By Kiara Doyal, The Seattle Medium
The Lakeside Lions hosted the Garfield Bulldogs last night in a much-anticipated matchup that saw a packed and energetic student section cheering on their Lady Lions basketball team. The Lady Bulldogs entered the game looking to bounce back from a one-point loss to Roosevelt, while the Lady Lions were looking to rebound from their first loss of the season after suffering a three-point loss to Seattle Prep earlier this week.
Both teams brought high energy to the court from the opening tip. Garfield’s Mariah Roy set the tone early, scoring the first two points of the game. However, the Bulldogs suffered a major setback when Sarah Lessig was carried off the court with an ankle injury just minutes into the first quarter. With one of his key players out of the game, Garfield Head Basketball Coach Roydell Smiley turned to sophomore Emiyjah “E” Carter-Vincent to fill the void. Carter-Vincent entered the game and began to make her presence known as her aggressive defensive play resulted in a few steals and kept Lakeside away from the hoop, preventing any momentum.
Despite Garfield’s defensive pressure, the Lions refused to back down, matching the Bulldogs’ intensity. With two minutes remaining in the first quarter, Garfield held a 10-3 lead thanks to a 5-0 run led by Jayda Lewis and Lena Most. Lakeside would battle back to tie the game at 10-10 with 25 seconds left in the quarter, but Roy put an exclamation point on the quarter as she drained a three-point shot to give Garfield a 13-10 lead heading into the second quarter.
The second quarter was a back-and-forth battle as the two teams kept pace with one another — tying the score at 18-18 and then at 20-20 before Lakeside went on a 7-2 run to end the quarter. Lakeside freshman Helena Christofilis, who finished the game with 16 points, was instrumental in the run and ended the quarter with a layup as the Lions took a 27-22 halftime lead.
The Lions, led by Kaliya Woodard and Christofilis, began the third quarter with a 6-0 run, extending their lead to 33-22. Garfield’s Lewis, who finished with 13 points and 8 rebounds, fought to keep her team in the game by being aggressive on offense and converting two free throws. However, the Lions’ defense stepped up, forcing Garfield into a shot clock violation after a huge block by Christofilis.
With roughly three minutes remaining in the third quarter, the Bulldogs began to show signs of fatigue, forcing Coach Smiley to call a timeout. Lewis attempted to energize her team with aggressive play but found herself in foul trouble, picking up her fourth foul late in the quarter. Despite being in foul trouble, Lewis kept the Bulldogs in the game with her high energy, and she had an and-1 opportunity at the free-throw line but missed the extra point. As a result, Garfield trailed Lakeside 46-34 heading into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Roy, who finished the game with 16 points, working in sync with Most and Lewis, began a Bulldog rally. However, their comeback efforts were hampered by untimely turnovers and costly fouls. Lewis had three controversial traveling calls against her, erasing six potential points off the board, and Garfield Head Coach Roydell Smiley received a technical foul, sending Lakeside’s Willa Chinn, who finished the game with 9 points, to the free-throw line, where she converted both shots. Moments later, Lakeside’s Head Coach Mia Augustavo-Fisher was called for a technical, sending Bulldog star Smiley to the line, where she also converted two free throws.
At this point, tensions were clearly high with both coaches sitting on the bench. With 1:37 remaining in the final quarter and the Bulldogs trailing 59-49, Lewis fouled out of the game. With Lewis out, the Lady Lions could sense victory at hand. Lakeside closed out the game with a three-point shot by Lili Brown with just two seconds left on the clock, as the Lady Lions defeated Garfield 64-51.
Brown also finished the game with 16 points as the Lakeside Lady Lions improved to 10-1 in the Metro League and 15-1 overall.
Source: Seattle Medium
