KingCo 4A Boys | Quakers trounce Garfield for 31st straight league win

By 8 p.m., the scheduled game time, Garfield had locked its gym doors, leaving hundreds of fans in a winding line around the building. One fan, pressed against the door, even flashed a $100 bill to anyone willing to sneak him in.

Inside, the city's most heated rivalry began an hour late in front of a gym more humid than a Miami summer, ready to see Franklin's last KingCo 4A Conference game before the Quakers leave next year for the Metro League.

Garfield, and the rest of the conference, must be ready to say good riddance.

Franklin exits the conference having won 31 consecutive regular-season KingCo games, leaving one of its best victories for last: a 79-55 win over the Bulldogs Friday night at old Lincoln High School.

Yet even in a one-sided game that had no effect on playoff seeding, the game had fans jumping to their feet again and again.

"There is no other high-school rivalry better than that one, and that goes decades before any of the people in this locker room were ever alive," Franklin coach Jason Kerr said. "It just goes to show, when the game in the standings doesn't really count for anything ... you've got a sold-out gym."

Only six minutes in, second-ranked Franklin (18-2 overall, 14-0 KingCo 4A) used a nine-point run to jump to an 18-4 lead. The Bulldogs missed eight consecutive shots during that run. Garfield got no closer than seven points after that.

"We're out there playing defense together instead of individually," said Franklin's Sterling Carter, who added six blocks and eight rebounds to his game-high 21 points. "It forces teams to throw up shots, or get frustrated."

Tony Wroten, Garfield's stat-sheet-filling freshman, scored 17 points on 8-of-16 shooting, with eight rebounds, eight turnovers, four assists and five blocks. One block came against Franklin's Peyton Siva on a fast break.

But for every basket Wroten and the Bulldogs (15-6, 10-4) struggled to make — Garfield shot only 32.9 percent — the Quakers had an easy answer.

Franklin junior Chris Holmes finished with 16 points and 15 rebounds. Siva and freshman Lavell White scored 14 apiece.

Other games

At Juanita 52, Woodinville 40

Juanita drained 10 of 12 free throws in the fourth quarter and Jordan Call scored 18 points and Perry Montgomery 16 as the Rebels (11-8, 9-6) topped the Falcons (9-12, 5-10) in the Mountain Division. Both advance to the Sea-King District tournament.

At Ballard 54, Redmond 42

Berhanu Mekonnen, a 6-3 junior, had 10 rebounds and a career-high 20 points as the Beavers (9-12, 3-12 Mountain) surprised the playoff-bound Mustangs (10-10, 6-9 Mountain). In its final game, Ballard hit 17 of 18 free throws.

Eastlake 64,

at Lake Washington 53

Sophomore Michael Russo scored 21 and junior Jeff Charlston had 17 as the Wolves (5-15, 2-12) beat the Kangs (2-18, 2-12) in the final game for both Lake Division schools. Ryan Guisness scored 16 for Lake Washington.