Wednesday night was the first time all season that the West Seattle High School girls had lost to a Metro League opponent – and it was in their first game of the Metro tournament. It took overtime to bring them down, with Cleveland winning 63-60. #32 Meghan Fiso was top scorer with 21 points:

#4 Kelsey Lenzie had 19:

And #20 Grace Sarver brought in 11:

The Wildcats were up by five at halftime, 32-27, but in the second half, they had trouble hanging onto the ball, and their shooting grew chilly. They were still up after the third quarter, 46-40, but then Cleveland tied it at 54 and forced the OT, which went the Eagles’ way.

Tonight (Thursday) at Nathan Hale HS at 7:30 pm, the girls play Garfield for Metro third place. They already are guaranteed a district-tournament berth, either Saturday or Tuesday, depending on what happens tonight.

A disappointing Wednesday night for both West Seattle High School basketball teams. The boys fell to Rainier Beach, 73-43:

(WSB photos)

Beach took the win in their previous meetup last month, but that one was only by four points. This time, the Wildcats were down by seven points after the first quarter, and the deficit widened every quarter thereafter. Top scorer was #23 Anthony Giomi with 14 points.

#24 Simon Harris had 9:

And #5 Abdullahi Mohamed, 8:

The West Seattle boys play Cleveland for Metro third place Thursday night, 7:30 pm at Chief Sealth International High School (2600 SW Thistle). And they’re already guaranteed at least one appearance in the district tournament, which starts Saturday.

(#2 Elijah Nnanabu, top scorer for WSHS)

FIRST REPORT, 8:27 PM: That was a nailbiter for a few minutes – but the West Seattle High School boys pulled it out and just beat O’Dea on the Fighting Irish home court on First Hill, 59-55. Next up in the Metro League championships, they play Rainier Beach at 8:30 pm Wednesday at Seattle Pacific University. We’ll have photos and more about the game after we get back to HQ.

ADDED 11:56 PM: It was the thriller on First Hill. Though the Wildcats ended the first quarter up 10 points, and had a 12-point lead for a bit in the second quarter, much of the second half was a lot closer. West Seattle outfought the Fighting Irish, but not without some nailbiting moments. And a lot of cheering by the passionate fan base that crossed the bay for the game.

The lead changed hands for the first few minutes, until WSHS started to settle into the upper hand. They had lost to O’Dea by just two points in the regular season, and didn’t seem too mystified by their opponents’ game plan.

The Wildcat defense forced O’Dea to try lots of outside shots – generally without success. West Seattle had better luck getting inside, including a reverse shot by #2 Elijah Nnanabu – the night’s top scorer with 18 – early on. That really energized the crowd.

O’Dea’s cold-handed shooting was particularly in evidence in the second quarter. The Wildcats had ample rebounding opportunities, and #5 Abdullahi Mohamed excelled. He got the basket that widened West Seattle’s lead to 12 points in the second quarter.

O’Dea started chipping away at that lead for a while. WSHS kicked the defense up a notch, and when they got the ball back, kept powering through:

But the lead was down to five points at halftime, 28-23. Out of the gate in the second half, #23 Anthony Giomi – second-leading Wildcat scorer with 16 – hit the first basket.

They couldn’t pull away, and the Fighting Irish got too close for comfort – narrowing the gap to three points by 5:15 to go in the third quarter. West Seattle stepped up their game again, but O’Dea sensed an opening and tightened up the defense in the waning moments of the third quarter, getting within two in its final minute.

(WSHS head coach Keffrey Fazio)

In the fourth quarter’s early going, O’Dea was suddenly just one point down, 42-41. A pivotal possession for WSHS at 5:34 led to a basket, and the crowd roared. A foul shot widened the lead to four points. But there was no pulling away, despite exciting moments like a steal that led to another Nnanabu bucket. With three minutes to go, the WSHS section in the bleachers was doing some footstomping. At 2:45, the lead was opened to six points, 50-44.

#24 Simon Harris added two points to that with a basket at 2:05. Victory was in view – but still not a sure thing, and two minutes can be forever in basketball. In fact, it almost was – an O’Dea three-pointer with :45 to go turned a five-point WSHS lead into two. But they just wouldn’t let O’Dea get any closer than that, and the final was 59-55.

ONE MORE THING ABOUT WEDNESDAY: It’ll be a WSHS doubleheader at Seattle Pacific University – the girls play Cleveland at 7 pm, before the boys face Rainier Beach at 8:30.

(UPDATED SATURDAY NIGHT with playoff info)

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

Unlike the girls’ game that preceded it, last night’s Chief Sealth @ West Seattle boys-varsity game was relatively suspenseful – though the Wildcats won, 58-52, there were longer stretches in which you felt it could have gone either way. And the fans that filled both sides of the gym seemed to be hanging on every play like a dunking player who won’t let go of the rim.

Sealth #14 Sadique Calloway led scoring with 18 points. He and his teammates roared out to a 6-0 lead before West Seattle got on the scoreboard midway through the first quarter.

Despite a flurry of three-pointers, the first quarter ended with the relatively low score of 13-10, in the Seahawks’ favor. They kept the edge well into the second quarter, until an intense round of turnovers ended with a basket by #23 Anthony Giomi, who was West Seattle’s top scorer with 15.

Next for WSHS with 13 points was #1 Marcus Collins, followed by #5 Abdullahi Mohamed with 11, same tally as Sealth #22 Elijah Jackson. The Wildcats tied the Seahawks at 23-all with less than two minutes to go in the half – and the scoreboard went dark for a long moment. Shortly after it came back, West Seattle took the lead, and took it into the locker room at halftime, 26-24.

WSHS head coach Keffrey Fazio‘s team held the lead most of the way from there, though CSIHS head coach Colin Slingsby and team never let them run away with it. The Seahawks kept aggressively angling for steals and achieved some. The third quarter wrapped with WSHS ahead 42-36.

Then it was time to settle things. Here’s a short clip of fourth-quarter action:

The fans stayed dug into the action, as Sealth kept trying to knock away at West Seattle’s lead, which was up to 8 with less than a minute and a half left, and starting to look permanent. But it got a little closer in the final minute, and Sealth seemed to have an outside chance – until the unavoidable fouling to pry away the ball resulted in foul shots and added points. And the buzzer sounded with WSHS six points ahead.

Senior Night acknowledgments preceded the boys-varsity game:

The varsity team is losing six seniors – #2 Elijah Nnanabu, #3 Kendall Green,, #11 Jackson Golgart, #15 Cass Elliott, #23 Anthony Giomi, and #24 Simon Harris. But first, the postseason awaits, and as with the girls, the boys will find out soon what’s next.

ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: According to the Metro League website, the WSHS boys are scheduled to play O’Dea at 7 pm Monday (February 5th) at that school’s First Hill campus (802 Terry Ave.; map).

(UPDATED SATURDAY NIGHT with playoff info)

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

The high-school basketball regular season closed in raucous style Friday night at the jampacked West Seattle High School gym, as the Wildcats were visited by the crosstown competition, the Chief Sealth International High School Seahawks. The girls’ varsity game started unusually – West Seattle reserves played most of the first quarter, which began with each team getting a technical foul for what we’re told were numbering problems. By the time the first quarter ticked down to two minutes, the players on the floor were mostly varsity.

Sealth’s #3 Celia LaGuardia led all scorers with 24 points. For West Seattle, #20 Grace Sarver was tops with 20.

She came into the game with about three minutes to go in the first, and that’s when WSHS started chipping away at Sealth’s early lead. #32 Meghan Fiso tied it up at 11-11 with less than :20 to go in the quarter – she was the Wildcats’ second-leading scorer on the night with 14 points.

#2 Jasmine Smith had 13 for Sealth:

The Seahawks kept close for much of the second quarter. Baskets were answered, and they didn’t give West Seattle much of a chance to pull away – until the last few minutes of the half, when the Wildcats piled on 12 unanswered points, and went into the locker room with a 37-23 lead.

They held Sealth scoreless for the first three-plus minutes of the second half, until a foul shot that put the score at WSHS 46, Sealth 24. The gap continued to widen, with the third quarter ending WSHS 56, Sealth 30, and nothing much changed in the fourth quarter – though the big crowd, packed on both sides of the gym, kept the energy high, all the way to the final buzzer, with the Wildcats winning 76-51.

P.S. This was senior night for West Seattle – just one varsity player is graduating this year, #5 Rilcy Newsome:

The JV team has three seniors – Kathryn Anawalt, Hanan Yassin, and Rosa Grossi – we were a bit late to the pregame recognition and didn’t catch everyone on camera:

Senior cheerleaders Sophia Grupp and Kat Morigi were celebrated too!

We’ll find out within a few days who’s playing where in the postseason.

ADDED SATURDAY NIGHT: According to the Metro League website, the WSHS girls will play their first Metro League tournament game at 7 pm Wednesday (February 7th) at Seattle Pacific University (3307 3rd Ave. W.; map), vs. Cleveland or Ballard (whichever wins their Monday night game).

Tenth consecutive victory Wednesday night for the West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team, 61-51 over visiting Cleveland, but it wasn’t easy. The Eagles led at the end of the first quarter, and that wasn’t their only lead of the game.

Three double-digit scorers helped bring in the win, though – #11 Jasmine Gayles and #32 Meghan Fiso each tallied 16 points.

#20 Grace Sarver had 15.

And the Wildcats kept fighting, with intense defense winning the day in the second half.

The win leaves the West Seattle girls undefeated in the Metro League, with one regular-season game to go – another home game, 7 pm Friday night vs. crosstown competitors from Chief Sealth International High School.

(WSB photos)

Right from the tipoff, it was a fast-moving faceoff Tuesday night for the boys-varsity teams of West Seattle High School and visiting Cleveland High School. The first minute alone contained two fouls and a jump ball. But the Eagles’ swarming defense and more-robust rebounding led them to the win, 66-53.

Cleveland forced WSHS into more outside shooting – the first Wildcat basket was a three-pointer, two minutes into the game, part of a short stretch in which the lead see-sawed before Cleveland started pulling further ahead toward the end of the first quarter. During the lead-swapping stretch, #2 Elijah Nnanabu had a memorable shot – a backhanded layup midway through the first quarter. He had nine points on the night:

9 was also the tally for #10 Roman Barnet, but the Wildcats’ top scorer was #5 Abdullahi Mohamed, with 13.

#23 Anthony Giomi had 8 for West Seattle, including two back-to-back baskets toward the game’s end, as the Wildcats worked on a comeback.

But throughout most of the game, the Eagles let little go unanswered, and kept up intense pressure, forcing turnovers they mostly managed to convert. The Wildcats’ fans, however, kept cheering them on – at one point as Cleveland built on their lead mid-second quarter, West Seattle battled for a basket and foul shot that led to big cheers as the Eagles’ lead was trimmed to 10. But Cleveland fought on and built to a 43-22 halftime lead.

Opening the second half, West Seattle kept pace, but wasn’t able to chip away at Cleveland’s edge, with the third quarter ending 57-38. The Wildcats’ fourth-quarter comeback started a few minutes too late.

Head coach Keffrey Fazio and his team are home again on Friday night for the final game of the regular season, vs. cross-town competitors Chief Sealth IHS (4 pm girls’ JV, 5:30 pm boys’ JV, 7 pm girls’ varsity, 8:30 pm boys’ varsity).

It’s the final week of the regular season for high-school basketball. The Chief Sealth International High School boys were on the road at Ballard HS tonight and left with the win, 65-41. Per the box score, Sadique Calloway led all scoring with 13 points, followed by Javaun Jones and Tyrell Moore with 10 each. Friday night, the Seahawks are at West Seattle High School to face the Wildcats (who played at home tonight – our coverage of that game is up next).

Last scheduled home game of the season last night for the Chief Sealth International High School girls-varsity basketball team, and that meant it was Senior Night.

The visiting Seattle Prep girls went away with the win, 71-47. But smiles were bright before the game as the seniors were honored – including #11 Aundra Tuchscherer:

And #2 Jasmine Smith:

While the Seahawks are on the road for their final three regular-season games, they’re not far away for the February 2nd finale, 7 pm at West Seattle HS.

The West Seattle High School girls-varsity basketball team remains undefeated in conference play after another win last night – 59-50 over visiting Roosevelt.

Head coach Darnell Taylor and his team have three more regular-season games – Friday night at Rainier Beach, then back home next Wednesday against Cleveland and February 2nd against Sealth.

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand)

Two games at Seattle Lutheran High School on Tuesday night – and it was Senior Night for both varsity teams, hosting Auburn Adventist. Above, the girls lost a close one, 33-32; below, the boys won in overtime, 52-48.

#21 Joe Meehan, who led the Saints with 22 points, was one of the senior boys honored:

Also honored, #11 Alex Okabayashi:

From the girls’ team, seniors honored Tuesday night were #0 Dazor Tillet:

And #24 Izzy Jones:

Both teams play at Puget Sound Adventist in Kirkland next Monday.

(WSB photo)

#23 Anthony Giomi led West Seattle High School boys’ varsity scoring tonight as the Wildcats netted a win over visiting Roosevelt, 66-44. Giomi had 14 points, with #2 Elijah Nnanabu at 13 and #10 Roman Barnet with 10. West Seattle’s next home game is next Tuesday against Cleveland.

(WSB photos)

Last home game on the regular-season schedule tonight for Chief Sealth International High School‘s boys-varsity basketball team. The visitors from Seattle Prep went home with the win, 64-48. #14 Sadique Calloway led scoring for the Seahawks with 14 points; #11 Keandre Young was next with 9, and both #22 Elijah Jackson and Javaun Jones scored 7. Calloway, Jackson, and Jones also were among the players honored tonight for Senior Night.

Head coach Colin Slingsby‘s team plays at Roosevelt Friday night.

ADDED EARLY WEDNESDAY: Thanks to Melanie for the photo of the senior boys and cheerleaders who were honored:

The players are, L-R, #1 Euan Canoy, #3 Musa Leigh, #33 Javaun Jones, #14 Sadique Calloway, #22 Elijah Jackson. Cheerleaders are, L-R, Daizha Espiritu, Madeline Fillis, Alyssa Forsell, Charolin Alberto, Mitzi Olivera, Samra Tino, Karyna Garcia, Karolyna Garcia.

11:41 PM: At Chief Sealth International High School tonight, both varsity teams played their counterparts from Bainbridge HS. Close game for the Seahawk girls, who lost 43-40; the Sealth boys won, 59-54.

ADDED EARLY AM: Photos from both games: Read More

11:39 PM: At home tonight, Seattle Lutheran High School‘s varsity basketball teams hosted Rainier Christian. The Lutheran girls lost, 39-26; the boys won, 63-43.

ADDED EARLY AM: Photos ahead from both games: Read More

Home games tonight vs. Lakeside for both West Seattle High School varsity teams. First, the girls continued their Metro-leading ways, beating the Lions 57-35:

#32, sophomore Meghan Fiso, was top scorer with 17 points.

Her total included the final basket of the game, which we caught on video:

#11, junior Jasmine Gayles, was strong on the assists – opening the second half, in less than a minute, she threw to two teammates who subsequently netted three-pointers, Fiso and then #4, junior Kelsey Lenzie.

Lenzie and #20, junior Grace Sarver, tied for second-most points, with 11 apiece.

The boys’ game got off to a low-scoring start – Lakeside 12, West Seattle 10 at the end of the first quarter. First basket was by #23 Anthony Giomi:

He led Wildcat scoring with 14 points, on the way to a 50-42 win over the Lions. #2 Elijah Nnanabu was right behind with 13 points.

Next home games for West Seattle are against Seattle Prep, 7:30 Tuesday for the boys, 7:30 Wednesday for the girls.

Chief Sealth International High School‘s varsity basketball teams hosted the Franklin HS Quakers Friday night.

The girls’ game was especially hard-fought – ending in a one-point overtime loss, Franklin 54, Chief Sealth 53.

(No box score available as of publication time.) With the overtime, and two JV games before it – for the first “quad” game night of the season at Sealth – the boys’ game didn’t tip off until close to 10 pm.

Our short video clip shows #14, senior Sadique Calloway, with the final basket of the first half, which ended with the Seahawks behind the Quakers 44-34. The box score shows Calloway with 12 points on the night; top scorer for Sealth was #22, senior Elijah Jackson, with 21.

#0, senior Javaun Jones, was number-two scorer for Sealth, with 16. Franklin pulled away in the fourth quarter and went home with the win, 88-62. Next home games for the Seahawks are against Lakeside, 7:30 pm Tuesday for the boys, 7:30 pm Wednesday for the girls.