Garfield Rallies To Escape With One-Point Victory Over Rainier Beach

Garfield Rallies To Escape With One-Point Victory Over Rainier Beach

By Karrington Kincaid, The Seattle Medium

The energy at Garfield High School was electric as the crowd went crazy for the cross-town rivalry matchup between the Garfield Bulldogs and the Rainier Beach Vikings. Both teams showed their spirits at what has been termed “The Hood Classic” by shouting their kids’ names from the stands and praising them before the game started.

Rainier Beach Head Coach Mike Bethea was eager to see how his team would match up with Garfield as both teams are making a push towards the playoffs.

“I’m excited about it,” said Bethea. “I’m excited about our team, first how we’re playing, and I think we’re up for the challenge and I think we’re ready to go tonight.”

It turns out that Bethea was right. His team was up for the challenge as they came out on fire. Led by center Dominik Robinson and guard Kaden Powers, who combined for 8 first quarter points, five rebounds, and one steal, the Vikings rushed out to a 10-2 lead, forcing the Bulldogs to take a timeout just four minutes into the game. After the timeout, the Vikings continued to dominate the rest of the first quarter, holding a 17-8 lead going into the second quarter.

Not wanting to get run off their home court, the Bulldogs settled down and started to methodically work their way back into the game. Guard Legend Smiley knocked down two 3-point shots and grabbed two rebounds, while Jamari Harris chipped in five points and four rebounds as the Bulldogs continued to keep the game within reach.

Despite the strong response by Garfield, Rainier Beach guard Maceo Rivers had a huge dunk to shift all the momentum towards Rainier Beach with 3:32 seconds left to go. 20 seconds later, Powers came down with a monster dunk of his own, which made the Rainier Beach section roar with excitement. Powers proved to be a significant factor in the quarter, recording four points, a rebound, and a steal to help his team take a 31-23 lead going into halftime.

During the third quarter, the Bulldogs would rally as they outscored Rainier Beach 22-13. Garfield guard Ishe Kanhukamwe sent a message by scoring a three-point shot to close out the third quarter, giving Garfield a 45-44 lead heading into the fourth quarter. Kanhukamwe scored 8 points during the quarter, while Smiley continued packing the stat sheet with five points, two rebounds, a steal, and an assist.

The fourth quarter of this game was a complete firework show from start to finish. It started with a jump shot by Smiley, which got the Garfield crowd roaring, giving them a 47 to 44 lead. Fouls were drawn on the next possession for both teams as Powers hit two free throws for the Vikings, and Harris hit one of two free throws. Over the next couple of minutes, Rainier Beach’s Dominik Robinson made two layups to give his team a one-point lead over Garfield. The back-and-forth pace of the game was both exciting and frantic. Sammy Taylor scored on a layup for the Bulldogs, and Powers made a two-point shot with 4:45 left to go in the quarter, giving the Vikings a 53-52 lead.

The crowd on both sides started to rise to their feet as the clock kept ticking down in the fourth quarter, and the two teams kept exchanging the lead. Rainier Beach started getting loose with the ball and lost possession of it, resulting in another Sammy Taylor layup making the game 56-55 with 3 minutes left to go. Rainier Beach guard Darius Wilcher followed that up with a layup of his own, giving the Vikings a 57-56 lead. A clutch three-point shot made by Garfield guard Brandon Roy, Jr. sent the Rainier Beach bench into distress as they were down by two points, 59-57, with just minutes remaining. The Vikings’ Maceo Rivers, with ice in his veins, made a three-point shot of his own, giving the Vikings a 1-point lead at 60-59. However, Taylor quickly erased the heroics of Rivers by making the game-winning shot to seal the game for Garfield, as they rushed off the court with a 61-60 victory over Rainier Beach.

Legend Smiley finished the game with 24 points, six rebounds, and two assists to lead the Bulldogs, while Sammy Taylor finished with 13 points, four assists, and two rebounds.

Garfield Bulldogs (11-2 in Metro, 13-4 overall) will take on the O’Dea Fighting Irish (9-2 in Metro, 12-7 overall) on Tuesday, January 30 at 7:30 P.M. Meanwhile, Rainier Beach Vikings (9-6 in Metro) will take on the Eastside Catholic Crusaders (10-2 in Metro, 15-3 overall) on Tuesday, January 30th at 7:30 P.M.

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