By Doug Petrowski

There is no early-morning wake-up call for the Mountlake Terrace boys basketball team at the state championships this year, but the Hawks will have a familiar opponent in their first game of the tourney on Thursday.

The Mountlake Terrace Hawks take on the Lincoln (Tacoma) Abes Thursday at the WIAA 3A Boys Basketball Tournament in the Tacoma Dome, with tip-off scheduled for 7:15 p.m. The game is a rematch of a Dec. 8 match-up between the two schools, a game won by Lincoln 60-59 at Highline Community College.

Lincoln and Mountlake Terrace have identical records of 21-3. Each won their conference championships, and both are ranked in the Seattle Times 3A boys state rankings — the Abes at No. 3 and the Hawks at No. 6. Neither the No. 4-ranked team, Mercer Island, nor the No. 5 team, Stanwood, made the field for the state tourney.

Seven of the 10 top 3A teams punched their ticket to tournament. The squad that the Hawks beat last Saturday, the Foss Falcons, was the remaining top 10 team that failed to qualify for state. The only school not in the top 10 playing this weekend in Tacoma is the Timberline Blazers.

The 7:15 p.m. game time is a relief to coaches and many Hawk fans who remember the team’s 9 a.m. start time in last year’s two appearances at the state tournament, both of which resulted in losses.

For a complete look at the 3A boys basketball bracket visit the WIAA website.

One-day spectator admission to the tourney is $12 for adults and students with no valid ASB card; $10 for students with ASB, seniors 62 and older and children 5-11 years old. The Hawks Live Sports Network is planning to broadcast from the Tacoma Dome.