High-flying start for Hawks

Terrace stays unbeaten with 60-35 victory

By AARON COE

Herald Writer

EVERETT — The Mountlake Terrace boys basketball team won all of its regular season games last year, and the Hawks seem on their way again.

Mountlake Terrace played a near-perfect game Friday night at the Cascade gym, handing the Bruins a 60-35 loss in a Western Conference 4A game.

The Hawks improved to 3-0 in the South Division and 6-0 overall. Mountlake Terrace was 22-0 before losing two games in last season’s state tournament.

"We had the focus of 25-year-olds," first-year Terrace head coach Nalin Sood said. "We didn’t look like 17- and 18-year-old kids.

One of the well-beyond-his-years players was Roger Russaw, who scored 20 points and played spectacular defense.

The 6-foot-2 senior, who made the switch from wing to point guard during the off-season, directed an offense that committed only eight turnovers to Cascade’s 15.

"We knew this was a big game," Russaw said. "We look at Cascade as our rivals. From the first shot I took, I knew I was feeling it."

Cascade was in the game for much of the evening, but a 20-6 fourth-quarter finish by the Hawks finished the Bruins.

Terrace, which has four players averaging in double figures and another averaging nine points, got contributions from several players Friday.

Ryan Webb (10 points), Mike Hedgecock (10 points), Cameron Rowland (seven points, six rebounds) and Dan Boxley (eight points) all contributed both offensively and on defense.

"I really didn’t see anything wrong at all," Sood said. "Maybe when I look at the film I’ll see something, but we played a full 32 minutes. And you have to play that way against Cascade."

The Bruins, who dropped to 2-1 in the Wesco 4A North Division and 3-2 overall, struggled to score against Terrace’s aggressive defense.

The Hawks led by just seven points, 33-26, in the middle of the third quarter, but outscored Cascade 27-9 during the game’s final 12 minutes.

Boxley began a 13-3 run late in the third quarter with consecutive inside baskets. The junior forward also sank a pair of free throws during the Cascade drought, which included two layups by Russaw, as the Hawks went ahead 46-29 with 6:30 remaining in the game.

"We feel the five guys we put out there can play with anybody," Sood said. "Cascade is going to be there in the end. We just had a very good night."

The Bruins played Terrace even for most of the first quarter. Matt Konsmo scored four of his team-high 10 points as Cascade trailed just 10-8 before a buzzer-beating 3-point basket by Webb as the period expired.

The Hawks scored the first six points of the second quarter to take a 19-8 advantage, but Cascade went on a 7-0 tear to get within four points with 1:45 remaining in the half.

Russaw then ended Terrace’s longest dry spell with a long jump shot. His 3-point basket from about 28 feet away as the half expired pushed the Hawks’ lead to 26-17.

Cascade showed some signs of a comeback early in the third. The Bruins trailed just 30-24, but Hedgecock hit a 3-pointer to slow Cascade’s momentum.

It was all Hawks from there.

"That was a big win for us," Russaw said. "Now we’ve got a little confidence. Everything was clickin’ tonight.

"Hopefully we can play that way the rest of the season and go back to the state playoffs — and win it all."

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Mountlake Terrace	13	13	14	20	—	60
Cascade	8	9	12	6	—	35

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Mountlake Terrace—Stiel-Williams 3, Crosby 2, Webb 10, Russaw 20, Hedgecock 10, Rowland 7, Boxley 8. Cascade—Michaelis 2, Hansen 4, Curtiss 3, Konsmo 10, Skoor 6, Hill 4, Bailey 6. 3-point goals—Webb 2, Russaw 1, Hedgecock 2, Curtiss 1, Konsmo 1. JV score—Terrace 59, Cascade 44. Records—Mountlake Terrace 3-0 in league, 6-0 overall. Cascade 2-1, 3-2.