After falling behind early, the Mountlake Terrace Hawks battled back and defeated the No. 1-seeded Arlington Eagles 51-46 on Wednesday night at Everett Community College, clinching the Hawks’ 10th boys high school basketball state berth in 13 years.
Before the game, Terrace head coach Nalin Sood noted that the game would be a tough matchup for his team. While the Hawks have improved since the last time these two teams met — Arlington won that Dec. 10 contest 70-55 — the Eagles “also have gotten a lot better,” Sood said.
In the first quarter. it was all Arlington, with the Eagles leading 16-6 after the first period. Senior guard Ethan Martin paced Arlington, scoring 10 of those 16 points.
Being down early put the Hawks in a bind, but not out of the game. The Hawks bounced back in the second quarter, led by senior guard Jeffery Anyimah, who contributed eight points in the quarter and 10 in the first half. Arlington only scored seven points in the second, but still led 23-22 at the break.
The Hawks carried the momentum they had into the second half. Four points for senior Vito Mkrtychan and a heat check 3-pointer from sophomore Jackson Dubiel gave the Hawks their first lead of the night. And by the end of the third, Terrace was ahead 36-32.
Anyimah dominated the fourth quarter, scoring 11 in the period and 23 on the night. After Martin’s 10-point first quarter for the Eagles, the Hawks held him to seven the rest of the game. He finished with 17.
The Hawks will play the No. 7 seed Ferndale Eagles Saturday,Feb. 19, with the tipoff at 6 p.m. at Everett Community College. Tickets are $7 at the door or available online here.
Boys Basketball District Playoff Semi Finals
Wednesday, Feb. 16 Everett Community College
Mountlake Terrace scorers: Jeffrey Anyimah 23, Zaveon Jones 9, Vito Mkrtychan 6, Adison Mattix 4, Jaxon Dubiel 3, Don Brown 2, Chris Meegan 2, Tigran Mkrtychan 2
Arlington scorers: Ethan Martin 20, Leyton Martin 8, Luke Brown 6, Grayson Falk 6, David Zachman 4, Gage Price 2
Records: Mountlake Terrace 16-2; Arlington 16-5
Mountlake Terrace next game: District Tournament Championship vs Ferndale; Saturday Feb. 19; 6 p.m. at Everett Community College
— By Benjamin Eyman
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