Hawks win Holiday tourney

MOUNTLAKE TERRACE — For the first time in weeks Mountlake Terrace coach Nalin Sood didn’t care if his team won or lost.

For the first time this year the focus of the Hawks boys basketball team wasn’t on defeating the opposition.

For once the goal of Sood and his players was a simple one: to improve as a team.

This week’s seventh annual Edmonds School District Holiday tournament afforded Mountlake Terrace two games to accomplish this goal.

“We’ve had to worry about wins and losses the past five games,” Sood said. “I just wanted to worry today about just getting better and working on things that we haven’t had maybe (time) to do because of league play and the pressure with that. I think we did that. We accomplished some things we wanted to work on.”

The Hawks opened the tournament with an 82-47 victory over Emerald Ridge and then defeated O’Dea 59-45 to win its second straight tournament title.

Four different players scored in double figures against Emerald Ridge and three were in double figures against O’Dea with another tallying nine points.

“I don’t think we’re going to be a great team if we have one guy averaging 18 or 19,” Sood said. “We’re going to be a very good team if we have several guys between 10 and 14 points a game and that’s what we’re trying to get across to these guys.

“Some nights they’ll be some guys and other nights it’ll be others and that’s how you are going to be successful.”

Even though the Emerald Ridge game turned into a blowout midway through the second quarter, junior Mike Boxley said the Hawks still benefited and learned from the experience.

A 24-6 run in the second quarter all but sealed the victory for Mountlake Terrace.

“Every time we play like that it brings a team closer,” Boxley said. “A blowout or loss brings a team closer. Out of that game, we pretty much got that we’re starting to play a little bit more as a team. Everybody is getting a little more unselfish — swinging the ball. Pass first, shoot second. That’s what we got out of it.”

The 82-point total was a season-high for the Hawks and was a direct result of being aggressive early on, Boxley said.

Unlike some other games, Mountlake Terrace’s offense clicked from the opening tipoff.

“We didn’t take it easy,” Boxley said. “We didn’t start slow today … we tried to push the ball as fast as possible. That’s why we put up so many points.”

Sood also credited the Hawks’ defense with creating scoring opportunities. His players also looked to pass the ball to their teammates.

“A lot of guys on this team are good enough to get good shots,” Sood said. “But you’ve always got to be aware of your teammates, who can get great shots. That’s the unselfishness of these guys — four guys in double figures. They were very indicative of that tonight.”

The Hawks are 2-3 in league play and have yet to put together consecutive victories.

Sood attributes this inconsistency to a couple of factors — his team’s relative youth and the quality of the other teams in the Western Conference 4A South Division.

A 55-53 loss to district rival Meadowdale was a little easier to take than a 58-53 defeat to Kamiak.

“I did not walk out of that Meadowdale game feeling too down,” Sood said. “We got beat by a good team. The Kamiak game we didn’t play particularly well but they’re a good team. They’ve been beating people.”

As the players get more comfortable with one another Boxley expects the Hawks to continue to improve.

“It just takes time for a team to get together and unite,” he said. “When we start playing as a team, it’s hard to beat us. It’s just coming together a little bit better.”