The Eastside Catholic Crusaders squared up with the Garfield Bulldogs for the third time this season, with postseason hopes on the line. Heading into this powerhouse matchup, The Garfield Bulldogs came in leading the series 2-1 with a combined score of 204-205 in favor of the Crusaders. After a hard-fought contest, the Crusaders walked away with the win, 59-53 making a case to be one of the favorites heading into state.
From tipoff, it was clear that the Crusaders wanted to get the ball in the paint to their forwards, sophomore Yabi Aklog and senior Jacob Cofie. Aklog and Cofie proved tough to deal with, as the duo combined for 36 points and a handful of boards.
The game was tied 30 a piece at half, but the Crusaders came out of the break with renewed energy. With a few minutes to go in the third quarter, Garfield was down by 9 when junior guard Alex Elston dropped his defender and found Yabi Aklog for an easy bucket, forcing the Bulldogs to call a timeout. Momentum had been gradually shifting toward Eastside, but Aklog’s bucket established the Crusaders’ claim to it. Garfield tried to rally a 4th quarter comeback, but it proved to be too little too late as the Crusaders secured the victory.
Newly crowned Metro League MVP Garfield’s Legend Smiley, came into the game fresh off a 27-point performance that pushed him to his 1,000th point for the Bulldogs, but the junior couldn’t push Garfield past the Eastside Catholic. The Crusaders avenged their last meeting, in which they fell just short at home after a missed buzzer beater by University of Virgina commit, Jacob Cofie.
The Eastside Catholic Crusaders secure their spot in the Metro League championship with this victory and will face West Seattle in the final following the Wildcats’ 57-51 win over Rainer Beach.
