LYNNWOOD — Meadowdale had already beaten Glacier Peak once this season.
Thanks to a big third quarter, Meadowdale didn’t have to worry about a letdown the second time around.
Meadowdale senior post Kris Larson scored 14 points, Roger O’Neill added 21 points and the Meadowdale Mavericks outscored Glacier Peak 24-9 in the third quarter to take a 73-55 Wesco South victory.
“We stuck with our game plan,” O’Neill said of how the Mavericks broke open what had been a close game. “We came out with focus. We didn’t really change anything. We had better concentration.”
“We had to come out with more intensity,” Larson added. “…They out-rebounded us in the first half, but I think we came out and got it done.”
The win improved Meadowdale’s record to 10-2 in the Wesco South. Rapidly-improving Glacier Peak, coming off a victory on Tuesday over Jackson, fell to 7-5 in league.
With the score tied 25-25 at halftime, O’Neill scored 11 of his 21 points in the third quarter. O’Neill hit both of his 3-pointers in the final minute of the third quarter, the last a buzzer-beater to put Meadowdale up by 15 points.
Larson scored five points in the third quarter and back-to-back layups by Larson mid-way through the third quarter gave Meadowdale some breathing room.
The loss spoiled an impressive performance by Glacier Peak junior guard Brandon Hill, who scored 27 points, hit five 3-pointers and finished a perfect 8-for-8 at the line.
“He’s a heck of player,” O’Neill said of Hill. “He made plays … There’s not much you can do when he’s hitting NBA 3-pointers.”
Meadowdale switched 6-foot-7 post Conner Hamlett on to Hill in an attempt to limit his looks, but even with the athletic Hamlett draped over him, Hill still found ways to hit 3-pointers.
“He hit some tough shots,” Meadowdale head coach Chad McGuire said. “He had a hand in his face and was still knocking it down,”
Back-to-back 3-pointers by Hill drew Glacier Peak within 53-47 with 4 minutes remaining in the game, but Meadowdale’s Larson answered with an offensive rebound and a put back to push the Mavericks’ lead back to more comfortable territory.
Meadowdale still got a win, but this was a far different game than the first time these two teams met this season, in December. In that game, Meadowdale put the game away early, holding Glacier Peak to just 18 points through the first three quarters on its way to a 51-37 victory.
“It definitely says a lot about our team,” Hill said of the fact that Glacier Peak hung with Meadowdale for the first half. “We have heart, We’re not going to give up.”
Hill scored 11 points in the first half to lead all scorers, and the junior made three foul shots to send the game into halftime tied.
Nick Persha scored 13 points as Glacier Peak’s second-leading scorer and junior Devon Kiser added 7 points.
For Meadowdale, starting point guard Khalid Surur scored 11 points and senior post Nasser Kyobe added 12 points, the majority of those coming off of offensive rebounds and put backs.
“Larson and Nasser (Kyobe) were key for us in the second half,” McGuire said.
Larson nailed his first 3-pointer of the season to put Meadowdale up 15-9 late in the first quarter.
At Meadowdale H.S.
G. Peak1114921—55
Meadowdale15102424—73
Glacier Peak—Persha 13, Hill 27, Cummins 0, Steed 0, Southard 2, Manning 0, Pederson 2, Kiser 7, Bonner 4. Meadowdale—O’Neill 21, Shiferaw 0, Surur 11, Kyobe 12, Carroll 2, Hamlett 13, Larson 14. 3-pointers—Larson, O’Neill 2, Hill 5. Records—Glacier Peak 7-5 league, 9-5 overall. Meadowdale 10-2, 11-3.
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