Hardwood Invitational Recap
Aaron Orbeck
After four days of games, Garfield won the Hardwood Invite Tournament in Auburn Washington. It was a hard-fought journey in a tournament featuring some of the best 3A teams in Washington, as well as teams from Oregon and Florida.
The Bulldogs came into the tournament with a flawless 5-0 record after crushing Ingraham 92-28 the game before, and their first opponent was the King’s Christian Knights, a team that was 5-1 and sure to pose a challenge. Garfield was unfazed by their competition and won 80-64 led by Jaylin Stewart, Koren Johnson, and Sherell McCullum Jr, a trio that frequently carried Garfield throughout the tournament. Jaylin Stewart had the most points on the team with 23, while McCullum Jr had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson’s 21 points and 9 assists put him just one assist shy of a second double-double for the team. After the game, Johnson stated that “discipline and defense” were going to be the keys for Garfield to win the tournament.
With this advice in mind, the Bulldogs cruised to victory beating the Union Knights (4-1) by 45 points 95-50. After the game, Garfield guard Raphiel Justice said the team entered the game with great energy, highlighting how well the Bulldogs have been getting along as a team. He also mentioned that intensity was another key factor to winning, a word that would aptly describe the Bulldogs’ performance in the rest of the tournament.
Next up was the semifinals against the South Medford Panthers. The Bulldogs managed to win in the lowest scoring contest of their tournament 63-50. Once again Stewart, McCullum Jr, and Johnson led the team in scoring with 14, 14, and 11 points respectively. After the game, Sherrell McCullum remarked that the Panthers were a particularly “scrappy” team which required “discipline” from the Bulldogs to secure the win. Garfield entered the finals of the tournament against the #1 ranked Auburn Trojans confident, having won eight games in a row. The Trojans were also on an 8-game winning streak and were slightly favored to win the game. The atmosphere was electric in the sold-out Auburn High gymnasium filled with 2500 eager fans.
The game was tight with Auburn leading by only two points going into halftime, and it remained close until the end when Garfield narrowly pulled ahead in the 4th quarter thanks to an incredible, tournament MVP winning performance from Koren Johnson. He had an insane 27 points in a highlight packed game full of catch and shoot 3s, fast break scores, and great defense. Additionally, Sherell McCullum Jr had his best performance of the tournament with a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double. Performances from these players were key to the Bulldogs’ success and will be equally important in the future.
This tournament win firmly secures Garfield as the favorites for the state championship in March. This means that the Bulldogs are likely to extend their 9 games unbeaten streak against the Ballard Beavers on January 3rd.
Unfortunately, after the final game a fight took place somewhere on Auburn High School property. Police quickly arrived on scene with weapons drawn and secured the area. Luckily, nobody was physically injured, and no weapons were found according to the Auburn Police Department.
The Bulldogs came into the tournament with a flawless 5-0 record after crushing Ingraham 92-28 the game before, and their first opponent was the King’s Christian Knights, a team that was 5-1 and sure to pose a challenge. Garfield was unfazed by their competition and won 80-64 led by Jaylin Stewart, Koren Johnson, and Sherell McCullum Jr, a trio that frequently carried Garfield throughout the tournament. Jaylin Stewart had the most points on the team with 23, while McCullum Jr had a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Johnson’s 21 points and 9 assists put him just one assist shy of a second double-double for the team. After the game, Johnson stated that “discipline and defense” were going to be the keys for Garfield to win the tournament.
With this advice in mind, the Bulldogs cruised to victory beating the Union Knights (4-1) by 45 points 95-50. After the game, Garfield guard Raphiel Justice said the team entered the game with great energy, highlighting how well the Bulldogs have been getting along as a team. He also mentioned that intensity was another key factor to winning, a word that would aptly describe the Bulldogs’ performance in the rest of the tournament.
Next up was the semifinals against the South Medford Panthers. The Bulldogs managed to win in the lowest scoring contest of their tournament 63-50. Once again Stewart, McCullum Jr, and Johnson led the team in scoring with 14, 14, and 11 points respectively. After the game, Sherrell McCullum remarked that the Panthers were a particularly “scrappy” team which required “discipline” from the Bulldogs to secure the win. Garfield entered the finals of the tournament against the #1 ranked Auburn Trojans confident, having won eight games in a row. The Trojans were also on an 8-game winning streak and were slightly favored to win the game. The atmosphere was electric in the sold-out Auburn High gymnasium filled with 2500 eager fans.
The game was tight with Auburn leading by only two points going into halftime, and it remained close until the end when Garfield narrowly pulled ahead in the 4th quarter thanks to an incredible, tournament MVP winning performance from Koren Johnson. He had an insane 27 points in a highlight packed game full of catch and shoot 3s, fast break scores, and great defense. Additionally, Sherell McCullum Jr had his best performance of the tournament with a 16-point, 14-rebound double-double. Performances from these players were key to the Bulldogs’ success and will be equally important in the future.
This tournament win firmly secures Garfield as the favorites for the state championship in March. This means that the Bulldogs are likely to extend their 9 games unbeaten streak against the Ballard Beavers on January 3rd.
Unfortunately, after the final game a fight took place somewhere on Auburn High School property. Police quickly arrived on scene with weapons drawn and secured the area. Luckily, nobody was physically injured, and no weapons were found according to the Auburn Police Department.