Metro League Championship Recap
Aaron Orbeck
The Garfield Bulldogs secured the Metro League Championship after a challenging 67-60 game against the Seattle Prep Panthers. Now with an 18-0 record, the Bulldogs are set to compete in the 3A District Tournament.
The game was closely contested throughout with both teams trading buckets back and forth. Surprisingly, the Bulldogs fell behind in the second quarter—a rare occurrence for a team that has enjoyed such dominance during this season. At one point in the 3rd quarter, Garfield was behind by as much as 12 points. However, after a nice corner three-pointer from Kenzel Massey, the Bulldogs began their comeback.
By the end of the 3rd quarter, Garfield had narrowed the Panthers’ lead to only 8 points. Once again Kenzel Massey served the role of offensive catalyst in the 4th quarter when he made a beautiful steal and ran down the court to draw and convert an “and-one”. That play sparked a 12-3 run from Garfield that secured them the lead for the first time since the 2nd quarter. The momentum gained from the scoring run carried on throughout the quarter, and the Bulldogs began to pull away with the Panthers unable to keep up.
Finally, the buzzer rang and the game ended 67-60—Garfield having pulled off an incredible comeback. The pair of forwards of Sherrell McCullum and Jaylin Stewart played a key role in the win having consistently controlled the paint on defense and scored with ease on offense. McCullum managed 12 rebounds and a team-leading 19 points while Stewart scored 16.
Koren Johnson had a rough game, having fouled out and only making 2 out of 12 shots. However, his key role during the season secured him league MVP and a spot on the all-league 1st team. Jaylin Stewart will join him on the 1st team and Sherrell McCullum made the 3rd team. Raphiel Justice was recognized for his defensive contributions and was awarded Defensive Player of the Year.
Now the Metro League Champions, the Bulldogs move on to the 3A District Championship in which they are the top seed. Their first game will be on February 15th as they await the victor of the Eastside Catholic-Hazen matchup.
The game was closely contested throughout with both teams trading buckets back and forth. Surprisingly, the Bulldogs fell behind in the second quarter—a rare occurrence for a team that has enjoyed such dominance during this season. At one point in the 3rd quarter, Garfield was behind by as much as 12 points. However, after a nice corner three-pointer from Kenzel Massey, the Bulldogs began their comeback.
By the end of the 3rd quarter, Garfield had narrowed the Panthers’ lead to only 8 points. Once again Kenzel Massey served the role of offensive catalyst in the 4th quarter when he made a beautiful steal and ran down the court to draw and convert an “and-one”. That play sparked a 12-3 run from Garfield that secured them the lead for the first time since the 2nd quarter. The momentum gained from the scoring run carried on throughout the quarter, and the Bulldogs began to pull away with the Panthers unable to keep up.
Finally, the buzzer rang and the game ended 67-60—Garfield having pulled off an incredible comeback. The pair of forwards of Sherrell McCullum and Jaylin Stewart played a key role in the win having consistently controlled the paint on defense and scored with ease on offense. McCullum managed 12 rebounds and a team-leading 19 points while Stewart scored 16.
Koren Johnson had a rough game, having fouled out and only making 2 out of 12 shots. However, his key role during the season secured him league MVP and a spot on the all-league 1st team. Jaylin Stewart will join him on the 1st team and Sherrell McCullum made the 3rd team. Raphiel Justice was recognized for his defensive contributions and was awarded Defensive Player of the Year.
Now the Metro League Champions, the Bulldogs move on to the 3A District Championship in which they are the top seed. Their first game will be on February 15th as they await the victor of the Eastside Catholic-Hazen matchup.