MARYSVILLE — The Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks girls basketball team earned their third win in a row in a 51-32 win over the Cascade High School Bruins on Dec. 27.

It was a great night for senior guard Charlee Pilon, who shot well, hitting three three-pointers and scoring 11 points overall.

Defense also contributed heavily to M-P’s success. The Tomahawks turned loose balls into steals, dismantling their opponents’ offense.

“On defense we hustled and scrapped well,” Pilon said. “We tried to get after every loose ball. Everyone hustled.”

Senior forward Jordan Bengen was a valuable player as well, contributing on both offense and defense. Bengen was the highest scorer for M-P, totaling 17 points. “Jordan had a great game,” M-P head coach Julie Martin said. “She really set the tone defensively for us.”

In the first quarter, The Tomahawks opened with a three, showing they were confident in their shooting. Senior guard Jennika Anglim, imposed herself as a defensive player, making a steal early in the quarter.

Cascade was able to get itself to the free-throw line and score, but not much. The Tomahawks continued to outgun the Bruins with the first quarter ending at 19-6.

In the second quarter, The Tommies were a dual threat with both sharp shooting and scoring on the inside, in which they racked up 11 points outscoring the Bruins by five. The Tomahawks’ defense was still in control holding the Bruins to six points. The second quarter ended with the Tomahawks in the lead 30-12.

After the halftime, the Bruins enjoyed a brief rally. The intensity of the game picked up as the Bruins opened the third quarter with two consecutive goals. The Bruins stepped up their defense utilizing full-court pressure disrupting the Tomahawks’ offense. As a result, The Tomahawks noticeably cooled off.

The Bruins were able to make steals, but were not able to convert on defensive plays as they were countered by M-P’s active defense.

“We came out a little sluggish,” Martin said. “But we ended up working well together.”

Though the third quarter began roughly, the Tomahawks began to find ways to score and extend their lead. The Bruins, again, found their way to free throw line, and were able to convert. The Tomahawks were only able to outscore Bruins, but not by much as in previous quarters. The Bruins were able to score 10 while M-P made 14 points. The Tomahawks still had a solid lead with the score at 44-22.

The final quarter concluded with M-P only scoring seven more points and holding the Bruins to 10 sealing the Tomahawks’ victory.

Martin attributed the win to the Tomahawks’ team cohesion. “We all worked very well together,” Martin said. “It was all high energy out there.

Being at home also helped Tomahawks shooting game. “We shoot pretty well in this gym,” Martin said. “That’s for sure.”

Pilon echoed her coach’s statements, in which she said that the Tommies play better working together. “We were really selfless,” Pilon said. “We played as a team.”

Pilon hopes that the team continues its teamwork into next games. “When we are selfless, that’s when things click for us,” Pilon said. “When we don’t work well together, that’s when we have problems.”

M-P lost its away game to Sedro-Wooley, 72-38, on Dec 28. M-P’s current overall record is 4-4, with a league record of 1-0.