Meadowdale teams enjoy togetherness

Published 11:18 pm Wednesday, March 11, 2009

TACOMA — Just like last year, both Meadowdale basketball teams qualified for the 3A state championships. Last season the tournaments were in Seattle. This time the Mavericks squads traveled a bit further south to Tacoma.

During Wednesday’s first round, both Meadowdale teams won. A few hours after the Meadowdale girls capped a 40-39 victory over Auburn Mountainview in the Tacoma Dome, the Meadowdale boys celebrated a 70-64 triumph versus North Kitsap on the other end of the venue.

“It’s a good experience to have both teams down here,” said Kris Larson, a senior post on the Mavericks boys squad. “We rode the bus down here together and we’ll ride home together.”

“It helps both teams,” said Meadowdale boys basketball coach Chad McGuire.

The Mavericks and their fans had much more to celebrate in the first round this year than a year ago. In 2008 the Meadowdale boys lost on Day 1, 67-60 against Lakes at KeyArena. Across town, the Meadowdale girls lost that day, also against Lakes. The score was 59-56.

Here’s another coincidence that links the Meadowdale teams: Today they both play Enumclaw. The girls game is at 3:30 p.m. and the boys game is scheduled to tip off at 5 p.m.

Meadowdale coach prefers T-Dome atmosphere

Asked about playing the 3A state tournament in Seattle last year and switching to Tacoma this year, McGuire, Meadowdale’s boys basketball coach, said he has a clear preference: “I like the atmosphere down here (at the Tacoma Dome) better because you have the girls game going on at the same time and more people.”

Hamlett’s career day

Connor Hamlett stepped up Wednesday. Meadowdale’s junior 6-foot-7 post killed North Kitsap in the first half with 11 points and was even better over the final two quarters, tallying 15 more points. He finished with seven rebounds and 26 points, one more than his previous career-best. Hamlett scored 25 points Feb. 9 in a win against Lynnwood.

Coming into the tournament, Hamlett was averaging 13.3 points per game.

So this is Tacoma?

Troy Parker always hoped to be at the state tournament. He just never imagined it would be as coach of Meadowdale’s girls basketball team.

Parker, who coached the Mavericks’ boys basketball team from 1997 through 2002, took over the girls’ team this year and became Meadowdale’s third coach since 2005 to take the Meadowdale girls to state.

“I couldn’t bring a better group of kids down here,” he said.

Parker, who left the boys team so he could spend more time with his family, said it was an easy decision to coach the girls after Dan Taylor stepped down last summer.

“God’s blessings don’t necessarily come on our timetable,” said Parker, who has a wife and three daughters that range in age from 3 to 14. “This has been one of God’s blessings.”

Of course, it’s also a bit of a task. In addition to the time commitment, coaching the Meadowdale girls means trying to live up to tradition.

Parker did that by sending the Mavericks to state for the 14th consecutive year.

“It would be silly for me not to build on the tradition here,” he said after the Mavericks beat Auburn Mountainview 40-39 in Wednesday morning’s opening-round game. “But this team is the 2008-2009 team, and this is their story. That’s the way we’re looking at it.

“Of course, part of that story is the tradition. And so far, so good.”

The Mavericks have quite a history, having earned a top-seven trophy at state in all but one tournament over the past 12 years.

But Parker said he doesn’t feel any pressure.

“It’s harder to build success than it is to inherit it,” he said. “Every one of our kids wants to win and my job is to channel it. The best way to do that is to say: ‘Look up at the banners.’”

Remember the name

While they may not be blessed with their relatives’ size, two members of the Meadowdale girls basketball team do share a pretty famous name.

Caitlin O’Neill, a 5-foot-6 senior, and Michaela O’Neill, a 5-7 sophomore, are cousins of former Mavericks stars Kristen and Kellie O’Neill, who both went on to play at the University of Washington.

Roger O’Neill, who is a younger brother of Kristen and Kellie, currently plays for the Meadowdale boys team.

Caitlin O’Neill is a starter for this year’s Mavericks and she hit a key 3-pointer during the first half of Wednesday’s win over Auburn Mountainview.

“She’s just a winner,” coach Troy Parker said of Caitlin O’Neill, “as her last name told me she would be.”

Finding a bright spot

After its 19-point loss against Union Wednesday, the Lynnwood boys basketball team saw plenty of scary statistics on the post-game box score. The Royals shot just 30 percent from the field, committed 14 turnovers and lost the rebounding battle 37-25. But there was at least one bright spot: Lynnwood was 11-for-14 on free throws. Junior post Simi Fajemisin led the way, going 7-for-8; he was 6-for-6 in the first half, when the Royals went six of 25 (24 percent) from the field.

“Weve kind of been off and on at the free-throw line this season,” Lynnwoods Aaron Matzen said. “That’s one of the positives from the first-round defeat.”