Garfield vs West Seattle Recap
Aaron Orbeck
The Garfield Bulldogs secured a 88-56 win against the West Seattle Wildcats to advance to the final of the Metro League tournament. Although victory was expected for Garfield by many, the Bulldogs did a good job of staying vigilant and avoiding complacency.
Garfield started off hot in the first quarter, establishing a 20-10 lead. Strong paint defense was key to stopping the West Seattle offense. When the Wildcats attempted to drive and score they were often met by a sea of long arms ready to contest the shot.
The stalwart defense by Garfield continued as they kept West Seattle scoreless for almost half of the second quarter. Multiple airballs and careless turnovers by the Wildcats frequently resulted in a quick fastbreak score for Koren Johnson who was always ready to sprint down the court at a moment's notice. Most of West Seattle’s points in the second half came from free throws. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were nailing shots left and right. By the end of the first half, Garfield was ahead 45-20.
The second half was an improvement for West Seattle. They were able to score some points, albeit at a much slower pace than Garfield. Koren Johnson continued to dominate the Wildcat defense with slick drives to the basket and his signature fast breaks. A highlight from Kenzel Massey came with about 2 minutes left in the third quarter when he faked out his defender with a jab step before driving into the mid-range to hit a contested two-point shot. After a solid quarter from both teams, the score was 65-38 with Garfield still ahead.
The beginning of the fourth quarter drew a striking resemblance to West Seattle’s miserable second quarter. This time the Wildcats were scoreless for the first three minutes. By the time West Seattle did manage to score it was obvious that Garfield had secured the victory and the Bulldogs benched most of their starters to give them some rest. With Garfield’s bench players in the game, West Seattle managed to score 18 points but was unable to close the massive gap.
The Bulldogs’ offense was led by the duo of Koren Johnson and Sherrell McCullum, as was common during the regular season. Johnson scored 18 points while McCullum scored 16. Much of Sherrell McCullum’s impact came not from his scoring but from his defensive presence in the paint and his outstanding 16 rebounds. Koren Johnson maintained his reputation as a facilitator for Garfield’s offense with a team-leading 4 rebounds. Other notable contributors included Jaylin Stewart with 13 points and 7 rebounds, Legend Smiley, and Tremaine Guidry who each scored 9 points.
This game marks the Bulldogs’ first postseason victory against a top team. The convincing nature of this win bodes well for their game on February 11th against Seattle Prep. Garfield beat Seattle prep earlier in the season but it was one of their closest games. This means that the Bulldogs will need to be on their toes if they want to win.
Garfield started off hot in the first quarter, establishing a 20-10 lead. Strong paint defense was key to stopping the West Seattle offense. When the Wildcats attempted to drive and score they were often met by a sea of long arms ready to contest the shot.
The stalwart defense by Garfield continued as they kept West Seattle scoreless for almost half of the second quarter. Multiple airballs and careless turnovers by the Wildcats frequently resulted in a quick fastbreak score for Koren Johnson who was always ready to sprint down the court at a moment's notice. Most of West Seattle’s points in the second half came from free throws. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs were nailing shots left and right. By the end of the first half, Garfield was ahead 45-20.
The second half was an improvement for West Seattle. They were able to score some points, albeit at a much slower pace than Garfield. Koren Johnson continued to dominate the Wildcat defense with slick drives to the basket and his signature fast breaks. A highlight from Kenzel Massey came with about 2 minutes left in the third quarter when he faked out his defender with a jab step before driving into the mid-range to hit a contested two-point shot. After a solid quarter from both teams, the score was 65-38 with Garfield still ahead.
The beginning of the fourth quarter drew a striking resemblance to West Seattle’s miserable second quarter. This time the Wildcats were scoreless for the first three minutes. By the time West Seattle did manage to score it was obvious that Garfield had secured the victory and the Bulldogs benched most of their starters to give them some rest. With Garfield’s bench players in the game, West Seattle managed to score 18 points but was unable to close the massive gap.
The Bulldogs’ offense was led by the duo of Koren Johnson and Sherrell McCullum, as was common during the regular season. Johnson scored 18 points while McCullum scored 16. Much of Sherrell McCullum’s impact came not from his scoring but from his defensive presence in the paint and his outstanding 16 rebounds. Koren Johnson maintained his reputation as a facilitator for Garfield’s offense with a team-leading 4 rebounds. Other notable contributors included Jaylin Stewart with 13 points and 7 rebounds, Legend Smiley, and Tremaine Guidry who each scored 9 points.
This game marks the Bulldogs’ first postseason victory against a top team. The convincing nature of this win bodes well for their game on February 11th against Seattle Prep. Garfield beat Seattle prep earlier in the season but it was one of their closest games. This means that the Bulldogs will need to be on their toes if they want to win.