Mavericks measure up well against foes

LYNNWOOD

The Meadowdale Mavericks showed that they can measure up against just about anyone out there.

Against a pair of Class 4A teams with several players 6-feet or taller, the undersized 3A Meadowdale girls basketball team came away with two victories.

The Mavericks edged Snohomish 59-55 on Dec. 5 and then opened its Western Conference South Division schedule with a 75-49 victory over district rival Edmonds-Woodway on Dec. 7.

Meadowdale head coach Dan Taylor saw a lot of grit and determination from his team, especially in its close win over the Panthers.

“We have a lot of heart and intensity that we’re going to need, especially for our small size,” Taylor said. “We can compete against any team that has size and has a size advantage.”

Snohomish featured three players 6-feet or taller, while Edmonds-Woodway has two players 6 feet or taller and a pair of 5-11 players. Meadowdale’s tallest player is junior center Anna Molitor, who is 6 feet. The rest of the Mavericks’ lineup consists of players 5-8 or smaller.

“Our coaches always talk about how we lack in height,” said senior guard/co-captain Eryn Jones, who is 5-8. “So we have to make up with working hard and quickness. We work twice as hard, especially with rebounding and blocking out. We just have to work extra hard in different areas to make up for our height.”

Meadowdale also will focus on its strengths, namely its speed.

“Height isn’t everything,” said 5-8 junior guard/co-captain Hanna Fjortoft. “Our team is pretty fast. We run a lot. So I think our quickness definitely helps us get up and down the court and that’s how we can beat teams too.”

Jones, a first-team, all-league guard, worked on improving her speed this fall and the results are paying off. Jones usually ran cross country during the fall but decided to make the difficult decision to forgo her senior season and instead focused on preparing for basketball.

“It was hard not doing (cross country) because I really like it,” Jones said. “I did a lot of sprints. We did footwork and ability stuff. I’m really noticing it coming down the court. I feel like I’m faster. I think it’s going to help on defense ¿ guarding other people. Hopefully, it’ll help on offense. This year we’ll be fast-breaking, getting down the floor and attacking the basket. We’re trying to be more explosive.”

Jones has lived up to all of Taylor’s expectations so far and he expects the senior standout to continue to be a leader for what is a somewhat young Meadowdale squad. The Mavericks have six players with varsity experience but only three seniors ¿ Jones, guard Danica Coronacion and guard Alli Streit.

“(Jones) is our floor leader,” Taylor said. “She knows when to take over the game. She’s been hitting some key buckets, clutch buckets when we need them and clutch free throws as well.”

In her first four games, Jones has scored a game-high 22, 20, 20 and 20 points. She also has distributed the ball well, which will be important this season given the graduation of Marelle Moehrle, who along with Jones averaged 17.4 point per game last year.

Three different players have been the Mavericks’ second leading scorer in their four contests, which is how Taylor expects it to go this season.

“It’s spread out between all the guards. Eryn will get hers and others are just sharing the load,” Taylor said.

“We have our whole entire five scoring,” added Fjortoft, who had 16 and 17 points against Snohomish and Edmonds-Woodway, respectively. “Our points come from all over. It’s more balanced. People are accepting their roles and know that every person can make a difference and score.”

Coronacion, Molitor and Streit all have started off strong and will be offensive contributors, Jones said.

The Mavericks will look to Jones for leadership, especially on the offensive end.

“She has really good smarts for the game and knows what’s going on,” Fjortoft said. “She’s really good at deciding which plays to run and what’s going to work against certain defenses.”

More is also expected of Fjortoft, who is a captain for the first time. While she was content to stay in the background last year, Fjortoft is ready to be more vocal with her teammates this season.

“I feel like I have to be able to step up and tell my teammates what to do in a positive way,” Fjortoft said. “It’s definitely more of a challenge, but I guess that’s good. It helps me grow as a player and a person.”