MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Getchell Chargers were defeated by the Arlington Eagles in a 61-24 blowout on Dec. 11.
Coming off their first win of the season, a 44-34 win over Mariner High School on Dec. 9, the Chargers were unable to carry their winning performance to Arlington.
Right from the start the Chargers had no answer for the Eagles’ relentless offensive pressure which kept the Chargers on guard for most of the game.
It was apparent that the Chargers were at a serious height disadvantage throughout the game. Arlington players, like 6’1” center Lyndsay Leatherman, made scoring for the Chargers difficult. Leatherman used her size to box out players when getting rebounds.
“I think Arlington’s size was their strength against my team,” MG Head Coach Shannon Grandbois said.
The Eagles outscored the Chargers 16-3 in the first period. It was a challenge for the Chargers to keep the Eagles out of their court. The Eagles constantly worked under the hoop to score layups, and were to quick to rebound and tip in shots.
When the Chargers had their turn with the ball, the Eagles’ defense made their visit brief by countering their offense with frequent steals and defensive rebounds. “Offensively we got openings to shoot, but they didn’t fall,” Grandbois said. “We needed to make better passes.”
This was consistent through the entire game as the Eagles kept scoring on offense while converting on defensive plays.
Despite the disadvantage in height, Grandbois commended the defensive efforts of freshman point guard Carley Wika and junior Taylor Cannal. “We struggled with Arlington’s size, but Carley Wika and Taylor Cannal worked really hard to keep them off the boards,” Grandbois said.
In the second period, the same thing followed. The Chargers’ Justice Vela managed to score a three-pointer, but it was the last shot they would make in the first half. The Eagles on the other hand, outscored MG by 17 points, increasing their lead to 36-6, by halftime.
After the half, the Chargers improved in shooting, scoring eight points, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the deficit. At the end of the third quarter, the Eagles eased off in scoring, only putting up 12 points, but still leading 48-14 at the end of the third quarter.
As the fourth quarter began, the Chargers’ shooting improved again, but so did the Eagles’. The Chargers were able to score 10 points, while the Eagles scored 13, ending the game at 61-24.
MG’s highest scoring player was Savannah Duce, who scored seven points, including a three-pointer. Other contributors to MG’s score were freshman Gabby Grandbois, and junior Justice Vela, who both scored four points. Vela hit a three-pointer in the second period, scoring the only points in that period for MG.
The loss was disappointing, but Grandbois still praised her players’ performance in the game. “The girls showed their youth in this game,” Grandbois said about her team.
Grandbois was specifically pleased with her players’ ability to use timeouts to tweak their game plan. “When taking a timeout, they executed what was diagrammed perfectly,” Grandbois said. “I appreciated their ability to make quick adjustments.”
Arlington Head Coach, Joe Marsh praised the developing team. “They are a young team, and they’re trying to get better,” he said.
Grandbois hopes her team continues to develop in the upcoming games. “I need them to be confident in their play and push through the times when our team is struggling,” she said. “I need them to step up and push forward so we can be successful this season.”
