Eastside Catholic overwhelms Garfield in first playoff game
The Eastside Catholic boys basketball team dominated the Garfield Bulldogs 103-69 on Monday night, marking their first postseason win. The Crusaders’ superior offense and defense allowed them to maximize their layup opportunities and restricted the Bulldogs’ advancement into the paint early in the game.
“Our defense intensity really picked up in the second quarter and got a lot of steals, and got easy points,” said Eastside Catholic player Steven Sun.
Eastside Catholic started off the game with Yabi Aklog making a layup, taking advantage of his tall frame to get past the defender. The Garfield attackers found it difficult to penetrate the Crusaders’ defense, being shorter and more agile. Eastside Catholic attempted four 3-pointers, mostly coming from counterattacks, but were unable to put the ball through the rim. They instead found their points through long passes in and around the paint. The Bulldogs made preventable mistakes while in possession, resulting in many turnovers that left their defense unorganized. Garfield played timidly, opting to pass around the key rather than driving to the net. They still managed double-digit tallies, most of which came from fast breaks where the Crusader defense was out of position. Bulldog Kayden Brooks closed the quarter out with a three-pointer. The quarter ended 20-19, Eastside Catholic.
Aklog started the second quarter off with a pair of free throws, taking the Crusaders three points ahead. However, Brooks responded with a drive and layup on the other end for the Bulldogs. Aklog acted as an effective center, utilizing his superior physicality to pressure Garfield defenders to make simple layups. He also guarded his own net well, blocking potential opponent layups. Although shooting more layup attempts in the second quarter, the Bulldogs’ clinicalness was not on point. Their points mostly came from mistakes from the defense or free throws. Brooks closed the quarter out with a consolation three-pointer, finishing 51-34, Eastside Catholic.
The Crusaders started the third quarter by soaking up pressure from Garfield. Sun played an assist to Tytan McNeal for a layup, putting points on the scoreboard for Eastside Catholic. They linked up together again a minute later, making it two dunks in the game for McNeal. The Crusaders attempted more three-pointers this quarter, seeing successful attempts made twice by London Walsh and once more for Sun. The Bulldogs were stunted in their attack for most of the quarter, only managing the occasional free throw and layup in the last three minutes. As the clock ran down, three fouls were called in favor of Eastside Catholic, two on McNeal and one on Sun, which they finished both free throws with ease. The quarter ended 77-51, Eastside Catholic.
Brooks opened the fourth quarter for Garfield with a three-pointer, immediately followed by another three from Nas Souleyman. Dylan Renwick responded on the other side with a three from deep left court for the Crusaders. Souleyman was forced off the court due to injury after making contact with Crusader Micah Rousen, who was landing from a jump. Walsh scored a three-pointer from right court, and Kevelle Parkman’s shot from inside the key put the Crusaders at 99 points. Walsh’s free throw then gave Eastside Catholic their hundredth point. The game ended 103-69, Eastside Catholic.
“[We’ll] try to carry the momentum to the next game, working hard in practice, taking one game at a time,” said Sun.
Eastside Catholic will play at O’Dea High School on Wednesday, Feb. 11, at 7:00 p.m.
