By: Xavier Moimoi
In a thrilling state playoff matchup between the O’Dea Fighting Irish and Garfield Bulldogs, O’Dea took home the win in a close battle 48-43. From the tip-off to the last buzzer both teams left it all out there on the court.
In the beginning, Garfield started hot as guard BJ Roy Jr hit two threes back-to-back. Both teams kept it a low-scoring game as the defense was good on both sides. There were also a lot of critical mistakes that led to a lot of turnovers. The first quarter ended with Garfield having the lead 8-6 over O’Dea.
In the second quarter, it was the same game as it was in the first quarter. O’Dea started to heat up with senior center Malcom Clark getting in on some easy points on the inside. O’Dea went into halftime with their heads held high as they took the lead 14-12.
Coming out of halftime it was a back-and-forth game as both teams were making shots. O’Dea hit a couple of threes and Garfield answered back hitting a couple of threes too.
But the Fighting Irish defense forced some key turnovers leading to some big points on the other end. The Bulldogs tried their best to stay in the game, but it was hard as O’Dea’s student section played a key factor in throwing the Bulldogs off their game.
As O’Dea tried their best to hold Garfield to fewer points, O’Dea started to have some foul trouble. This led to Garfield taking advantage of their free throws and taking the lead back heading into the fourth quarter.
O’Dea came out hot as sophomore guard Levi Orbino hit a three giving O’Dea the lead. Garfield tried answering back with some free throws, but O’Dea’s big man Clark was too much for them down low.
Not having an answer for Clark is what led the O’Dea Fighting Irish to win the game 48-43. O’Dea started rocky but finished off strong giving Garfield head coach Brandon Roy his first playoff loss as a coach. Clark ended the game having 17 points and went 5/9 putting the game away for O’Dea.
O’Dea plays Rainier Beach on Friday, March 1st at the Tacoma Dome for the Semi-finals. Could O’Dea bring back the state championship to Terry Ave for the seventh time?
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