MARYSVILLE But for about a minute in the first quarter, the M-P boys led Cascade on the way to a 57-38 win, Jan. 31.
On Jan. 4, Cascade defeated Marysville, earning one of its three league wins so far this season. Then, coach Bary Gould said he worried his team overlooked smaller games in a tough conference.
Of that time, he said, By not winning those games, it made us realize we could lose.
While the Tomahawks have lost twice to the 13-1 Snohomish squad, they also suffered an early season defeat at the hands of 4-10 Everett. The losses have made every game a must-win for M-P now, but Gould believes the team is much more intent now upon winning each game.
Their season depends on it.
We have to focus on each game, he said. Our goal is to be playing our best basketball each game to take that into the playoffs.
A team effort assured M-P they played well against Cascade in their Jan. 31 rematch.
While leading scorer Taylor Stevens had a game-high 25 points, eight guys scored at least once for the Tomahawks.
Stevens had success all around the court, hitting three treys and all six of his free throws.
Hes good. Hes tough to stop. If they stop him inside, he goes outside, Gould said, adding, I think its also a tribute to his teammates, getting him in scoring position.
No other Tomahawk broke 10 points, but junior guard Joey Kelly had seven points, including a first-quarter three to quickly answer one by Cascades Matt Reading that gave the Bruins an oh-so-brief 12-9 lead.
A free throw by Alex Ogundadegbe gave Cascade a 13-12 lead near the end of the quarter, but it quickly dissolved as the Tomahawks Ryan Lanphere sank two, giving M-P the distinction of outscoring their opponents in each quarter.
Stevens hit his third three to open the second half, and the Tomahawks went up by 10, a lead Cascade failed to bridge.
The Tomahawks remain in a virtual four-way tie for second place with Stanwood, Lake Stevens and Monroe. While a Stanwood loss to Snohomish on Feb. 1 would have probably assured M-P a playoff slot, an upset by the Spartans means the race for the last three berths is as close as ever. With a 5-1 record against their rivals, M-P has the inside track on Wesco Norths number two seed, which would mean a home game to open districts.
Home court advantage would be great going into the playoffs, Gould said.
M-P faced Arlington Feb. 5 after The Globe went to press. Theyll close their season at home against Oak Harbor Feb. 7.

At M-PHS

M-P 14 20 8 15 57
Cascade 13 14 6 5 38
M-P Kelly 7, Scheller 5, Lanphere 5, Thomason 5, Lovell 2, Forsythe 4, Stevens 25, Greene 4. Cascade Shewfelt 5, McGrath 4, Hancock 11, Joyce 2, Reading 11, McDaniels 2, Ogundadegbe 3. 3-point goals Stevens 3, Kelly 1, Hancock 1, Reading 1.