In the year of 2004, the Garfield High School girls basketball team appeared the award winning film about the Roosevlet High School girls basketball team, Heart of the Game. That same year, the Lady Bulldogs went on to play in the state championship game against Roosevelt, but, alas, the compelling tale of Darnellia Russell was too much for Garfield to stop. They almost topped the Roughriders, but the Lady Bulldogs finished the season with a disappointing second place.

The next year, the powerhouse Bulldog squad went on to win the state title. The dynasty of the early 2000s dominated the hardwood, drawing fans, cameras, and giving Garfield something to be proud of. Spirit pulsed through the veins of every student walking the halls. Lately, I have heard complaints of a lack of spirit among the Garfield community, but maybe the girls basketball team is just the thing necessary to turn that around.

Ranked fourth in state for the pre-season, the team was pumped, to say the least, for the upcoming year. However, in the first few weeks of games, the Lady Bulldogs suffered heartbreaking losses to Issaquah, Oregon City and Mill Creek. Even with those defeats, though, Garfield remains on the Seattle Times’ list of “teams to watch” leading up to the state tournament.

Senior captain Alyse Harris remains positive. “State is definitely still within reach if we work hard and do what we are supposed to do on the court,” she says. “We are the best team talent wise — we just need to put all of the pieces together.”

December 28 – 30, the team was invited to Phoenix to compete in the Nike tournament of champions, which draws athletic powerhouses from around the country. They had high hopes for how they would perform, win or lose, but came away from the trip not quite satisfied, yet highly motivated. Losing two of their three games by a total of three points in Arizona was disappointing to say the least, but since then they have soundly beaten both Eastlake, by 17, and Inglemoor, by 29. With this newfound drive and enthusiasm, the rest of the season might bring the Lady Bulldogs back on top of the league.

“We’ve already played our toughest opponents. I’d say Oregon City and Mill Creek were our toughest games. Those games were definitely ours and we let them go,” said Harris. “So now our toughest opponents are ourselves.”

In the next few years the team looks to make a streak of playoff runs which will hopefully turn into state championship rings for the first time since that 2005 season. With a fairly even distribution of players throughout the grades, losing seniors will be hard but not deadly to the program. Besides their diversity among the classes, the girls basketball players all have a variety of talent and the ability to help out the team on and off the court.

“One reason we are so successful as a team is how deep we run off the bench,” said junior captain, Cora McManus. “There are no set starters, everyone is able to play effectively and bring something special to the team.”

As for what happens after high school, the Lady Bulldogs aren’t too concerned.
“I plan to play in college as do a majority of the Lady Bulldog basketball team,” McManus said. “However right now we’re focusing on what we have to accomplish at the high school level rather than the college level.”

Harris also plans to play but will commit at the end of basketball season and has not disclosed where she is looking. As for her teammates, she said, “They’re all going to college, basketball or not. We are students first, athletes second.”

Regardless of  early season losses, no one can argue that this team is not one to be reckoned with. Coming off a few tough defeats in Arizona, the Garfield girls basketball team is more than ready for the competition that lies ahead.

As McManus put it, “after the Christmas break we beat both Inglemore and Eastlake … and we will continue to do so to any other team that dares to challenge the Lady Bulldogs.”