MARYSVILLE — Basketball teams that rely heavily on just one or two players often bog down. But the balanced, experienced Monroe Bearcats don’t have to worry about that.
Seven players scored at least two points during a decisive second half for the Monroe High School boys basketball team
, which trailed by a point at halftime but eventually cruised to a 51-33 victory over the Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks on Friday at Jim Linden Fieldhouse. Senior post Cole Parker finished with 17 points and 17 rebounds for Monroe, which won its ninth Western Conference 4A contest of the season.
So far, it’s been a season to savor for Monroe, which has 10 seniors. The Bearcats took their lumps in previous seasons, including a 6-14 record (4-12 in league) in 2009-2010. But on Friday they clinched their program’s first-ever Class 4A district tournament berth. Monroe moved up from 3A to 4A in 2001.
“The nice thing this year,” Monroe coach Nick Wold said, “is we’re not just a one-man crew. We really have some great balance, so in the second half we just had some guys step up.”
Guard Nate Williams and post Ryan Shannon combined to score 14 points in the first half, helping M-P take a 21-20 lead to the intermission. But Monroe scored four straight points to open the third quarter on jump shots by senior guards Joey Roppo and Slava Ulanovskiy, and the Bearcats outscored M-P 15-5 in the period.
The Tomahawks never got back in it and fell behind by as many as 19 points.
The 6-foot-7 Parker played well on both ends of the court for Monroe (9-2 Wesco 4A, 12-4 overall), which completed a regular-season sweep of M-P (3-8, 4-12). On defense, Parker helped hold Shannon, M-P’s season-leading scorer, to 11 points. Shannon, a talented 6-7 junior, had been averaging 16.1 points per game.
“My main goal was to shut down Shannon as much as I could,” said Parker, “and limit him to (as few) points and rebounds as possible. My effort wasn’t great in the first half but in the second half, every rebound, I just wanted to go get it.”
Shannon (seven blocks, six rebounds) played well in other areas but had a rough shooting night, particularly in the second half when he was 2 of 9 from the field — part of M-P’s woeful 4-for-26 performance. Williams, M-P’s No. 2 scorer, was 0-for-8 after halftime.
“Offensively, we couldn’t score. Credit obviously to (Monroe’s) defense. We weren’t getting wide-open looks,” M-P coach Bary Gould said.
“Cole’s effort on the glass was really good,” Wold said. “We contested shots and we were able to extend out and get the rebounds and go out and score in transition.”
With four league games to go, four Wesco North teams are fighting for two remaining District 1 tournament berths. Monroe is tied for first place with Arlington, which also clinched a playoff berth by beating Stanwood 66-49 on Friday. Stanwood (6-5) is in fourth place, three games ahead of M-P and Snohomish, which lost to third-place Lake Stevens (7-4) on Friday.
“There’s an outside chance (to make the playoffs) but we’re to the point now where we can’t lose any more,” said Gould. “Obviously, for the majority of the season our backs have been up against the wall and we’re trying to fight.”
M-P certainly fought hard versus Monroe, but several energetic substitutes provided big sparks for the victorious Bearcats. Determined junior Tony Peloquin (six points) “gave us great minutes and great energy,” Wold said.
In addition, lightning-quick junior guard Terrance Day came up with two steals and two baskets for Monroe in the first half. It was Day’s varsity debut.
“In the second quarter,” Wold said, “he really kept us afloat and came up with a couple big steals.”
At Marysville-Pilchuck H.S.
Monroe 7 23 25 16 — 51
Marysville-Pilchuck 8 13 5 7 — 33
Monroe—Roppo 4, Drivstuen, Ulanovskiy 6, Meeus 6, Parker 17, Turner 2, Peloquin 6, Bunge 3, Day 4, Friesen 3, Pham, Reilly. Marysville-Pilchuck—Shannon 11, Kiblinger 3, Martinis 4, Williams 10, Miles 4, Apel-Henderson, Cody Dockendorf, Desanctis, Chris Dockendorf, Diaz, Oden. Babiker. 3-point goals—Bunge 1, Friesen 1, Martinis 1, Williams 2. Records—Monroe 9-2 in league, 12-4 overall. Marysville-Pilchuck 3-8, 4-12.
Mike Cane: mcane@heraldnet.com. Check out the prep sports blog Double Team at www.heraldnet.com/doubleteam and follow Cane on Twitter at MikeCaneHerald.
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