Strong efforts from Morales, Brown not enough as Bethel falls to Garfield in 3A quarterfinal, 55-41
The teams that have had the most success at the Tacoma Dome so far this week, in most cases, have been the teams who have been balanced on offense.
Though they came into Thursday’s quarterfinal game against No. 9 Garfield with only one loss this season, the second-ranked Bethel girls basketball team has been looking for that balance on offense since losing freshman Alyssa Smith to injury early in the season.
They couldn’t find it on against the Bulldogs. Junior Esmeralda Morales and senior Tiarra Brown combined to score all but two of Bethel’s points in a 55-41 loss. The two were able to keep the Braves in it for most the game, but down the stretch the Bulldogs proved to have just a little bit more in the tank.
“With our phenom freshman out, she was giving us 15 points and 10-plus rebounds a game, we were just hoping we could get someone else to step up,” Bethel head coach Tim Brown said. “Tiarra and (Esmerelda), they’re going to work the whole game. We just needed someone else to step up that game.”
Morales led the way with 27 points and Brown added 12. It was the second straight big game for Morales, who scored 36 points in a regional win over No. 7 Lincoln last weekend.
Morales and Brown were clearly the biggest offensive threats for the Braves, and Garfield head coach Marvin Hall said his team did everything they could to stop the two stars.
“We were trying to stop them,” Hall said. “They’re both really, really good players. They’re first-team all-leaguers and two Division-1 basketball players.”
Garfield got the win without its star Dalayah Daniels playing much of a role. Daniels spent much of the game on the bench in foul trouble, and scored just four points, all of which came in the final minutes of the fourth quarter with Bethel well behind. But the Bulldogs (21-7) have been winning for much of the season without Daniels, who hurt her ankle playing in a tournament Arizona in December. She returned for the playoffs, but Hall said she still isn’t quite at full strength.
“She didn’t play like the whole entire month of January, so our team has just got used to working together without her,” Hall said.
Seniors Sahcari Davis and Meghan Fiso stepped up with Daniels on the bench, scoring 16 and 15 points respectively.
“They’ve been doing it all year,” Hall said. “Just broken pieces putting it together and everybody just kind of pushing through.”
At Tacoma Dome
Garfield- 5 15 14 21 - 55
Bethel- 12 3 13 13 - 41
Garfield – Dalayah Daniels 4, Kamia Crudup 0, Meghan Fiso 15, Sahcari Davis 16, Kira Wood 6, Navaeh Talbert 3, Disiree Lane 6, Kareyna Taylor 5. Bethel – Esmerelda Morales 27, Nakima Miller 0, Talya Phillips 0, Amanda Wilkins 2, Tiarra Brown 12, Rhiannon Davies 0, Ayumu Mori 0, Alyvia Cagel 0, Samantha Hill 0, Faith Taula 0.