Talk about starting with a bang.
The Western Conference boys basketball schedule kicks off tonight with two high-profile matchups. In the North, Snohomish and Jon Brockman travel to Mount Vernon, while in the South, preseason favorite Mountlake Terrace plays at Shorewood. All four teams are expected to contend for their respective division titles.
Snohomish (0-1 overall) lost its season opener Friday against Sehome, 64-59. Brockman scored 23 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, and Jake Hammons poured in 20 points, including six 3-pointers, for the Panthers. Snohomish coach Len Bone said he’s still working out his rotation and would like to have one more non-league game to iron out some concerns. Instead, Mount Vernon (1-1) presents a formidable challenge.
“It’s a big game for our second game of the year,” Bone said. “It’s a fun place to go because you’re gonna have a great crowd and you’re playing against a good team. We’re excited. Hopefully we got those jitters out in our first game.”
Snohomish’s guards must handle Mount Vernon’s press. The Bulldogs also have plenty of offensive threats, including senior forward Justin Burns.
“First of all, you gotta be concerned about how they shoot it,” Bone said. “(But) if you get too concerned (with their shooting) they’ll go by you. They’re hard to guard.”
In the South, Mountlake Terrace (0-1) looks to recover from a 67-64 season-opening loss against Box Hill, a team from Australia. Key players for Terrace include Luke Hammond, Mike Boxley and Leigh Swanson. Rob Diederichs, a 6-foot-7 guard/forward, leads Shorewood (1-0), which beat Redmond 52-36 on Nov. 30.
Two Washington backs selected for Army All-American Bowl: Pasco’s Leon Jackson and Timberline’s Jonathan Stewart will represent Washington at the Fifth Annual U.S. Army All-American Bowl on Jan. 15 at the Alamodome in San Antonio.
Jackson and Stewart, both running backs who will play for the West team, are two of 78 players selected from a pool of 400 nominees to play in the game, which will be televised at 10 a.m. on NBC. The selection committee includes representatives of Scout.com, ESPN and USA Today.
Stewart, Washington’s all-time leading high school rusher with 7,755 yards, was recently named the Gatorade State Football Player of the Year. He ran for 2,301 yards and 30 touchdowns this season.
U.S. Army All-Americans are eligible to become the Ball Park National High School Player of the Year. The award honoring the country’s top prep football player will be presented Jan. 14 at the 2005 U.S. Army All-American Awards Dinner in San Antonio.
Shiflet signs with Western: Stanwood senior Amanda Shiflet has signed a letter of Intent to play softball at Western Washington University.
Shiflet made The Herald’s All-Area first team at third base last spring, compiling a .467 on-base percentage. She helped Stanwood advance to the District 1 tournament in each of the past two seasons.
“Amanda is very hard working and a dedicated softball player,” Western Washington coach Lonnie Hicks said in a statement released by the school. “She’s also very dedicated in the classroom, so I think she’s going to do a very good job at Western.”
Local teams to play Saturday in Les Schwab Hoop Challenge: The boys teams from Snohomish and Bothell, and the Monroe girls will compete in the Les Schwab Hoop Challenge Saturday at Seattle Pacific University. The event features eight games that feature some of the state’s top teams and most highly recruited players.
Monroe, which last year went 26-3 and placed fifth at the Class 4A state tournament, faces Redmond at noon. Senior center Kirsten Thompson, who has signed with Arizona State, leads the Bearcats.
Fueled by senior post Jon Brockman, Snohomish battles Bartlett at 3 p.m. The team from Anchorage, Alaska, placed second in its state tournament last season.
Bothell plays Mercer Island at 5:30 p.m.
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