M-P topples another giant

Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, January 25, 2005

MARYSVILLE – Jon Brockman was unstoppable for 24 minutes.

Whether it was a mid-range jump shot, a mighty slash into the paint or a thunderous dunk, the Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks simply had no answer for the Snohomish Panthers’ star. But after watching the 6-foot-8 University of Washington-bound star ravage them for 34 points through three quarters of a Western Conference North Division boys basketball showdown Tuesday night at the M-P gym, the surging Tomahawks stepped up in the nick of time.

Marysville-Pilchuck held Brockman scoreless in the fourth quarter and made 10 of 11 free throws in the period to pull away late and earn a 65-59 victory. The Tomahawks, who improved to 7-3 in the Wesco North and 8-6 overall, won their fifth consecutive game to move into second place in the league.

M-P coach Mike Lowery praised 6-4 forward David Gallaher, 6-8 center Nathan Lozeau and 6-5 center Brad Lovell for collectively clamping down on Brockman, who boosted Snohomish to a 49-46 lead through three quarters.

“We did a better job of dropping (defenders toward Brockman) with almost five guys,” Lowery said, adding Brockman is “not only the best player in the league. He’s one of the best in the state and one of the best in the nation.”

Sophomore guard Jared Stohl scored 11 of his team-high 18 points in the second half for M-P. Gallaher and guard Duane Lanphere scored 11 apiece for the Tomahawks.

Lanphere tallied eight of M-P’s 19 fourth-quarter points, including a 3-pointer from the left corner that tied the score at 54-54 with five minutes, one second remaining. Later, with 32 seconds to go, he sank two free throws to give his team a 61-58 cushion.

Lanphere is usually M-P’s defensive stopper but he has impressed Lowery with a valuable jolt of scoring too.

“He’s just been a real added surprise for us offensively all season,” Lowery said.

Snohomish (6-4, 9-5) lost the lead for good when Stohl connected on a pull-up jump shot that made it 59-58 with 2:03 to go. The Panthers had opportunities to get back in the game, but they went just 2-for-6 from the free-throw line in the fourth quarter and 8-for-17 for the game.

Brockman said Marysville-Pilchuck simply played with more energy in the decisive fourth quarter. He scored 25 points when Snohomish defeated M-P 63-60 Dec. 10. The loss came during the Tomahawks’ 2-4 season-opening skid. Brockman said now he sees Marysville-Pilchuck fulfilling its potential.

“That’s the team that I knew was gonna be there,” said Brockman, whose team slipped to fourth place in the league. The Panthers are a half-game behind third-place Mount Vernon (6-3, 9-4), which snapped a three-game losing streak Tuesday with a 76-61 victory over Monroe.

Brockman scored the first six points of the game, including two on a powerful two-handed dunk along the right baseline. M-P fought back to tie it at 7-7 and neither team led by more than five points the rest of the first half.

Brockman scored two more of his 21 first-half points on an inside power move with 5:09 remaining in the second quarter. That gave the Panthers a 25-20 lead but M-P ended the half with a 12-5 run to take a 32-30 lead into the locker room. Gallaher led the Tomahawks with eight first-half points.

Brockman and Stohl waged a back-and-forth scoring battle in the third quarter. Brockman’s 11th point of the quarter and 32nd of the game came on a free throw that put Snohomish in front 43-38 with 2:15 to go in the period.

Stohl’s 3-pointer from the top of the key tied it at 43 with 1:43 remaining in the third. The basket gave him seven points in the period.

Stohl, Lanphere and point guard Keaton Taitingfong repeatedly created excellent scoring chances for the Tomahawks in the fourth quarter. Taitingfong contributed eight points in the game, one of five M-P players who scored eight points or more.

“That’s the way they’ve been playing,” M-P’s Lowery said. “It’s not just one kid. It’s everybody.”

It was the exact opposite for Snohomish. Freshman post Zach Wilde came off the bench to score seven points. but other than he and Brockman, no one else scored more than five.

At Marysville

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Snohomish – Reinhard 5, Hammons 1, Brockman 34, Van Duine 5, Wilde 7, Siegel 3, Follis 4. Marysville-Pilchuck – Stohl 18, Taitingfong 8, Lanphere 11, Gallaher 11, Lozeau 2, Lovell 3, Moses 8, Bailey 4. 3-point goals – Siegel, Reinhard, Follis, Stohl 2, Lanphere 2. JV score – Snohomish 62, Marysville-Pilchuck 43. Records – Snohomish 6-4 in league, 9-5 overall. Marysville-Pilchuck 7-3, 8-6.