By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium

The Garfield Bulldogs hosted the O’Dea Fighting Irish last night in their second matchup of the season. After falling 70-56 in their first meeting, the Bulldogs were eager to even the series and move into a second-place tie with the Fighting Irish with one week left in the Metro League regular season.

The game started with Garfield winning the opening tip, allowing D-Jack Jackson to drive to the hoop for the first two points of the night. The opening quarter featured fast-paced play and aggressive defense from the Bulldogs. O’Dea’s Brian Webster and Josiah Bowman each made multiple trips to the free-throw line, collectively converting five points. Garfield, led by Tripp Haywood, who scored 8 first-half points, would build a 16-10 lead with two minutes remaining in the quarter. The Bulldogs would close out the first quarter with a strong defensive effort led by Ohmono Bomet, who finished the first half with 2 steals and 1 block, as Garfield ended the first quarter with a 23-12 lead.

O’Dea would fight back during the second quarter as they began to chip away at the Garfield lead. Webster found himself at the free-throw line three times, converting four of six attempts. Peyton Brooks added two more points from the line to help the Fighting Irish close the gap. Garfield’s KJ Hightower and JuJu Ervin would help pace the Bulldogs’ attack as they took a seven-point lead, 34-27, into the half.

Momentum began shifting in the third quarter as O’Dea began to capitalize on the sloppy play and miscues by the Bulldogs. However, Garfield’s Isaiah Davis, who finished the night with 19 points, was still working to regain momentum for his team by adding a three-point shot, making the score 46-39. Webster, who would score 8 points during the quarter, including two three-point shots, would help O’Dea regain the lead as they held a slim two-point, 51-49, lead heading into the final quarter.

O’Dea would carry their momentum into the fourth quarter as they went on a 4-0 run to open the period and extend their lead to 55-49. However, the Bulldogs would strike back as Isaiah Davis would knock down two consecutive three-point shots to tie the game at 55. The two teams would battle back and forth, taking turns with the lead on almost every possession until Webster, Brooks, and Bowman would help O’Dea take a 67-60 lead with 1:55 remaining.

However, Davis and the Bulldogs were not done yet. The sharp-shooting guard nailed another three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 67-63 and forcing an O’Dea timeout. After the timeout, Bomet hit a quick jump shot, and O’Dea’s Nino Moksivong fouled Haywood, sending him to the line, where he calmly knocked down both free throws to tie the game at 67 with just eight seconds left. Garfield had a chance to win it in regulation when Brandon Roy Jr. drove to the basket for a layup at the buzzer that fell just short, sending the game into overtime.

At the start of overtime, O’Dea’s Breylon Webb threw down a dunk that lit up the Fighting Irish student section. Webster would continue to keep his team in the game as he converted 3 out of his 4 free-throw attempts in overtime. However, with one minute remaining, Garfield clung to a 76-74 lead. With 45 seconds left in overtime, O’Dea would send Haywood to the free-throw line, where he would convert both free throws to give Garfield a four-point, 78-74, lead. The Bulldogs would return the favor by sending Webster to the line, where he too added two points to cut the deficit to 78-76. After the free-throw attempts, Garfield Head Coach Brandon Roy called a timeout with 20 seconds left in overtime. After the timeout, Haywood would add two points, and Doni Burkett would add two free throws, as the Bulldogs would claim an 82-76 overtime victory over the Fighting Irish.

Haywood led all scorers with a game-high of 22 points, while Davis finished the game chipping in 19 points to lead the Bulldogs. Webster led O’Dea with 26 points and 8 rebounds, while Webb finished the night with 16 points and 4 rebounds.

Garfield fan Ronnie Davis, after the game, said that there is nothing like Metro League basketball and was proud of his brother, Garfield’s Isaiah Davis, who led the Bulldogs in 3-point shots for the night.

“I think there is nothing like Metro League basketball! This was a big overtime win for Garfield, and now we are taking 2nd place heading into playoffs soon,” Davis said. “To watch my little brother step up and make clutch shots and winning plays down the stretch is so satisfying, just because I know how hard he works at basketball. Great win, but we still got work to do if we want to win it all!”