
Alphonso Anderson – 16 points

Garfield Remains Unbeaten, Tops Lakeside


Garfield Remains Unbeaten, Tops Lakeside
By Colin Caruso

Friday- January 9 2015 Boys 3A Metro
Garfield High School 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Lakeside 23 12 18 14 67
Garfield 15 17 23 28 83

With Lorenzo Romar in the house, watching two of Seattle’s and Washington State’s finest, the Garfield Bulldogs overcame an early deficit but pulled away late to claim their 12th win of the year.

Lakeside started this game on fire, Isiah Brown had 8 points in the first quarter and Daejon Davis had 9, propelling the Lions to a 23-15 lead after one. In speaking with a Lakeside coach after the game, this was one of their best quarters of basketball all year long.

But the scoring slowed down in the second for the Lions, and the Bulldogs began to heat up. A 35-33 halftime lead for Lakeside meant that they needed to come out with a third quarter like their first quarter to keep the momentum.

Garfield began their 3/4 court triangle trap to begin the second half. This caused fits for the Lions, who’s turnovers led to easy leak out baskets for Jashaun Agosto and Jaylen Nowell. Garfield took their first lead with 4:09 remaining in the third, and did not look back from there.

The points came easily to the Bulldogs in the fourth quarter, 28 in total in just 8 minutes. Alphonso Anderson proved his worth scoring 6 in the last frame, as the Bulldogs rolled to remain undefeated on the year.

The Final Score: Garfield 83, Lakeside 67

Top Performers:
Lakeside
Isiah Brown and Isaiah de la Fuente – 17 points

Garfield
Alphonso Anderson – 18 points
Jashaun Agosto – 21 points

Crafty Assist by Jashaun Agosto to Alphonso Anderson (WATCH)

 

Chief Sealth Falls to Garfield, But Saves Best for Last


Chief Sealth Falls to Garfield, But Saves Best for Last
By Steven Dion

Tuesday- January 6 2015 Boys 3A Metro League
Chief Sealth 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Garfield 30 27 24 15 96
Chief Sealth 14 20 7 14 55


Chief Sealth Senior Hafid Yassin

Ed Haskins’ Bulldogs are off to a blistering 2014-2015 campaign as the state champions of 4A last season are poised to make a run at the 3A title this year. They took a short trip southwest on Tuesday night as Chief Sealth hosted the Metro League leader. Seahawk coach Colin Slingsby certainly understood the tough task his team would face, but he nor anyone in the gym expected this contest to finish the way it did!

Garfield started its scoring onslaught early as the pressure applied on defense resulted in routine buckets on the offensive end. Jashaun Agosto displayed his dynamic skill set as the shifty point guard distributed the rock to open teammates and created open looks for himself at the cup. Alphonso Anderson also got in the mix by burying shots from downtown to help the Bulldogs notch 57 first-half points. Sealth senior Ahmed Mohamed kept his team on pace by recording 10 first half points. At the break, Garfield jumped out to a comfortable lead at 57-34.

The triple threat of Agosto, Anderson, and Jaylen Nowell kept the explosive tempo going into the second half by contributing an additional 24 points in the third quarter. The trio combined for 79 points! Garfield’s defense clamped down too by limiting CS to only 7 points in the frame. Effectively, the outcome of the contest was settled before the fourth quarter, but the highlight of the night was yet to come. With a running clock in effect and the final minute coming to a close, Chief Sealth received an inbound on the Garfield baseline. The ball was lobbed above the rim with Hafid Yassin in stride. The 6’5 senior launched his body above a Bulldog defender and threw down a dunk for the ages. He elevated his head above rim level! Moments later, Sealth buried a three-pointer to end the game in the most dramatic way a 41 point loss can happen. The atmosphere in the gym when the game ended was as if the crowd just witnessed an overtime buzzer-beater. Garfield keeps their immaculate record intact, Sealth walks away with a memory of a great moment in program history.

The Final Score: Garfield 96 Chief Sealth 55

Top Performers:
Garfield
Alphonso Anderson-30 points

Chief Sealth
Hafid Yassin-13 points

Garfield Defuses Bombers, Wins 4A Boys State Title

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Saturday March 8th 2014 4A Boys Basketball
Tacoma Dome 1st 2nd 3rd 4th Final
Garfield 17 14 21 16 68
Richland 16 12 19 12 59

Garfield Defuses Bombers, Wins 4A Boys State Title
By Colin Caruso

To kick off finals action in the Tacoma Dome, the undefeated Bombers from Richland took on the one loss Bulldogs from Garfield. Both teams were well deserved to be battling for the coveted state championship trophy, and the Tacoma Dome was packed and ready for action.

Richland started the game on fire, jumping out to a quick 14-4 lead. Garfield seemed shell shocked to start, as Richland seemingly couldn’t miss. But Garfield guard Tramaine Isabell wasn’t going to let this one slip away like last season. Isabell led his then Lakeside Lion team to the state final last year, coming up just short of beating the Rainier Beach Vikings for the 3A title. He was, as usual, unstoppable in this one. 22 of his game high 34 came in the first half and Garfield took a five point lead into the second half.

The third quarter remained close, neither team pulled further than five points ahead. Isabell continued his scoring barrage, putting up another eight points in the third to put his total at 30 going into the fourth. Four Bombers reached double figures in the quarter, a brilliant balanced attack from the boys from Richland. Starting big man Brayon Blake for the Bulldogs picked up his fourth personal, putting him in foul trouble in back to back games.

Garfield pulled ahead by as much as seven in the early stages of the fourth. Steven Beo answered by knocking down another three for the Bombers and Payton Radliffe hit a goal tended layup to cut the lead Bulldog lead to just two.

Jashaun Agosto answered with a deep two for the Bulldogs with three minutes left to take the lead by four. But the Bombers were not done. Beo and Jacob DeVries hit back to back buckets in the lane to tie the game at 58 with two minutes to play. On the ensuing possession, Baker was fouled on a layup for the Bulldogs and knocked down both at the line to go up by two. After a Bomber turnover, Isabell was fouled and made both free-throws, the lead now four. Another Bomber turnover led to a leakout basket by Deshaun Tucker, a six point lead now for the Dogs.

A Bulldog foul led to one free-throw for Streufert, and the Bombers were forced to foul Isabell with 22 seconds left; he hit one of two to take a six point lead. Beo was fouled on the other end and missed the front end, where Blake pulled down the rebound and was fouled and made two more for the Dogs, who took the lead 67-59 with under 12 seconds to play. The Bulldogs added one more late free-throw, and won the state title by a final of 68-59. An amazing game with an amazing atmosphere!

Top Performers:
Garfield
Tramaine Isabell – 34 points, 7 rebounds, 3 steals
Brayon Blake – 12 points, 7 rebounds

Richland
Steven Beo – 22 points, 11 rebounds
Payton Radliff – 12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 blocks