MARYSVILLE — Marysville Getchell hosted Meadowdale on Jan. 21 for a Wesco 3A Conference battle in which both teams looked to improve their records and performances as the second half of the regular season winds down.
The first-year Chargers demonstrated their improvement, but Meadowdale senior Margreet Barhoum scored 23 points and the Lady Mavs’ transition offense fueled their 71-25 win.
Meadowdale led 29-7 at the end of the first quarter in which Lady Maverick defenders stuck to their Charger assignments with full-court pressure and jumped passes at midcourt. Meadowdale’s defense yielded their offense as they rebounded MG’s missed shots and raced right back across the floor for quick baskets and fouls when Getchell defenders scrambled to stop their drives.
Getchell slowed the Meadowdale rush by forcing them to settle for errant jump shots, but the Mavs blanketed the Charger posts and stole their entry passes to continue their full-court sprints.
Meadowdale was a completely different offense, however, in their half-court sets as their jumpers drew iron again and again when Getchell slowed their attack. The Chargers forced more and more jumpers as the first half progressed, but Meadowdale still led 44-12 at halftime.
Getchell was much stronger in every aspect of the game in the second half as they controlled rebounds and the ball to find open shots and cut into the Meadowdale lead.
“The girls didn’t like how they played in the first half, so they came out tougher,” said Getchell JV coach KC Nelson. “They’ve been improving all season and it showed in the second half. Our shots just weren’t falling.”
Charger junior Rachael Lefstad hit a jumper and freshman Marina Wika nailed a three from the top of the arc as Getchell’s offense came into the second half with a renewed confidence in their low-post attack. The Chargers created a fast break of their own that Lefstad completed with a mid-range jumper.
Getchell head coach Shannon Grandbois urged the team during Meadowdale’s ensuing timeout to get out on defense and make contact with Meadowdale’s shooters and swing the ball around the perimeter to find mismatches on offense.
MG senior Kyleigh Dschaak kept the Mavs’ defense in check when she pulled down two straight offensive rebounds on one possession and put the second one back up and in for two of her 11 points in the game.
The Chargers clamped down in the lane on defense, but the Lady Mavs caught fire from the three-point line on their way to a 62-20 advantage after three quarters.
Charger junior Alexys Wilson knocked down a jumper from the high post, but Meadowdale kept their hot hands shooting as Lady Mav junior Julianne Kossian nailed a three with five and a half minutes left in regulation.
Dschaak took charge of the offensive glass by cleaning up rebounds for second-chance shots to keep Meadowdale’s defense honest. She swooped inside for a layup from the left side of the key and the final score read 71-25.
