Garfield gets past Rainier Beach, 63-58

Tony Wroten Jr. dribbled the ball at the top of the key. He spun into the lane and, as he hung in the air, the crowd fell silent.

They wanted to see what the University of Washington-bound senior would do in the building he will call home next season.

He didn't disappoint. With his future coach, Lorenzo Romar, looking on, the point guard finished with flair Monday night. The ball lingered on the rim and, when it fell through the net, the crowd erupted.

In a matchup of No. 1 (Garfield in Class 4A) and No. 1 (Rainier Beach in 3A), Wroten and the Bulldogs held off future Husky teammate Hikeem Stewart and the Vikings 63-58 in front of an announced crowd of 5,500 at Edmundson Pavilion.

"I'll be playing here next year and I didn't want to start it off with an L," said Wroten, who finished with 29 points and six rebounds.

After Wroten's early highlight, it was Stewart's turn. The senior scored seven of Rainier Beach's first 10 points.

"It's all about bragging rights, but we've got another game tomorrow," Rainier Beach coach Mike Bethea said. "We don't have time to sit back and feel sorry for ourselves. It would have been great to win the inner-city game, but we have to get ready for Chief Sealth."

Wroten picked up his third personal foul with 2:39 left in the second quarter. But the Bulldogs (11-2) stayed in the game with their star on the bench.

Glenn Brooks scored seven of Garfield's final nine points of the half, including a three-pointer that tied the game at 29 in the final seconds.

"Be aggressive," said Brooks when asked about his mindset with Wroten out of the game. "When he's in the game I can kind of fall back, because he can do a lot. When he went out I was thinking, 'I've got to pick up the team.' "

Brooks helped lead the Bulldogs when Wroten missed his junior season with a knee injury. With Wroten healthy, they are Garfield's senior captains.

"He told me he was going to carry us and that's what he did," Wroten said of Brooks.

Before the game, the duo shaved L.O.E. in their hair. It stands for, "loyalty over everything," and that attitude helped bond the Bulldogs, who didn't settle for a built-in excuse after a cross-country flight from the East Coast, where they played in the Hoophall Classic on Saturday.

"My hat's off to them (Rainier Beach), but my kids gutted it out," said Garfield coach Ed Haskins, a former assistant coach under Bethea with the Vikings.

Rainier Beach (8-2) had a five-point lead and the ball with 2:26 to play, but the Bulldogs outscored the Vikings 12-2 to end the game.

"You've got to understand clock management," Bethea said. "Bring it out and start your offense. ... We didn't value possession of the ball down the stretch."

Mason Kelley: 206-464-8277 or mkelley@seattletimes.com