STANWOOD — At halftime, and despite a 10-point lead, Stanwood boys basketball coach Zach Ward wanted more from his team on Tuesday night.
In the first two quarters against visiting Lake Stevens, Ward thought the Spartans showed a lack of passion, purpose and, maybe most disappointingly, pride. So in the locker room, and in a calm and quiet tone, he made sure his players knew it.
Said Ward, “I told them, ‘I’m not going to blow up with you. I’m going to save that card. You’ve heard me yell and we’re still getting this (lackluster play). So let’s just have a conversation. I’m not mad at you, I’m disappointed. So let’s look around the room and see who’s going to step up (the rest of the game).”
Evidently Ward’s message was received because in a dominating second half Stanwood powered past the Vikings for an emphatic 74-51 non-conference victory, improving to 3-0 in the young season.
The Spartans blew the game open with a 20-2 scoring blitz over the final 5½ minutes of the third quarter to take a 57-31 lead into the final period, and the margin reached 31 points twice in the early minutes of the fourth quarter. At that point Ward started going to his bench.
“I felt a lot better in the second half with what we were doing offensively and defensively,” he said. “We were playing a style that we want to play. In the third quarter it was clicking, and (also at) the start of the fourth quarter. … We were playing at a pretty high level for the third game of the year.”
Senior post Chase Strieby led the way for the Spartans with 24 points in barely more than three quarters of play. He had 11 of the team’s 22 points in the decisive third quarter.
But Stanwood’s impressive second half had as much to do with defense as offense. In particular, the Spartans got serious about defending Lake Stevens guard Ryder Kavanagh, who was coming off a 38-point performance in Friday’s 80-66 victory over Arlington.
In the first half against Stanwood, Kavanagh had 16 points, a total that clearly displeased Ward.
“He was the No. 1 guy on our (game-plan) board,” Ward said. “Our main goal was to take him out and see what they could do without him. We had a goal to keep him under 15 points, but then he goes for 16 in the first half.”
The second half defensive effort on Kavanagh was much better, he conceded, “but where was that to start the game? We need to be excited about that challenge.”
Though the Spartans had plenty of good moments in the game, their best moment unfortunately didn’t count. Senior A.J. Martinka, a 6-foot-6 senior, drove to the basket for an explosive dunk early in the fourth quarter, but it was waved off by an offensive charging foul. Still, Ward said, “that’s a little glimpse of what he can be.”
Though his team remains undefeated, Ward knows there is plenty of work ahead. But the good news is, there is also plenty of potential. He is eager for his squad to make a repeat trip to the state tournament and perhaps improve on the team’s two-and-out finish in 2015-16.
“I’m really excited,” he said. “I think I have an awesome group of kids. They’re great basketball players and they’re great kids. … I want so much for them. I want them to experience what they can, and I don’t want them to miss any opportunities.”
Lake Stevens coach Mark Hein was unavailable for comment after the game. The Vikings, who slipped to 1-2, were led by Kavanagh’s 20 points.
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