Mavericks knock off Mount Vernon

SNOHOMISH — Sam Werner, a 6-foot senior guard for the Meadowdale High School boys basketball team, missed all of last season with a broken foot.

He watched the Mavericks march to the semifinals of the 3A state tournament before they ran into Franklin High School and guard Peyton Siva, now playing for the University of Louisville.

This year, Werner is trying to help get Meadowdale back to state.

The senior shut down Mount Vernon’s top scoring threat, Jake Weber-Koetje, and Connor Hamlett scored 24 points for Meadowdale in a 66-44 3A district semifinal win Feb. 25 at Glacier Peak High School.

“Our coaches did a great job game-planning (for Weber-Koetje),” said Werner, who scored 11 points for the Mavericks. “He’s a catch-and-shoot guy and he’ll pull it from anywhere, so I just denied him the ball and if he did get it, I crowded his left side and tried to make him go right. It was a fun challenge. He’s a great ballplayer.”

Weber-Koetje, who ended the regular season with a 15.1 points per-game average, finished with six points and Mount Vernon (14-8), the top-seed from the Northwest League, never got its offense on track against a fast, physical Meadowdale (18-5) team.

Hamlett punished defenders in the paint, grabbing second and third chances on offensive rebounds, and even stepped his game outside, hitting a 3-pointer in the third quarter.

“He knows he’s the biggest, fastest, strongest guy out there,” Werner said of the 6-foot-7, 235-pound Hamlett, an Oregon State football recruit. “When he puts his mind to it he can score every time. … He’s actually one of the best shooters on the team.”

Meadowdale guard Matt Beucherie finished with eight points and helped negotiate the Bulldogs’ defense while dishing out eight assists. “He did a great job distributing the ball,” Meadowdale head coach Chad McGuire said.

Kelsey Leek scored 11 points to lead Mount Vernon.

Meadowdale’s win sets up a rematch of the Feb. 18 3A District 1 seeding game against Glacier Peak, a 49-47 Grizzlies’ win on a late jumper by Tanner Southard. The victory was Glacier Peak’s first in three tries against Meadowdale this season. The winner-to-state game is set for 8 p.m., March 3 at Glacier Peak High School.

Meadowdale wins opener

By Alex Boswoth

For The Enterprise

Some free advice for the rest of the teams in the 3A District 1 playoffs: Playing the Meadowdale Mavericks right after they lose on a last-second shot isn’t a good idea.

All season long, in fact, it’s been a really bad idea.

The Sedro-Woolley Cubs found that out Feb. 23 in the tournament’s opening round.

Senior Connor Hamlett scored 28 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and blocked three shots as Meadowdale shut down Sedro-Woolley’s offense for much of the game on its way to a 59-33 victory at Meadowdale High School.

Meadowdale opened the game with a 7-0 run, thanks in part to senior Riley Neff-Warner who hit a 3-pointer and had two steals that led to scoring opportunities. Meadowdale was never seriously threatened after the opening minutes.

Meadowdale head coach Chad McGuire said he was pleased with the results — and with his team’s effort.

“I thought we came out and played hard,” said McGuire, whose team was ranked eighth in the state by The Associated Press in last week’s poll. “… We did what we needed to do.”