TACOMA — Champions, once again.
The Garfield (23-1) girls basketball team put itself in rarefied air on Saturday at the Class 3A state title game at the Tacoma Dome. The Bulldogs toppled Lake Washington 58-49 to claim their third consecutive state championship over the Kangaroos.
Garfield is the first Class 3A squad in state history to earn a threepeat.
Imbie Jones had a team-high 14 points for the Bulldogs, while Katie Fiso and Rakiyah Jackson had 13 and 12, respectively.
The Bulldogs out-rebounded the Kangaroos, 42 to 27.
The Lake Washington offense started off hot, pushing the Kangs to a 17-8 lead in the first quarter, but Garfield responded with a 15-0 run to take a 23-17 lead.
The Bulldogs outscored Lake Washington 15-7 in the second quarter and led at halftime, 32-24.
Garfield scored 14 more to take a 12 point lead at the end of the third, and then scored 11 more in the fourth to finish off another championship.
Sydney Hani led the Kangaroos with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
Garfield also beat Lake Washington in the 2020 and 2022 state finals, with the Bulldogs winning last year’s title over the Bulldogs, 39-38.
The Kangaroos (26-3) are still looking for the first state title in program history.