On Friday the Eastside Catholic Crusaders boys beat the Garfield Bulldogs in a tight late night 61-52 victory. The Crusaders were led by junior Kevelle Parkman who ended the game with 17 points. Parkman was hot from behind the arc the whole night, and he will be a pivotal player for the Crusaders this season as they hope to make another deep season run to defend their State Title.
The first half was a battle with the Bulldogs being helped by big time contributor, sophomore Tripp Haywood, who finished the first half with 19 points before fouling out, being unable to make a return in the second half. Haywood, a transfer from Bellevue High School, has made an immediate impact for the Bulldogs in their early season, but the team struggled not having him in the second half and the Crusaders took advantage.
In the first half, junior Crusader point guard Dash Lamebull-Ingram went out with an apparent eye injury and was checked on by Garfield Medical team. Although he returned to the game near the end of the second quarter.
After an eventful first half dominated by three-point scoring for both teams, the Crusaders went into half with a 5-point 37-32 lead. The second half was a defensive battle with both teams fighting to get shots off quickly. The Crusaders defense was dominant, including defensive hustle plays from Alex Elston, Dash Lamebull- Ingram, and Tytan McNeal, all helping pick apart the Bulldogs offense.
The Crusaders maintained their lead winning the game 61-52 and getting their first Metro League win on the board after a tough 74-73 loss to Seattle Prep last week.
The Crusaders will have a long week coming up playing West Seattle, Issaquah, and Roosevelt. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs will face Roosevelt and Nathan Hale.
