Terrace rides defense to big win over Edmonds-Woodway (video)

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — Brendan Hayes set the tone early for Mountlake Terrace’s stifling defense, then helped kick-start the Hawks’ offense with a pinpoint outside shooting display.

Hayes recorded a season-high 25 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks as the Mountlake Terrace boys basketball team rolled to its 11th consecutive victory and held visiting Edmonds-Woodway to its lowest point total of the season in a 64-43 Wesco 3A win Tuesday night.

“That’s what we preach at Terrace — get down, get dirty and play hard-nosed defense,” Hayes said.

Hayes, a 6-foot-4 senior forward, had four blocks in the first quarter and continued his recent stretch of hot shooting with five 3-pointers.

Hayes has scored at least 19 points in four of the Hawks’ past five games. Prior to that, his season high was 15 points.

“If you saw Brendan practicing yesterday and you saw him today, (he had the) same disposition,” Terrace coach Nalin Sood said. “That’s what good shooters have to have. They have to have a clear (and) consistent mind — not get up and not get down. And that’s Brendan.”

The Hawks (16-1 overall, 8-1 Wesco 3A) held Edmonds-Woodway 22.5 points below its season average, limiting the Warriors to just six points in the second quarter and 19 in the first half.

It was the 12th time this season that Terrace has held an opponent to 50 points or less. The Hawks are yielding just 46.5 points per game, continuing their long tradition of lockdown defense under Sood.

“As coaches, you can talk about it in practice, you can drill it (and) you can put it on a report,” Sood said. “But it’s a credit to the kids that they want to go out there, guard hard and play good team defense.

“That’s sort of been a trademark, and it passes down from one group to the other,” he added. “But’s it’s these 11 kids that are going out there and doing that.”

Terrace senior standout Khyree Armstead scored 17 points, energizing the home crowd with a pair of one-handed dunks in the first quarter. Sophomore guard Mason Christianson added 13 points for the Hawks, who haven’t lost since a Dec. 12 defeat to Wesco 3A-leading Shorecrest.

Edmonds-Woodway (9-8, 4-5) led 13-11 after the opening quarter, but Hayes hit a step-back 3-pointer early in the second period to begin a 17-2 Hawks run. Terrace built a 33-19 halftime advantage and led 47-23 midway through the third quarter.

“Playing good defense in the first quarter kept us right there close to them,” Sood said. “And then we were able to get some shots down.”

Senior guard Noah Becker led Edmonds-Woodway with 16 points, including 10 in the third quarter.

“They were just more physical than us,” Warriors coach Robert Brown said. “They were more physical than us the whole game, and they earned the (win). They were better than us tonight.”