Mariner pulls away late to top Snohomish 64-56 in Wesco 4A clash

Published 10:18 pm Friday, December 18, 2015

EVERETT — For two teams with expectations of advancing to the postseason, Friday’s Wesco 4A boys basketball game between Snohomish and Mariner was an important early-season contest. Both teams entered the game looking to avoid a 0-3 start to their league schedule.

Only the Marauders accomplished their goal.

After the two teams were tied at 41 entering the fourth quarter, Mariner used an 11-3 run to open the period to put away a Panthers team that has struggled so for this season and earned a 64-56 victory.

“Getting your first league win is always big,” Mariner head coach Dexter Griffen said. “All of our games in league have been tight, but we haven’t finished. We have leads in most of them for most of the game. Tonight, I was proud of the kids because they put four quarters together and they finished the game.”

Every Mariner player who played scored, led by senior guard Kevin Villalobos, who finished with 18 points. Juniors Swell Ewing and Jalen Hayes chipped in 11 each and junior Izaiah Clark added nine.

Balanced scoring is something Griffen said will be a key to the team’s success as the season moves forward.

“Those guys, in the past, they’ve all relied on Kevin,” Griffen said. “I told them that I’ve always been a coach that we spread the ball and we share the sugar. The more people that are involved the better we’ll be as a team. They’ve really taken that to heart and Kevin has taken it to heart. When I need Kevin to step up and take over, he’ll do it, but he also understands that he needs his other teammates to also chip in.”

The Marauders needed the supporting cast to chip in more than normal against the Panthers. Villalobos spent most of the first half on the bench after picking up his second foul with 5 minutes, 27 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

Villalobos played sparingly for the remainder of the first quarter and didn’t play at all in the second quarter. He finished the first half with five points, all of which came from the free-throw line.

With Villalobos on the bench in the second quarter, Mariner actually increased its lead from two after the first quarter to seven at halftime.

“That was all predicated on Jalen Hayes,” Griffen said. “Jalen Hayes did a good job of moving over to the point and taking over for Kevin. He led us and did a good job running point.”

Snohomish got back into the game after halftime, out-scoring Mariner 14-7 to tie the game at 41 after three quarters, but the Marauders were too tough down the stretch.

Senior guard Jacob Shogren led the Panthers with 24 points, but Mariner held him to just three points in the final 6:48 of the game.

“He’s a good little player,” Griffen said. “He’s the heart and soul of their team. If you’re able to take the lead guy out and make other people step up, you’re in good shape. We focused on trying to stop him. He’s a good little player.”

At Mariner H.S.

Snohomish 16 11 14 15 —56

Mariner 18 16 7 23 —64

Snohomish—Jeff Smith 0, Jacob Shogren 24, Kobe McDaniel 2, Nick Adell 0, Peyton Plucker 2, Jake Perry 11, Kyle Sandifer 11, Kole Bride 2, Jonah Judd 0, Mitch Morris 4. Mariner—Adrian Placencio 8, Kevin Villalobos 18, Swell Ewing 11, Izaiah Clark 9, Stavarai McSwain 4, Jalen Hayes 11, DeRhaun Mallett 3. Records—Snohomish 0-3 league, 2-4 overall. Mariner 1-2, 4-3.

Aaron Lommers covers prep sports for The Herald. Follow him on Twitter at @aaronlommers and contact him at alommers@heraldnet.com.