Mountlake Terrace beats Snohomish in battle of two Wesco 4A unbeatens
By AARON COE
Herald Writer
MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — The Mountlake Terrace boys basketball team found a way to slow down Snohomish in a 72-59 victory Tuesday night in the Mountlake Terrace gym.
Snohomish came into the matchup of unbeaten teams leading the Western Conference 4A with an average of 84.2 points per game, but often struggled to get a quality shot off against Terrace’s quick defense.
The Hawks, who allowed the fewest points per game in the state last season, held Snohomish to 40 points through three quarters as they built an 18-point lead.
"They haven’t sniffed a defense like ours," Terrace guard Roger Russaw said.
"We felt loose," said Terrace forward Cameron Rowland, who scored 20 points and collected 10 rebounds. "They hadn’t played a defense like ours."
The game featured a quick pace between two teams that both start lineups consisting of fleet of foot players all under 6-foot-3.
Both teams lost their star big men to graduation after last season (Seamus Boxley of Terrace, Will VanDuine of Snohomish), but the effects appear to have been virtually nullified in the early part of the season.
Terrace, which finished the 1999-2000 regular season 22-0, improved to 4-0 in the Wesco 4A and 7-0 overall this season and are at the top of the South Division. Snohomish, the top team thus far in the North Division, lost its first game of the young season to drop to 3-1, 6-1.
Mountlake Terrace coach Nalin Sood said that he was never comfortable, even when his team led 60-40 early in the fourth period.
"We knew they were going come at us," Sood said. "It just happened to be in the fourth quarter."
Snohomish went on a 19-6 tear to cut its deficit to just seven points with 2:34 remaining in the game. Matt Holzer scored eight of his 13 points at the end of the run.
For the first time in the game, the Hawks seemed tentative on offense while allowing the Panthers some hope.
"We had a few mental breakdowns," Sood said. "That’s why our guys aren’t jumping around right now. They know we have some things to work on."
The Hawks regained their composure and closed out the victory by scoring the game’s final six points. The Panthers did not score in the final 2:34.
Mountlake Terrace’s Mike Hedgecock, who missed the team’s last two practices because of the flu, played an inspired game.
The 6-foot-1 center scored 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and brought a physical nature despite his small stature for a post player.
"He was sick as a dog," Sood said. "He’s hard-nosed, and I’d put my money on him any time."
Junior guard Ryan Webb, who played little last season, wowed the Terrace crowd with several spectacular passes in addition to his 17 points.
"We knew Webb had talent," Rowland said. "He sat behind some older guys last year, but now he’s getting his chance."
Snohomish stayed with the Hawks in the early part of the game. Mike Kingsbery scored 10 of his team-high 14 points in the first 10 minutes of the game as the Panthers trailed just 14-12.
Terrace then scored the next eight points to take to take a 22-12 lead with 6:08 remaining in the first half.
Snohomish would get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.
The Hawks began the second half with a 6-0 run to pull ahead 42-25 and put the Panthers in a hole from which they could not emerge.
| Snohomish |
12 |
13 |
15 |
19 |
— |
59 |
| Mountlake Terrace |
16 |
20 |
22 |
14 |
— |
72 |
Snohomish—O’Connor 2, Sommer 4, Holzer 13, Hill 10, Shine 12, Kingsbery 14, Vanlandingham 4. Mountlake Terrace—Crosby 4, Webb 17, Russaw 6, Hedgecock 17, Rowland 20, Boxley 8. 3-point goals—Holzer 3, Hill 2, Kingsbery 2, Hedgecock 1, Rowland 1. JV score—Mountlake Terrace 71, Snohomish 61. Records—Snohomish 3-1 in league, 6-1 overall. Mountlake Terrace 4-0, 7-0.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
