By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Eastside Catholic Crusaders and the Garfield Bulldogs battled it out last night at Seattle Pacific University for the title of 3A Girls Metro champions. The Bulldogs, who came into the game as the four-time defending state champions, were looking to take home another Metro League trophy at the end of the night. However, Eastside Catholic had other plans. The Crusaders, who started the season 2-4, lost four of their last six regular season games before knocking off the #2 and #3 seeds in the Metro League tournament, upset Garfield, the #4 seed, to win the 2025 Metro League championship, 52-47.
Eastside started the game with Sophie Lugolobi shooting a technical shot due to a uniform violation on Garfield, converting two points before the game started. Despite the setback, the Bulldogs got hot early as they went on a 9-0 run, with senior Jayda Lewis leading the way with five points during the run. Noticing the momentum that Garfield was building, the Crusaders temporarily stopped the bleeding as Lugolobi ended the Bulldogs’ run with a three-point shot, making the score 5-9. However, following Lugolobi’s three-pointer, Lewis went on a scoring fury, chipping in seven points, as the Bulldogs went on a 9-1 run to end the quarter with an 18-6 lead.
At the start of the second quarter, Eastside Catholic’s Amy Nduka was sent to the free-throw line, where she converted one of two free throw attempts. Tatum Carter and Nduka then both chipped in four points to narrow the gap to nine, at 20-11. Despite the efforts of Carter and Nduka, Garfield was able to maintain control of the game, as Lena Most and Lewis collectively scored 10 points in the second quarter. The Bulldogs held a 28-23 lead before Garfield’s Star Smiley hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to give the Bulldogs a 31-23 halftime lead.
Eastside started the second half with possession and slowly but surely began to cut into Garfield’s lead. Carter, who chipped in seven points in the third quarter, was determined to help her team get back into the game. Lewis picked up her third foul of the game, sending Nduka to the free-throw line, where she converted both free throw attempts to give her team their first lead of the game at 38-37. Carter then added a jump shot that pushed the Crusaders’ lead to 40-37. The Crusaders, who outscored the Bulldogs 17-8 in the third quarter, went into the final period holding a one-point, 40-39, lead.
“The first half was not ours at all. But we stayed within fighting range,” said Eastside Catholic Head Coach Darnellia Russell after the game. “Not getting down deep, [we had] to try and fight our way out. In the second half, I switched up the defense to a 2-3 zone, and it slowed Garfield’s offense all the way down, and we just kept climbing back [into the game].”
The first three minutes of the final quarter were relatively slow, with little action on either side of the ball. With 5:22 remaining in the fourth quarter, Garfield Head Coach Roydell Smiley called a timeout to regroup his team and strategize how they could start connecting on their shots again. The timeout proved effective, as Mariah Roy came out and immediately knocked down a three-pointer to tie the game at 42.
Shortly after, Smiley picked up her third foul, sending Eastside Catholic’s Nduka to the line for an and-1 opportunity. Though Nduka’s free throw attempt was unsuccessful, teammate Lugolobi secured the rebound and put it back for two points, giving the Crusaders a 46-42 lead.
With two minutes remaining in the championship game, the energy in the gym was electric. Roy responded with another clutch three-pointer, cutting Eastside’s lead to just one at 46-45.
As Garfield looked to take the lead, Eastside Catholic’s Tavia Carter came up with a crucial steal off a pass from Lewis. The turnover led to an open three-pointer for Lugolobi, forcing Garfield to call a timeout with 40 seconds left.
Coming out of the timeout, Nduka was fouled and converted one free throw to extend Eastside’s lead. However, moments later, Nduka picked up her fifth and final foul, sending Garfield’s Most to the line. Most calmly sank both free throws, bringing the score to 51-47 in favor of the Crusaders.
With just nine seconds remaining, Eastside Catholic sealed the victory as Lugolobi added another point from the free-throw line, securing a 52-47 championship win over Garfield.
Lugolobi led all scorers with 21 points, while Tatum Carter finished the game with 15 points, and Nduka finished the night with eight points and 11 rebounds to lead the Crusaders. Garfield was led by Lewis and Most, who both finished the night with 13 points.
After the big win, Eastside Catholic Head Coach Darnellia Russell was ecstatic and extremely proud of her girls for the comeback win.
“I’m just so happy that my girls played together. They were definitely nervous,” said Coach Russell. “We got the lead in the fourth and never looked back.”
“I am just so proud. Especially of my freshman Sophie Lugolobi—she was getting steals and hitting tough shots. I overheard her saying during the half, ‘I do not care, we are not losing this game!’ Words I love to hear!” added Russell. “Also, my freshman Amy Nduka and sophomore Tavia Carter were working hard on the boards and getting steals! [It was] just an all-around team effort!”
Source: Seattle Medium
