Mavs back on track

The Meadowdale girls basketball team is refocused.

Following a Jan. 16 loss to Jackson, the Mavericks belted Mariner and Shorecrest in their next two Western Conference South Division games.

Guard Eryn Jones scored 21 points to lead Meadowdale to a 80-44 victory over the Marauders on Jan. 23 and then the senior co-captain tallied 25 points in an 80-50 triumph over the Scots on Jan. 25.

Meadowdale head coach Dan Taylor told his players he didn’t want them to dwell on the loss to the Timberwolves.

“He wanted us to let it go,” said junior guard Hanna Fjortoft. “That was in the past. We’re looking forward to districts and state.”

Jones liked what she saw from Meadowdale in its last two games.

“I think we are playing really well,” said Jones, who is averaging a league-leading 23.4 points per game. “As a team we have a lot of fun out there … everyone is getting more confident each game.

Meadowdale’s only two losses of the season are to Jackson, which is undefeated in the league. One of the issues brought up by Taylor following the Jackson game was that the Mavericks needed to provide more offensive support for Jones.

Senior guard Alli Streit answered the call, scoring 13 points against Mariner and 15 against Shorecrest, well above her season average of 8.8 points. But it just wasn’t Streit. Three players scored eight or more points in both contests.

“In our last two games the scoring was more spread out,” Fjortoft said. “Even our bench was scoring our points. It shows that everyone has the capability to score if they are given the opportunity.”

Jones has been a teammate of Streit every since they were little and she isn’t surprised by her performances in the last two games.

“I know how hard she works,” Jones said. “She is such a competitor in practice and in games. It’s cool to see her make her shots. She just stepped up her game a lot in those last two games.”

Meadowdale pulled away from Mariner in the second quarter with a 25-6 outburst. Against Shorecrest, the Mavericks started out strong, jumping ahead 23-5 after eight minutes of play.

“We played good defense that game,” Jones said. “We were hitting our shots, it was all coming together.”

Said Fjortoft, “We got a lot of fastbreaks, so that was good. In the second half, Shorecrest picked it up and it was more of a tough game. In the end it turned out good.”

Defense also was instrumental in the win over Mariner, as the Mavericks started pressing in the second quarter.

Meadowdale hosts district rival Mountlake Terrace at 7:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 1, and then travels to Kamiak for a 7:30 p.m., Monday, Feb. 4, clash. The Mavericks prevailed 68-61 over the Knights on Jan. 8.

The Knights have a height advantage over Meadowdale. Kamiak has four players 6 feet or taller, while the Mavericks have one.

“Our team is pretty small,” Fjortoft said. “They had a lot of second chance shots. We didn’t block out that well. They have a really strong team offensively and defensively. When they come out to play, they’re always going to be a challenge.

“The team that gets the most rebounds and plays the best defense usually ends up winning the game.”

Added Jones, “I’m excited to play Kamiak. They played us tough the last time.”

Meadowdale wraps up the regular season against Shorewood at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 6. The goal in the final regular season games is to prepare for the postseason.

“Everyone wants to come out and work hard,” Fjortoft said. “We want to start perfecting our plays and reaching our full potential with everyone contributing on the floor.”