EDMONDS — Edmonds-Woodway boys basketball took down Marysville Getchell 58-42 in a non-league matchup Monday night to move to 7-0 on the season. But the 16-point win was one of the closer games the Warriors have been in this season — they won their first six games by an average margin of 30.7 points.
E-W head coach Tyler Geving believes more of these closer games against state contenders will help his team reach its potential.
“I think it was kind of the first true test, we needed to get in a game where it comes down to the wire,” said Geving. “Three or four bad possessions against a good team like (Getchell), and next thing you know it’s a six-point game.”
The Warriors were led by senior Cameron Hiatt, who had 16 points, 10 rebounds and a few clutch steals. Junior William Alseth was a major part of the Woodway effort, as he had 14 points and eight boards on a night where Woodway outrebounded Getchell 32-20.
“It’s just setting a tone with intensity. We want to be the team that’s asserting our will on the game, and it’s a great way to do it — if you control the glass, you control the possessions, you control the shots and you control the game,” said Hiatt.
Marysville Getchell (5-4) had to find ways outside of rebounding to get after the Warriors, as the Chargers stand at an average of 5 feet, 11 inches to Woodway’s 6 feet, 3 inches. By playing the passing lanes and crowding opposing ballhandlers, the Chargers won the turnover battle 11-8. Getchell star Bubba Palacol, who led his team to a 19-7 record and a state appearance last season, believes stealing possessions helps the Chargers compensate for what they lose in height.
“We’ve always been tiny, last year and the year before that. I think we’re used to it,” said Palacol. “Defensively we’re pesky and annoying and offensively… we shoot the ball well.”
Most of the Chargers’ shooting typically comes from Palacol, as he scored a game-high 24 points and has averaged over 25 points per game this season. But as the Chargers drop closer to .500, Getchell head coach Corby Schuh suggested the whole team needs to get involved on the offensive end.
“Bubba had a lot of good takes and just had a tough time finishing with the help that (Woodway’s defense) had, and I think the rest of our guys shot seven-for-27 from the field — so they need to step up and shoot a little better,” said Schuh.
The rough shooting night peaked in the third quarter when the Chargers didn’t score a field goal for the first six-and-a-half minutes of the period. The dry spell was part of a 15-3 run by Edmonds-Woodway to break the game open after it led by six at the half.
“Our whole team — they just bring the energy, they bring defensive effort and to hold that team to 42, that’s really good,” said Geving. “You’ve got to play hard if you’re going to get out there on the floor.”
Despite the tough offensive stretches in this game, Palacol believes the Chargers can replicate last season’s run to state with some improvements.
“I think we could go pretty deep into districts and maybe even a game in the Tacoma Dome if we start playing better, more people attack the hoop and we continue to play good defense,” said Palacol.
Getchell’s next contest will be Saturday afternoon as they will play Seattle Academy on the road. Woodway will match up with Renton Friday night in the first of three straight non-conference away games.
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