Eastside Catholic boys repeat as Sea-King District basketball champions, 2 takeaways

Virginia signee Jacob Cofie leads all scorers with 24 points as ninth-ranked Crusaders sink 11 3-pointers in the 87-62 victory over West Seattle

BELLEVUE, Wash. - West Seattle handed Eastside Catholic the first of four consecutive losses in late January.

On Saturday night, the ninth-ranked Crusaders turned the tables on the Wildcats, ending their impressive Sea-King District tournament run with an 87-62 victory in the championship game.

“They beat us at our place,” Eastside Catholic coach Brent Merritt said. “We were a little cocky after beating O’Dea without Jacob (Cofie), so we kind of got cocky and went on a four-game skid where we just weren’t playing well and thinking about ourselves. We remembered that and we knew we couldn’t let up. West Seattle never quits. I don’t care how many points they’re down, they never quit.”

The Crusaders proved to be too much for the Wildcats to overcome thanks in large part to their star center and Virginia  signee Jacob Cofie, who finished with a game-high 24 points.

Cofie didn’t just score. He also got his teammates involved and helped open up the perimeter game for the Crusaders.

“He’s a great passer,” Merritt said. “Any time we have him, he’s going to make other guys better. He’s not selfish. He’s a willing passer, so for us, it makes our offense easy.”

Here are two takeaways from the Eastside Catholic-West Seattle game:

---

3-BALL HELPS CRUSADERS TAKE CONTROL

Senior Kayden Greene helped Cofie pace the Crusaders’ offense, hitting five 3-pointers, four of which came in the first half.

According to Merritt, Greene’s performance Saturday was just another example of what he’s been doing all season, calling him “the best shooter I’ve ever had.”

Greene, who finished with 17 points, set the school record for the Crusaders earlier in the season, hitting eight 3-pointers in a game and is shooting 54 percent from long-range in his senior campaign.

“He don’t play,” Merritt said. “Before the season started, I was on him about getting shots up, and he does not get shots up. Now he is, during the season, but he starts the season off on fire and he doesn’t even practice. He frustrates me because I was a guy who had to put in work to get my shot right. He’s a captain. He’s a defender. He does more than just shoot. He takes charges. He does it all.”

The Crusaders knocked down 11 3-pointers in the win Saturday.

---

WEST SEATTLE HAS SOMETHING TO BUILD ON

After winning three consecutive games to get to the district championship game, the Wildcats couldn’t finish off the unexpected run, but they do have something to build on as they move to the regional round of the state tournament – and if they have their way, a trip to the Tacoma Dome.

“Our goal was to get to state,” West Seattle coach Dan Kriley said. “It was good for us to see them against us, hopefully we’ll them again down the road.”

Kriley said planning against the Crusaders can be difficult because of the number of weapons they have on offense.

“It’s one or the other,” Kriley said. “If you focus on the post play and (Greene) is hitting, it’s tough. We’ve just got to fly around. We’ll make adjustments.”

---

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Lakeside of Seattle 60, Garfield 47: After leading by 17 points at halftime, the fifth-ranked Lions thwarted a comeback attempt by the top-ranked Bulldogs in the third quarter. The Bulldogs trimmed the deficit to three at the end of the third quarter, but responded in the fourth quarter, once again building their lead up to 17 by the game’s conclusion.

Lakeside senior Mia Broom led all scorers with 24 points. Junior Sarah Lessig paced the Bulldogs with 20.

The season series between the two teams in now tied at two games apiece. They split in the regular season and Garfield had previously beaten the Lions in the Metro League championship before Lakeside’s victory on Saturday.

Both teams advance to the regional round of the state tournament.

---