It was the first of the month when the Garfield Bulldogs tipped off against the Mead Panthers in a game to claim the state title. Mead walked away with a tough loss, and Garfield added an impressive fourth state championship trophy to the case. Claiming the state championship title since 2020, Garfield has left fans with one question: Who let the dogs out?
To fully grasp Garfield’s successes, we must look back to before they first claimed the state championship title. Prior to 2020, Garfield Girls Basketball was good, but they weren’t exactly great. In 2019, the Bulldogs lost to Kamiakin High School in the semifinals and faced a similar feat years prior. Always on the bracket, but never the winner.
In 2020, everything changed. With a new MVP, the Bulldogs dominated Lake Washington 55-41 and claimed their first state title. Meghan Fiso transferred to Garfield her senior year in the fall of 2019, unaware of the season to follow. By state, every other starter was benched due to injuries — including and Dalayah Daniels, a McDonald’s Player of the Year and a California commit — or other circumstances that forced them off the court, so Fiso was forced to take charge at tip off. Players who typically saw more of the bench than the ball in each game accompanied Fiso as starters and banded together as an unstoppable force, proving just how deep the Garfield’s team was. When the Garfield Bulldogs walked away with the state trophy, many wondered how they would continue the title the next season without Fiso. Little did the crowd know there was a secret weapon among them, rising superstar Katie Fiso.
After a year away from the ball, Garfield girls basketball returned stronger than ever in 2022. With young Katie Fiso as a promising sophomore, the Garfield girls fought to win yet another state title, beating Lake Washington by just one point. Their second championship win, however, meant much more than their first. [add why] Despite going a year without playing against other teams, the girls banded together to support their grieving coach, resulting in an undefeated season. Former head coach, Marvin Hall, had dedicated the season to his father who has recently passed from COVID.
“I had dedicated this season to my dad, so it was emotional. It’s just been a tough year for me as a coach and I wasn’t even sure I was going to coach this year because I was mentally just out of it. But I didn’t want to let the kids down.” Shared Hall in an interview with High School FN. Needless to say, the energy was contagious as the team claimed their second consecutive state victory.
Standout junior point guard Malia Sammuels shared how nothing could beat the feeling of taking home the state title in 2022, “I remember the feeling, sitting in the locker room, crying my eyes out, and this time it’s different tears — happy tears instead of sad tears. It’s awesome,” quoted Sammuels.
After a successful season in his father’s honor, Hall had left his mark on Garfield, and a new head coach entered the picture for the 2022-2023 season.
Image Credit: Brian Hayes
Tre Simmons returned to his roots as a former Garfield player himself to propose a new level of professionalism and expectations to the team. Simmons stepped into the role of head coach after a fourteen year professional career as well as playing two years as an NCAA DI athlete for the Washington State Huskies. With elite training and talented players, Garfield became the first Washington team to consecutively win state three years in a row in the 3A Metro League, beating Lake Washington 58-49.
With a third championship under their belt, the Bulldogs looked forward to becoming unstoppable to following season.
Following the 2023 state championship, Katie Fiso commented on her goals to end her high school basketball career with a bang: “I’m going after one more,” the athlete shared with Highschool FN. “They’ve got to deal with me for one more year. We’re going for the four-peat.”
On Saturday, March 2nd, the Bulldogs did just that.
Unfortunately, Garfield became a victim of its own success, and the team’s victory drew the attention of collegiate programs, and coach Tre Simmons was lured away to coach at the NCAA level. Roy Smiley stepped up to lead the girls to yet another victory. After a record-breaking season, the Bulldogs felt adrenaline and excitement that comes with building a legacy. As a senior, Fiso followed in her sister’s footsteps, putting 29 points on the board for Garfield in the championship game against Mead. While Mead put up a strong fight, with Gracie Wenkheimer hitting a three pointer with only forty-seven seconds left in the game and Boise State commit Teryn Gardner pulling out every stop in an attempt to shut Fiso down, the Bulldogs managed to pull away for the win. With a final score of 62-59, Garfield celebrated another year under the state champion title and firmly established itself as a dynasty.
While the Bulldogs exhibit excellent tactics, training, and performance on the court, what truly has led them to victory is the comradery between teammates. From four out of five starters being cut from state due to injuries, to coaching instability, the Bulldogs have held true to their own through thick and thin. Their dedication to not only the game, but to each other, shines through on the court as they cast aside the weaker teams through seamless plays and electric movement.
“Name another team that could do this,” proposed Fiso, “I am so proud of my team. They had my back, and I had theirs.”
