By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
Under the bright lights of Garfield High School and the roar of a packed crowd, the Garfield Bulldogs (10-3 Overall, 6-3 Metro) took on the Franklin Quakers (9-4 Overall, 6-4 Metro) in a non-conference matchup that had fans buzzing with anticipation.
The Bulldogs wasted no time asserting their dominance. Garfield’s JuJu Ervin opened the scoring with a free throw, setting the tone for what would be an explosive first quarter. Behind the efforts of Tripp Haywood and D-Jack Jackson, the Bulldogs executed crisp ball movement and relentless defensive pressure. Haywood, who finished the game with 12 points, 2 steals, and a block, and Jackson, who added 8 points and 2 offensive rebounds on the night, took over the game in the first quarter as the Bulldogs went on a 14-0 run before Franklin’s Kache’ Washington hit a jump shot to halt Garfield’s momentum. At the end of the first quarter, Garfield held a commanding 26-8 lead.
In the second quarter, Garfield continued to dominate the game. Led by Isaiah Cunningham, who had multiple steals during the quarter, the Bulldogs’ defensive pressure was relentless as they quickly turned Franklin’s miscues into offensive opportunities. An assist from Cunningham to Ervin sparked a dazzling sequence that electrified the crowd. Ervin would energize the crowd with a powerful dunk, and Haywood would follow up with a dunk of his own as the Bulldogs increased their lead to 45-19 with two minutes left in the half. Despite the score, the Quakers did not let up and kept their heads in the game. Franklin’s Kidus Yitagesu would score 5 points during the quarter, but it unfortunately was not enough to break Garfield’s momentum, as they led 53-26 at the end of the first half.
At the start of the second half, the Bulldogs had a new star on the court, BJ Roy Jr. Roy, who put up 14 points alone in the third quarter, 11 of them in the final two minutes, helped the Bulldogs get closer to securing a victory over Franklin. Roy’s scoring burst consisted of four 3-point shots and a smooth jump shot. Following Roy’s lead, Ervin would continue his assault on the basket with back-to-back dunks, one of them coming by way of an assist from Isaiah Davis. At this point, it became evident that the quick runs and aggressive defensive pressure by the Bulldogs were starting to take a toll on Franklin. One bright spot for Franklin was Santana Scharer, who scored 4 points during the quarter, including a three-pointer, as his team trailed Garfield 79-42 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final quarter, the Bulldogs continued to light up the scoreboard with a barrage of three-point shots from Davis, Cunningham, and KJ Hightower. With 4 minutes remaining in the game, Franklin fought back. Yitagesu collectively converted two points, managed to steal the ball back from Garfield, and assisted Alijah Jackson, who would add 2 points to the board. Riding on the momentum of Yitagesu, Christian Fisher, who was one of Franklin’s top contributors for the night, was aggressive and finished the game with 4 rebounds, 2 blocks, and multiple steals to help his team finish out the final quarter. Following a three-point shot by Cunningham in the final 40 seconds of the game, Washington would convert two free throws for Franklin to end the game.
As the final buzzer sounded, Garfield had secured an impressive 96-62 victory over the Quakers.
Garfield ended the game with multiple players scoring in double figures, including Ervin, who finished the game with 14 points. Despite being on the short end of the scoreboard, Fisher would finish the game scoring 21 of Franklin’s 62 points on the night to lead his team.
After the game, Franklin Head Coach Tavar Proctor acknowledged the efforts of Fisher and the continued development of his game.
“Christian is just scratching the surface,” said Proctor. “It wasn’t his best, but he did play solid tonight.”
Next week, Garfield will be on the road for their matchup on January 24 against the Nathan Hale Raiders (1-11 Overall, 0-4 Metro), and Franklin will also go on the road to take on the Ingraham Rams (3-9 Overall, 2-7 Metro) on January 24.
Source: Seattle Medium
