West Seattle, Cleveland Prevail in Unity Hoops Showcase
By Steve Dion
| Friday- January 13th | 2017 | Boys | 3A | 5pm | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield High School | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final | |
| West Seattle | 15 | 14 | 6 | 18 | 53 | |
| Eastside Catholic | 8 | 7 | 17 | 12 | 44 | |
| Friday- January 13th | 2017 | Boys | 3A | 7pm | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Garfield High School | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | OT | Final | |
| Cleveland | 10 | 18 | 14 | 22 | 6 | 70 | |
| Franklin | 16 | 11 | 18 | 19 | 4 | 68 | |
Cleveland & Franklin Battling For the Rebound at the End of Regulation
The 4th Annual Unity Hoops Showcase at Garfield High School featured a Metro League doubleheader starting with West Seattle taking on Eastside Catholic & the nightcap between Cleveland & Franklin.
West Seattle’s commitment to their gameplan which emphasized defensive intensity and precision offensive execution carried them to a sizable lead in the first half. The Wildcats kept Crusader sharpshooter Brock Mackenzie at bay while Yusuf Mohamed put his versatile scoring ability logging 10 of his game-high 16 in the first half.
Eastside Catholic stormed back in the third frame thanks Noah Springborn finding a groove from beyond the arc. Only leading by three heading into the final quarter, West Seattle relied on their trusty senior Nate Pryor to carry them to the finish line to the tune of a 53-44 victory.
Game two matched the Cleveland Eagles & Franklin Quakers both eager to pick up a crucial league win. The tandem of Marquan Williams and Maurice Bennett was hot out of the gates with electrifying ball handling by Williams and thunderous dunks by “Mo Buckets”. Cleveland relied on their leader C.J. Elleby to lead the charge including a pair of triples in the final moments of the first half to give the Eagles a one point leading heading into halftime.
The pace of play shifted into overdrive in the third quarter with the pace ramping up into the final frame of regulation which saw the Franklin guards attacking the rim with reckless abandon and the Eagles countering with transition buckets in bunches. Cleveland led by a pair in the final seconds of regulation. After coming up with the defensive rebound, instead of waiting to be fouled, they turned the ball over to Franklin in which Cejay Garrison Jr. was able to capitalize with a clutch bucket to tie the game and send the game into OT.
A pair of back-to-back buckets early in the extra period gave Cleveland the needed lift to come away with the win against a tough Quakers squad. This game was an appropriate ending to a great night of high school hoops at Garfield High School.
The Final Score
West Seattle 53, Eastside Catholic 44
Cleveland 70, Franklin 68
Top Performers:
West Seattle
Yusuf Mohamed- 16 points
Cleveland
C.J. Elleby- 33 points