The Mountlake Terrace Hawks boys basketball team will take to the road for their longest trip of the regular season Monday when they travel south on I-5 to Longview and take part in a full day of prep action at Lower Columbia College.

The Hawks will tip off the first annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Basketball Tribute on Jan. 18 when they face the Black Hills Wolves at 12 noon inside LCC’s Myklebust Gymnasium.

The Terrace-Black Hills match up is the first of five scheduled during the all-day event. Admission is $8 for adults, $5 for students and seniors and is good for all five games.

This is the fourth year in a row that the Hawks will be participating in a Martin Luther King, Jr. basketball event, something Coach Nalin Sood likes to see on his team’s schedule each year. Playing in these games gives his squad experience going up against a quality opponent in a big setting, Sood said.

Last year Terrace played in the opening game of the Martin Luther King Day Hoops Showcase at Eastside Catholic High School. In 2014 and 2013 the team participated in the King Showcase at Kent’s Showare Center.

“This year we have a great opportunity, to go down to Longview to play in that tournament,” Sood said. “We’re going to play a good Black Hills that’s got a tremendous guard. It’s another great challenge for our kids.”

The Black Hills Wolves, a 2A team out of Tumwater, will be a tougher test for the Hawks than their current 5-8 record may indicate. Black Hills is led by sharpshooting senior TJ Michelson, a 6-1 guard that’s a difficult matchup for any opponent. Michelson hit a 26-foot three-point shot at the final buzzer to give Black Hills a win over Woodland on Dec. 30. Then on Jan. 12 the senior lit up the scoreboard for 30 points in a close loss for the Wolves against Centralia.

Both Terrace and Black Hills will be hungry for a win on Monday. The Hawks, 9-4 overall, are coming off of two tough defeats this past week to Wesco League rivals Meadowdale and Shorewood. The Wolves will be out to break a current four-game losing streak.

Terrace is 1-2 in Martin Luther King Day games the past three seasons. Last year the Hawks fell to Jefferson 49-48, in 2014 they lost to Central Catholic (Portland) 46-43, and in 2013 they defeated Fairfax (Los Angeles ) 38-36.

Martin Luther King Jr. Basketball Tribute, Monday, Jan. 18 schedule

12 Noon — Black Hills Wolves vs. Mountlake Terrace Hawks (boys)
2:00 p.m. — Wenatchee Panthers vs. Columbia River Chieftains (boys)
4:00 p.m. — Kelso Lassies vs. Mark Morris Monarchs (girls)
6:00 p.m. — Clover Park Warriors vs. Mark Morris Monarchs (boys)
8:00 p.m. — Grant Generals vs. Union Titans (boys)

Lower Columbia College is located at 1600 Maple Street in Longview.

–Doug Petrowski