Who’s up for a road trip?
Several local basketball teams will be spending their winter breaks on the open road as they travel far and wide to play games all over the Pacific Northwest and beyond.
Two crosstown rivals are even carpooling together across the state.
Snohomish and Glacier Peak will be sharing a bus to Spokane this weekend to face Lewis and Clark and University, two perennially strong teams from the east side of the state. The Panthers face University, which went to the 3A state tournament last season, at Lewis and Clark High School at 5:30 p.m. Monday followed by Glacier Peak taking on host Lewis and Clark right after at 7:30.
On Saturday, Snohomish goes up against Lewis and Clark at University High School at 1 p.m. with the Grizzlies getting a showdown against University afterwards.
“It’s really just a good opportunity for us to get away and make it more like a (state) tournament atmosphere where we’re staying in the hotel and playing back-to-back days, and good competition,” said Glacier Peak head coach Brian Hill. “The idea of getting out and going somewhere breaks up the monotony of every day: hey we’re still at our school, playing teams we already know.”
Snohomish coach Ken Roberts knows the coaches of the two Spokane schools and had talked to them in the past about setting up a couple games. It worked out for the teams this year and he invited Hill, who coached with Roberts at Snohomish prior to taking over at Glacier Peak, and the Grizzlies along.
“We talked and thought it would be kind of fun to take our groups there,” Roberts said. “The main thing is we both wanted good games, it reduced the cost and it’s fun for the kids.”
Both coaches are hoping the games provide a fun team-bonding experience for their respective squads, as well as the two Snohomish teams who share a very friendly rivalry, according to both coaches.
“The goal is that we get better. That’s the main thing,” Roberts said. “I think a lot of times when you travel with a team they get to see another coach than the one who’s yelling in practice and during games. It’s team bonding. There’s a lot to be said for the competition.”
Glacier Peak, which is a perfect 8-0 this season, defeated Snohomish 55-50 when the two teams played in a non-conference game on Dec. 3. The pair can’t scrimmage again — due to a Washington Interscholastic Activities Association rule – but will cheer each other on in their respective games.
“We’re going to go cheer for them and they’re going to go cheer for us,” Hill said. “We have a great relationship. We’re competitors when we’re playing against each other but always rooting for each other when we’re not. I know that Snohomish is going to give us a good game. It just makes us better in the long run. It’s nice to have that competitiveness, but respect each other in the end and know we’re helping each other out.”
While the Grizzlies and Panthers are going east, the Lynnwood girls basketball team is headed south. The Royals are traveling to Lake Oswego, Oregon, to compete in this year’s Nike Interstate Shootout. The Royals open the tournament at 8 p.m. on Saturday facing Portland’s Jesuit High School.
The Royals are one of the best 3A teams in Washington, but will have their hands full facing one of Oregon’s top teams in the first round. And if they win, it doesn’t get any easier from there.
“A buddy of mine went down and watched Jesuit play and they’re no joke,” Lynnwood head coach Everett Edwards said. “If it works out, and being very humble because I know we could lose to Jesuit and have to go through the consolation bracket, we would have Jesuit and then if we win we would potentially play St. Mary’s (Academy), which is probably going to be ranked No. 1 (in Oregon), and then we would see Oregon City, which was No. 1 before they lost. It’s the perfect chance to see where we’re at with the top teams in Oregon.”
With the talent Lynnwood has had in recent years, the team’s goal is to win a state championship each season. Win or lose, facing the type of talent that will be playing in Lake Oswego this weekend should ensure that the Royals are battle tested come playoff time.
“We’re trying to win it, but being realistic we hope to come out of it with two wins,” Edwards said. “We just hope to play the toughest competition so we can get ready for our district tournament because there’s no guarantees to make it out of your district tournament if you’re not playing right or you have injuries or whatever the case might be. We’re going to face some tough competition and some adversity and we’ll see how we respond to that.”
The local girls team making the longest trip is Lake Stevens. The Vikings are flying to Anchorage, Alaska, this weekend and then driving another hour to Wasilla for the Doc Larsons Roundball Tournament.
The Vikings will play three games in three days hoping to improve on their 5-1 record so far this season, but head coach Randall Edens said wins and losses aren’t the team’s biggest concern. He said he hopes this tournament provides his team an opportunity to do some team building and grow as a group.
“That’s kind of priority number one, really,” Edens said. “The competition itself, you never know what to expect. When you can provide a balance of nominal costs for our players and at the same time take them to a place they’ve probably never been before and be a part of something for a few days, it’s a great opportunity to do exactly that.”
David Krueger and Aaron Lommers cover prep sports for The Herald. Follow them on Twitter at @krueger_david and @aaronlommers and contact them at dkrueger@heraldnet.com. and alommers@heraldnet.com.
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