Eastside Catholic girls basketball just achieved a massive upset
The Eastside Catholic (EC) girls basketball team brought home the 2025 Metro League championship title for the first time since 2020 by defeating four-time defending champions, the Garfield Bulldogs, on Valentine’s Day.
The matchup had all the makings of a classic, with both teams playing hard and EC achieving a surprising, come-from-behind win over a tenacious Bulldogs team.
The first quarter belonged to the Bulldogs, especially senior guard Jada Lewis, as she led her team to an easy 18-6 lead over the Crusaders. Lewis dominated with 14 of the 18 Garfield points, including two free throws and six field goals. Meanwhile, the Crusaders struggled, spending most of the quarter in a disorganized fashion and throwing up threes that never landed. Fortunately for the Crusaders, Sophie Lugalobi hit a 3-pointer for EC while their other 3 points came at the charity stripe.
Things began to shift in the second quarter. The Crusaders managed to shut down Lewis, holding her to just one 2-point bucket the entire period. From the free throw line, the two teams scored in equal measure for an added 4 points each. While Mariah Roy and Star Smiley contributed 3-point buckets for Garfield, they were met by Tavia Carter for the Crusaders with three 2-point buckets from the field to add 6 points to the EC score. As the quarter ended, the Crusaders managed to add 17 points compared to Garfield’s 13, but still trailed 31-23.
The third quarter brought an even bigger shift. This time, EC dominated. With multiple threes from Tatum Carter and another from Tavia Carter, the game was tied at 37 apiece. Tavia Carter not only made baskets, but managed to pull down the majority of rebounds. This helped to hold the Bulldogs to a mere 8 points, reversing the lead to 40-39 when the buzzer rang at the end of the period.
While EC had the lead going into the fourth quarter, it was only one point. But the tone had shifted considerably. They now seemed calm and strategic. Playing patiently and confidently, the Crusaders ran down the clock, setting up play after play. This time it was Lugalobi who delivered for EC with a free throw, a 2-point field goal, and a 3-point bucket for 6 of their 11 points in the final quarter. While Roy continued to hit from 3-point land with a pair of threes for Garfield, it just was not enough to change the momentum. Amy Nduka sealed the deal with a game ending rebound to keep control in the hands of the Crusaders in the final seconds for a 51-47 upset victory, which came with a nice trophy in the form of the 2025 Metro League title.
When Coach Darnellia Russell was asked what she said during the halftime break to inspire such an amazing turnaround, she said, “They listened to us. Last week, they were listening to us and we were winning. Then, they stopped listening and we were losing. Once they started to listen to us again, it all came back.”
