Eagles defeat Chargers 75-52 in the first round of the District Tournament

The Arlington girls basketball team took on the Marysville Getchell Chargers in the first round of the District One 3A Girls Basketball Tournament on Feb. 14.

The game was back and forth from the beginning, as the Eagles opened on a 6-0 run and the Chargers answered back with an 8-2 run within the first four minutes of play. Over the next minute, Marysville Getchell earned their first lead of the game, 12-10, before Arlington began to get on a roll of their own and closed out the quarter leading 25-19. Throughout the rest of the first half the Chargers refused to let the game go and continued to keep it close as both teams scored 10 in the quarter. The Eagles entered halftime up 35-29.

Marysville Getchell continued to battle to keep it close as they stayed around that deficit as the Eagles called time out at 2:38 with a 52-43 lead. After regrouping during the time out, Arlington came out on fire to go on a 10-0 run and extend their lead, 62-43, heading into the final quarter. Throughout the rest of the game the Chargers continued to battle, and the Eagles seemed to slow down the pace as they minimized their turnovers. In the slowest paced quarter of the game, Arlington outscored Marysville Getchell 13-9 and secured the win with a final score of 75-52.

“We weathered the storm in the first half, and we responded well to adjustments we made at halftime. Our depth is a weapon for us, especially when it comes to foul trouble and keeping fresh legs on the floor. It’s the playoffs, it’s not going to be easy and we just have to play our game in order to be successful,” said Arlington Head Coach Joe Marsh.

The Eagles' starting five stuck to their ball movement and got everyone involved throughout the night. Josie Stupey, junior guard, led the team in scoring with 17 points and two three-pointers while adding on two assists, five rebounds and a steal. Keira Marsh, sophomore guard, showed her physicality and aggressiveness as a two-way player scoring 15 points, three three-pointers, three assists, three rebounds and five steals. Makenzie Gage, sophomore forward, was the final starter to score in double digits with 15 points, one three-pointer, went six-for-eight at the line and grabbed six rebounds. Jenna Villa, freshman guard, hit one three-pointer and used her length to score nine points, grab three rebounds and a steal. Hailey Hiatt, junior guard, scored the least among the starting five with eight points but made up for it everywhere else with two three-pointers, seven assists, five rebounds and two steals.

Off the bench, Arlington had a huge game from senior guard Allison DeBerry. She took her opportunities to finish with 11 points, three three-pointers, three assists, two rebounds and a steal.

“I think they understand how they will have to play in order to stay in the playoffs. At this point in the season it’s all about aggressiveness and who wants it more, so if we can keep that up, I think we’ll do okay,” said Marysville Getchell Head Coach Shannon Grandbois.

The Chargers' freshman guard Ellie Jackson and senior forward Maddy Grandbois stole the show for their team. Jackson had a game-high 20 points with four three-pointers, one rebound and a steal. Grandbois was right behind her in scoring with 19 points and filled the stat sheet with four three-pointers, three assists, four rebounds and four steals.

Alexus Atkins, Faith Sherman and Madison Hagglund filled out the rest of the starting five and made their impact as experienced seniors. Atkins, center, used her size inside to score nine points, dished three assists and grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Sherman, forward, slipped in and out of the paint to score four points, one assist, six rebounds and a steal. Hagglund, guard, was unable to get on the scoreboard but made an impact as a playmaker with four assists, three rebounds and a steal.

The Eagles and Chargers will both be competing to work through the District Tournament and move on to the State Tournament at the Tacoma Dome. The District Championship will be held at Everett Community College on Saturday, Feb. 22, at 6 p.m.