Lakeside of Seattle is 3A Metro best bet for WIAA girls basketball championship in March, 3 takeaways

Lions complete regular-season sweep of four-time defending 3A champion Garfield, 64-51
After a season sweep of defending state champion Garfield, Willa Chinn, right, and Lakeside of Seattle are in position for first 3A Metro title since 2008.
After a season sweep of defending state champion Garfield, Willa Chinn, right, and Lakeside of Seattle are in position for first 3A Metro title since 2008. / Photo by Todd Milles

SEATTLE - Garfield High School has held the crown of Class 3A girls basketball since 2020.

That is a half-decade, and the Bulldogs' unprecedented run of four consecutive WIAA championships has shown how dominant they've been.

And yet, there's been one pesky 3A Metro League foe that has stood up to them over that span like no other opponent in the state has.

It is the Lakeside of Seattle Lions.

And now, it appears a shift at the state level is underway.

Liili Brown led a balanced Lions' effort with 16 points, and second-ranked Lakeside broke away in the second half for a 64-51 home victory over the short-handed Bulldogs, who saw all-league forward Sarah Lessig leave early in the game with a bad ankle injury.

By sweeping Garfield, the Lions move closer to their first 3A Metro championship since 2008. They hold a one-game lead over Roosevelt with three games to play - and host the Roughriders on Feb. 1.

Lakeside defeated Roosevelt, 66-44, in the first meeting 10 days ago.

Here are three takeaways from the Lakeside-Garfield girls basketball game:

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LAKESIDE ABSORBS LOSS OF ALL-STATE D1 PLAYERS JUST FINE

Over the past three seasons, Lakeside is one of the five programs in the state to win at least one state-tournament game at the Class 3A championships, joining Arlington, Lake Washington, Mead and, of course, the Bulldogs.

Two years ago, the Lions made it to Tacoma led by Gonzaga-bound Claire O'Connor, an all-state forward.

Last season, Lakeside took it a step further, finishing third in the dome behind all-state guard Mia Broom, who is now at Columbia.

And yet, the Lions have not only not missed a beat without those two graduated standouts, they are arguably in better position to make a run at a Class 3A championship.

Point guard Willa Chinn is the calming influence at point guard who is headed to Cornell next fall. And with Brown camped on the perimeter, and Anvi Bhatia and Kaliya Woodard working the short spaces, this is a squad that returned a lot of firepower.

But, what really adds juice to the lineup is the scoring prowess of ninth grader Helena Christofilis, sister of Seattle University guard and ex-O'Dea standout John Christofilis. She is a cold-blooded shooter at all levels.

"At any given moment, someone else can take over each game," Lakeside girls coach Mia Augustavo-Fisher said. "That is the sign of a healthy team."

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LIONS ROAR PAST GARFIELD IN SECOND HALF

Lakeside wasn't firing at all early - and finished the first half Friday making just nine of 31 field goals.

Things heated up very quickly.

Bhatia scored on the team's first possession. Then came Woodard's 15-foot jump shot - money.

Christofilis followed with a second-chance basket - then tallied a bucket on the Lions' next trip.

Chinn got in the lane for a short jumper. Then, Woodard capped it by draining a 3-pointer as the Lions made field goals on their first six possessions to suddenly hold a 40-26 advantage after a 13-4 run over four minutes.

"When the ball moves, and when we start getting assists, our offense gets in a better flow," Chinn said.

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WHERE DOES THIS ALL LEAVE DEFENDING CHAMPIONS?

After the loss Friday, Garfield sits at 7-6, and in four place in the 3A Metro.

After Lessig needed help to get off the floor Friday, who know how long she will be sidelined.

So, what is the state of the program?

Second-year coach Roydell Smiley Jr. is actually encouraged by what he has seen recently.

"We are competing way more than the first half of the season," Smiley said. "And that is all we can ask.

"Right now, it is all about finishing games."

Garfield's brand of physical defense is needed more than ever, but where will the offense come from in Lessig's absence? Guard Jayda Lewis really became a shot-seeker Friday after Lessig's departure - and Mariah Roy, daughter of ex-NBA guard and current Garfield boys coach Brandon Roy, is easily the team's most reliable perimeter scorer.

Smiley warns not for folks to sleep on the team that has ruled the state.

"I think we are going to shock some people," he said.

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Published
Todd Miles
TODD MILLES

Todd Milles is a Regional Editor for SBLive Sports, covering Washington, Idaho and Montana.