A tough first quarter put the Mustangs in dire straits on Tuesday night in their Kingco semifinals matchup against No. 6 Garfield, with Redmond falling to the Bulldogs 65-46.

In the first period, the Mustangs could not find the net as the Bulldogs ended the quarter with three straight three-pointers to take a commanding 17-3 lead, which was extended to 29-12 at the half.

Despite shooting better than 50 percent in the second half, the closest the Mustangs got was within 11 points on a Kyle Sawtell 3-pointer that made it 56-45 in the fourth quarter, before Garfield finished on a 9-1 run.

For the Mustangs, Conner Floan’s big inside presence led to a game-high 18, followed by Jason Harrington with nine.

Tucker Haymond led Garfield with 27 points and 11 rebounds.

The Mustangs must now win three straight loser-out games to make the Regional tournament, starting with a game against Roosevelt – which knocked out third-ranked Skyline earlier in the evening – on Tuesday night at 6:30, also at Juanita.