Stakes higher for basketball’s Stilly Cup

Published 12:10 am Friday, January 16, 2015

The Stilly Cup has always been a big deal for the players and coaches from Stanwood and Arlington.

And that was when the game was a non-conference contest.

Now the Stilly Cup really matters.

The first of two meetings between Arlington and Stanwood takes place Friday night with the boys’ game tipping off at Arlington High School and the girls facing off at Stanwood.

Unlike the last two years, this year the Stilly Cup will count in the Wesco 3A North standings after Arlington moved to the 3A classification at the conclusion of the 2013-14 school year. It could be crucial in determining playoff seeding and league champions.

“I think it changes the importance of the game in the standings,” said Stanwood boys coach Zach Ward. “It doesn’t change importance of the game in the community. It’s always a big game.”

The basketball Stilly Cup has still taken place the past two seasons, even with Arlington in 4A and Stanwood in 3A. Ward and the Spartans defeated Arlington 76-61 in a non-confernce game last season after the Eagles edged Stanwood 54-49 the season before.

The 2011-12 season was the last year both teams were in the same conference. Stanwood won both contests that season, giving them wins in three of the past four matchups.

“You never walk in there and it’s an easy game,” said Arlington boys coach Nick Brown. “I’ve been doing this a long time. They got us last year by about 10 or so, but it was a battle the whole time. It’s kind of like the old adage of UW-WSU. Records go out the window. You’re going to get the best effort of both teams.”

Both coaches enjoy playing each other, and consider each other friends off the court.

“I really like Nick. He’s a super guy,” Ward said. “We have a great relationship. It’s fun to have a game that means so much. There’s no hatred – at least from this side. I want to beat him as much as anybody – maybe a little bit more – but after the game we’ll talk and congratulate each other.”

The basketball team is looking to get a little revenge after Arlington’s 28-0 victory in the football Stilly Cup in October.

“It gets talked about around the school,” Ward said. “They’ve kind of had their way with us in football the last couple years. It’s going to be a heck of a game.”

Stanwood boasts a younger squad – both on the boys’ and girls’ sides – this year than in seasons past, but Ward and the elder Spartans are making sure the younger guys know the importance of the game against Arlington.

“We’re a completely different team (from last season) and I think they are too,” Ward said. “We graduated a lot of pieces. They graduated pieces too. For a lot of these kids its their first year on varsity. But not in the program.”

The girls teams actually played two non-conference games a year – each team getting a game at home – for the past two seasons in an effort to keep the rivalry going and play quality basketball.

“It’s intense, but it’s friendly,” said Stanwood head coach Dennis Kloke. “I really respect and like the Arlington kids and coach, in particular. He’s a good guy. I’ve learned over the years that sometimes you play the hardest against friends. Because it’s a league game, now, it’s that much more important. You’re trying to get as high in the standings as you can.”

Arlington swept Stanwood by scores of 45-42 and 65-48 last season. The year before the two teams split their non-conference games with each team winning by 17 points.

“The season we went to the state championship (game) we lost in their gym by 17 late in the season,” said Joe Marsh, the Arlington head coach. “We always talk about the Stanwood game and how it’s always one we circle on our calendar.”

Two seasons ago, when both were in the same conference, Stanwood defeated Arlington twice.

“For me, that’s something that I definitely wanted to do,” said Joe Marsh, the Arlington girls head coach. “It’s one of those rivalry games we didn’t want to lose. One time is fine but it’s nice to get those two games a year. It’s important to the community and it’s important to the girls.”

Kloke is always looking for a tough non-league opponent. Now he gets two games against a quality team that do count in the Wesco 3A North standings.

“We’ve always had a rivalry because we’ve always played twice in the season even though we were in different divisions. It was a good matchup because they’re a quality team and I hope they feel that we are too,” Kloke said. “Personally, I love competition. I was really excited to see Arlington come back.”

Players from both teams know each other, having grown up playing against each other, which adds to the rivalry.

As does the “Stilly Cup mojo.”

“In those games, something goofy always happens,” Marsh said. “Something weird always happens. Last year I jabbed my contact out of my eye in the fourth quarter.”

One drawback to the first Stilly Cup of the basketball season is having both teams playing on the same night, Marsh said, splitting the fanbases in two.

Marsh and the coaches are less than thrilled.

“I’m actually not happy we’re playing on the same night,” Marsh said. “I want to go watch the boys game.”

The second matchup will occur on different days with the boys on Tuesday, Feb. 3 and the second girls’ game the day after on Feb. 4. It will give Stanwood and Arlington fans another chance to catch what should be two good basketball games.

“It’s more important, yeah. But it’s always a big game,” Brown said. “We have so much respect for them. Zach does such a good job. Even last two years when it didn’t ‘count’, quote-unquote, we still took it seriously. It’s always a big game.