by In a HUGE matchup between two top-ten teams in the state of Ohio, the Garfield Heights Bulldogs beat the Warrensville Heights Tigers 66-49, a 17 point victory, to win the Lake Erie League! The Bulldogs were led in scoring by #11 Marcus Johnson with 22 points while the Tigers were led by #13 Noah Chambers with 13 points.
6’10” #21 Nasir Hines won the tip for the Bulldogs, but #3 Taebien Anderson hit a free throw to start the night for the Tigers with a 1-0 lead. A foul from the Tigers sent #0 Braylin Sullivan to the line where he nailed a pair of free throws of his own. It was all defense for the first 3 minutes of the game, with neither side seeming to give an inch.
#11 Marcus Johnson hit a monster and-1 and sunk his foul shot to give the Bulldogs a 5-2 lead. Hines hit a pair of free throws in a game ridden with foul calls and good defense. Hines, true to his team mascot, was a DAWG on the offensive boards snatching up everything in sight. Sullivan nailed a deep mid range jumper of his own that got the Garfield Heights student section jumping.
#13 Noah Chambers of the Tigers hit a big and-1 of his own, flexing to the crowd as he did it. 12-10 with 2 minutes to go and the Bulldog lead, the Tigers were still fighting tremendously on the boards with Hines taking a breather. Both teams in the bonus with just a minute to go in the 1st as the score became 16-14 Bulldogs.
The 2nd quarter started off like the 1st did, with a lot of fouling. Hines with a HUGE two-handed jam that sent the gym into a frenzy as he continued to grab every rebound in sight. The Tiger bench seemed to erupt after yet another foul call against them, with the Bulldogs maintaining the lead 23-18 with 5 minutes to go in the half. Johnson of the Bulldogs looked like a vintage Jamal Crawford, nailing a pair of and-1 buckets.
With 3 minutes left in the first half, the Bulldogs kept their 5 point lead intact. Johnson and Sullivan carried the Bulldogs in the scoring category through the 1st half, while the Tigers were led by Chambers and #2 Zyaire Chaney. The Bulldogs with the lead at half 38-26.
The 3rd quarter started off with back and forth defense and a pair of travel calls, one against each team. #5 Jalen Gum of the Tigers and Johnson of the Bulldogs got the scoring going. The Bulldogs were still not giving an inch as Warrensville Heights struggled to keep up with Hines and Johnson. Not only was Johnson prolific as a scorer this quarter, but as a passer too with a couple no look assists that led to Bulldog baskets.
At the end of the 3rd quarter, the Garfield Heights Bulldogs with 50 to the Warrensville Heights Tigers’ 35.
#1 Devaughn Jackson silenced the Tigers with a pair of 3-pointers that helped extend the lead to 11 for the Bulldogs. The Bulldog defense was a little too much for the Tigers, after key turnovers led to buckets from #2 Ari Jones and who else but Marcus Johnson who without Hines playing much of the 2nd half, started snatching up plenty of rebounds of his own helping to grow the Bulldog lead to 19!
Garfield Heights has cut down the nets, after clinching the Lake Erie League title with a HUGE win over rival Warrensville Heights!
