West Seattle guard Emily Fiso shoots a two pointer.
It may not have been pretty, but it was a win for No. 3 West Seattle over Garfield.
With just a slim margin at the half, the Wildcats pulled ahead with an 8-0 run in the third quarter to beat Garfield 55-39.
“I didn’t feel like it was one of our best games, but they pushed us,” said West Seattle coach Sonya Elliott. “They played aggressive defense and made us work. It was good to get some momentum in the second half.”
West Seattle led 23-14 after the second quarter, and guard Lexi Ioane, who led with 18 points and 10 rebounds, said the team wanted to “get fired up, come out strong and fast and intense” in the second half.
A second 6-0 run closed out the third quarter, and West Seattle lead 39-26. Both Garfield and West Seattle struggled with overshot passes and turnovers.
“We need to take of the ball a little bit more, but in the end we did a little bit better…moving it around, using some time up,” Ioane said.
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Guard Emily Fiso had 15 points and seven rebounds, and guard Gabby Sarver added eight points and six assists.
Garfield lacked fire from its usual offensive weapon, guard Juanita Agosto, who averages over 20 points per game. Agosto was back on the court after a two week hiatus due to a shoulder tear. Agosto had just eight points, and Garfield coach Joyce Walker said Agosto was not playing on full power.
“We weren’t asking her to do everything,” Walker said. “She’s trying to heal. We want to really guard that.”
West Seattle (16-2) is the only Metro undefeated in league play, and if the Wildcats win their last two regular season games against Seattle Prep and Franklin, they will be the No. 1 seed in the Metro League championship tournament. Garfield (9-8) has secured a spot in the championship tournament as well, and faces Rainier Beach and Ballard next week to close out league play.
