The Garfield G-Men girls’ basketball team continue to show the grit and resiliency which has eluded them for the last several years. The G-Men stormed back in the fourth period to defeat Cardinal 38-35 last Saturday afternoon at the JAG Fieldhouse.
“This is a big game for several of our players and coaches,” said Garfield Coach Aaron Gilbert. “Last year, we had to play them in a back-to-back like we did this year, and we didn’t have the legs to finish the game last year and it really stuck with us for a while.”
The G-Men (7-4, 5-2) avenged last season’s loss against Cardinal which marked the first time the teams had faced each other since 2019. After falling to the Huskies (8-4, 6-1) in a road duel last year, Garfield returned the favor by defending home court.
On Saturday, the G-Men trailed throughout most of the game, and just like last year, Garfield entered the game having just competed in a road contest on Friday night and the aftereffects of that game showed as the Huskies raced out to an early lead.
Having to battle from behind, Garfield’s comeback started in the fourth period as senior wing Mandy Cardinal ignited a comeback that began with the G-Men trailing 25-33.
The 6-foot senior fueled a 9-0 run, scoring seven points including a 3-point shot off an assist from senior guard Kaelyn Tasker at the 3:25 mark of the fourth quarter, pushing the G-Men ahead 35-33, their first lead of the entire game.
According to Cardinal, who had only scored 12 points in the first three quarters, she knew it was time to strike in the final quarter, and finished the game with 20 points, six rebounds and two assists.
“I just looked at the scoreboard and made some mental notes on how we were playing and knew that if we wanted to win, some people needed to step up and I was one of those people,” she added. “I tried to do my best to get us back in the game.”
After the G-Men took their first lead, the Huskies quickly evened the game at 35-35 as junior guard Ivy Kaminski scored on a fast break opportunity.
Garfield broke the tie when junior guard Madi Seiler scored on an open lay-up off an assist from senior guard Riley Grace, giving the G-Men a 37-35 advantage.
Kaminski’s transition basket was the only points that the Huskies scored in the final quarter, as after scoring 33 points in the first three periods, Cardinal’s offense mustered only two points and was outscored by a 13-2 margin.
Huskies’ Coach Kim Domen acknowledged that her team ran out of answers on offense.
“It was not because of lack of effort because all of the girls gave a lot of effort out there,” the third-year coach noted. “We didn’t stop Mandy Cardinal when we needed to and she is a great player so we will take those mistakes, learn from them and move on.”
Gilbert also credited Garfield’s successful comeback with an improved effort on controlling rebounds especially in the second half, as they limited several Huskies’ possessions to only one shot.
“It was a pretty calm locker room,” the 19-year coach said. “They felt okay. They knew that Cardinal was playing well at the time. We told them if you keep them under 40 points, we have a chance to win and if they score over 40, they have a chance to beat us, but we kept them under; defensively we locked down.”
In addition to sparking Garfield’s offense, Cardinal also successfully slowed down Kaminski, who scored the first 13 points for the Huskies and had 15 points at the half but only scored five points in the second half.
“Ivy is a heck of a player,” Cardinal said. “She has a ton of potential. I just had to keep her off of the boards and stop her from shooting. She had most of their points, so I just had to shut her down and make other people do the work.”
Gilbert said that the victory demonstrated a resilience that the G-Men had lacked over the last several years but have been beginning to show this season.
Following a road duel against Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier foe Southeast on Monday and a home game against league for Liberty on Thursday, the G-Men will return to the court welcome MVAC Grey Tier rival Newton Falls on Jan. 21 at 7 p.m.
Meanwhile, after a pair of crossover Northeastern Athletic Conference duels at Windham on Monday, a home contest against St. John on Tuesday and a home game against Jackson-Milton on Wednesday, the Huskies will welcome Maplewood to Middlefield on Jan. 19 at 6:15 p.m.
