Last Saturday, the Garfield Bulldogs tipped off against the Lincoln Abes to see who advances to the state quarter finals. Despite Lincoln’s quick jump, the Bulldogs eventually advanced with ease, winning 70-57.
The Bulldogs have enjoyed yet another highly successful season, and if their run of form continues, they could find themselves in the mix for yet another state championship. Winning the 2025 title would be their 17th, a record in Washington state history.
On Saturday, the Abes started hot, however, taking the lead early. But Garfield kept pace with the early energy and took the lead, thanks in part to Bulldog JuJu Ervine, who had 8 points to close out the opening frame 16-12.
The start of the second Garfield had an impressive 8-0 run and continue scoring consistently throughout the quarter. Not only that, but the Bulldogs played suffocating defense, forced a handful of Lincoln turnovers, and carried a 37-21 lead into halftime.
After half, Ervine again took over with two blocks, which sent the Garfield bench into a frenzy and generated even more momentum for the Bulldogs. The third quarter was a chippy one, with plenty of fouling and heated exchanges. Even still, Garfield steadily kept dropping points.
Lincoln finally found some success towards end of 4th and went on an 8-0 run to make it 52-58, but it was too little, too late 42:31. But before the Abes could really work their way back into contention, the Bulldogs put their foot down and took control again ending the game 70-57.
Garfield was led by Juju Ervine who had a great stat line of 16 points, 10 blocks, and 12 rebounds. Tripp Haywood and Jaiden Williams also chipped in with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Clearly, the Bulldogs are a team to beat, and they’ll tip off tonight against the Bellevue Wolverines at 7:15PM to see who advances to face the winner of Seattle Prep-Rainier Beach tomorrow at 9PM. The pace of the state tournament is frenetic and demanding. So while there might be favorites in each matchup, it’s impossible to know what teams are completely gassed or what players are fresh enough to dominate and carry their team to a state title.
