MILL CREEK — Mountlake Terrace came out with a purpose in its 3A district semifinal game against Oak Harbor.
The Hawks outscored Oak Harbor 26-7 in the opening period, and continued to pile the points on as they defeated the Wildcats 64-32 Saturday night at Jackson High School.
“The kids, it’s a credit to them, they came out with a great focus,” said Mountlake Terrace head coach Nalin Sood. “… Those first 16 minutes, I’m going to have to search pretty hard to find mistakes there.”
Greg Bowman, Marquis Armstead and Blake Fernandez all scored 10 points or more in the first half for Mountlake Terrace (20-2 overall). Armstead (14) and Fernandez (10) netted all of their points in the first two quarters.
Bowman recorded a double-double with 16 points and 15 rebounds — eight of which came on the offensive end as the Hawks earned countless second-chance points against Oak Harbor.
“He doesn’t feel like he has to be talking a lot,” Sood said of Bowman. “He’s just going to get it done. This team has a lot of confidence in what Greg Bowman can do.”
Behind Bowman — and some strong defense — Mountlake Terrace rushed out to a 46-11 halftime lead. Sood told his team at halftime to keep the intensity level up, as the Wildcats battled to cut the deficit.
The Hawks’ offense slowed a bit in the second half, with Oak Harbor (12-10) outscoring Mountlake Terrace 15-10 in the fourth quarter. But by then the damage had been done.
The win clinched a berth in Saturday’s 3A district championship at 8 p.m. at Jackson High School. Mountlake Terrace will face Stanwood, 62-58 winners over Glacier Peak for the 3A District 1 title.
Both the Hawks and Stanwood have secured a spot in regionals the following week.
“As a coach I can say it’s a no-lose game, but the kids want to win,” Sood said. “We’ll have to play a great 32 minutes to be successful against (Stanwood).”
At Jackson H.S.
Oak Harbor74615—32
Mountlake Terrace2620810—64
Oak Harbor—Dayne Herron 9, Drew Washington 4, Zach Jones 0, Cortez Ridley 0, Gabe Groenig 2, JoJo Webster 6, Donavan Sellgren 0, Chris Hailer 9, Anfrenee Angkaw 0, Dyllan Harris 2. Mountlake Terrace—Jesse Zerom 8, Isaiah Green 0, Blake Fernandez 10, Yohans Tewolde 3, Michael Lotz 9, Marquis Armstead 14, Greg Bowman 16, LeTrae Sarden 2, Loren Lacasse 0, Yoel Tekle 2. 3-point goals—Zerom 2, Tewolde 1, Lotz 1, Armstead 3. Records—Oak Harbor 12-10 overall. Mountlake Terrace 20-2.
