Prep boys basketball: Lake Stevens 72, Marysville-Pilchuck 57

Published 10:04 pm Wednesday, February 2, 2011

LAKE STEVENS — The Lake Stevens Vikings boys basketball team clinched the third seed from the Wesco North into the 4A District 1 playoffs with a 72-57 win over Marysville-Pilchuck on Wednesday night.

“We needed a win for seeding purposes, but also for momentum going into the playoff

s. So it was a really big win for us,” Lake Stevens coach Mark Hein said.

The Vikings were able to jump on the Tomahawks early, outscoring them 19-7 in the first quarter and 21-14 in the second, building a 19-point halftime lead.

“Rebounding was a key in the first half and we got off to a good start offensively,” Hein said.

The Vikings had three players reach double-digits in rebounding. Brady Pahukoa had 12 rebounds, Lorin Vandergfift had 10 and Gunner Eklund grabbed 11. Eklund also scored 13 points for Lake Stevens, eight of which came in the final four minutes of the game.

“He is averaging about 11 (points) and 11 (rebounds),” Hein said of Eklund. “I would say he has been our most consistent player all season.”

Despite the Vikings’ fast start, the Tomahawks cut the lead to just five points early in the fourth quarter, but Hein said clutch free-throw shooting was key for his team down the stretch. Lake Stevens shot 7-for-9 from the line in the fourth quarter.

Dakota Tomson led the Vikings in scoring with 14. Ryan Shannon scored 22 points to lead the Tomahawks. His teammate Nate Williams chipped in 16.

At Lake Stevens H.S.

Marysville-Pilchuck 7 14 25 11 — 57

Lake Stevens 19 21 13 19 — 72

Marysville-Pilchuck—Shannon 22, Kiblinger 5, Martinis 3, Co. Dockendorf 0, Williams 16, Oden 0, Babiker 0, Diaz 0, Apel-Henderson 3, Ch. Dockendorf 0, Miles 4, DeSanctis 4. Lake Stevens—Iverson 0, Nelson 4, Tomson 14, Gasca 10, Dodge 6, Paulson 7, Pahukoa 5, Vandergrift 9, Eklund 13, Stoen 4, Smith 0. 3-point goals—Kiblinger 1, Martinis 1, Williams 2, Apel-Henderson 1, Paulson 1, Pahukoa 1. Records—Marysville-Pilchuck 4-11 league, 5-15 overall. Lake Stevens 9-6, 11-9.