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Luke Dobler, Tomahawks’ senior guard, looks to drive into the paint in the first half against the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats at Marysville-Pilchuck High School on Jan. 8.

The Marysville-Pilchuck boys basketball team hosted the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats in a back-and-forth matchup on Jan. 8.

The Wildcats started the game off on a 4-0 run before the Tomahawks answered with a 4-0 run of their own. Marysville-Pilchuck was able to move the ball along the perimeter but couldn’t find a groove from beyond the arc as they missed a handful of open looks. Over the last few minutes of the first quarter, Archbishop Murphy outscored the Tomahawks 9-6 as they entered the second up 13-10.

Marysville-Pilchuck came out in the second quarter with a higher level of intensity on defense as they limited the Wildcats passing and forced them into contested shots. The Tomahawks went on a 5-0 run to take the lead 15-13, as they forced Archbishop Murphy to take a timeout, before rattling off another big run of 6-2. Before entering halftime, the Wildcats managed to slow down the pace and shrink the lead slightly as they ended the half down 23-19.

The second half started with both teams exchanging shots as the deficit stayed consistent through most of the third quarter. Neither team was able to put together a significant run as the Tomahawks were able to extend their lead by one point heading into the fourth quarter, up 39-34. In the final quarter, Archbishop Murphy slowly started to chip away at the lead and eventually closed the gap with a minute left, as they trailed 48-46. In the final few possessions Marysville-Pilchuck forced the Wildcats into bad shots and scored on the fast break to secure the 51-46 victory.

“A win is a win but I think we could have been better. It’s the nature of basketball that some things are going to roll your way, and some aren’t, but it was important to see them close it out at the end. It’s all about playing your role and everyone on this team takes responsibility for what they have to do,” said Marysville-Pilchuck Head Coach Bary Gould.

The Tomahawks’ senior wing Cameron Stordahl went to another level against the Wildcats as he led the game in points, three-pointers made, rebounds and blocks. He finished with 25 points, three three-pointers, nine rebounds, one assist, one steal and two blocks.

The other four seniors that make up the Pilchuck starting five stepped up in their roles to keep the lead intact. Luke Dobler, guard, finished with seven points, three assists and two rebounds. Ethan Jackson, center, used his size down low to score six points and eight rebounds as well as two assists, one steal and one block. Brady Phelps, guard, scored all of his points in the final minute of the game as he finished with four points, four assists and six rebounds. Aaron Kalab, wing, also tallied four points along with one assist and five rebounds.

Your next chance to support the Tomahawks at home will be against the Cedarcrest Red Wolves on Friday, Jan. 17, at 7:15 p.m.

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