MARYSVILLE Playing without leading scorer Taylor Stevens, the M-P boys basketball team proved their team bona fides, avenging a narrow loss to Everett earlier this season.
While the Tomahawks lost that game despite Stevens 31 points, nine different players scored in the rematch to Everetts five, led by Colin Thomasons 18 points, to win 51-37. The bench covered the winning margin with 15 points, an impressive 11 of which came from three players who had seen little to no varsity playing time before that night.##M:[more]#
Nick Soriano, Troy Toler and Spencer Elwell got their first varsity experience and didnt look it, which was a credit to them, said M-P coach Bary Gould of three of his juniors who debuted in the Jan. 15 game. Only Elwell had seen three minutes in the teams loss at Snohomish, Jan. 12.
With the 6-6 Stevens sidelined by the flu, the 6-5 Elwell provided some needed height to the rotation, particularly as M-Ps big men got into foul trouble early on. His six points came in the fourth quarter, four at the free-throw line where he shot 67 percent.
Elwell, junior Nick Forsythe and senior Blake Scheller combined for another 19 points for the Tomahawks.
M-P narrowly led throughout the first eight minutes, but Everett opened the second quarter with a 6-0 run to take their first lead, 14-10. The Seagulls leading scorer, Flynn Mattson, had four of those points, setting up a kind of shootout between Mattson and Thomason. Thomason broke the Everett run and scored the go-ahead shot a little later to retake the lead, 17-16. Marysville wouldnt trail again.
While Snohomish leads the conference with a 10-0 record, M-P is one of four teams fighting it out for the last three playoff slots. With those three rivals Stanwood, Lake Stevens and Monroe their next three opponents, the rest of the Tomahawks schedule is critical to their season. (Two of those games, Stanwood and Lake Stevens, took place after The Globe went to press.)
While Gould was reluctant to say M-Ps improvement against Everett made any kind of statement about the team at this point in the season, he indicated that the team is focused on making the postseason. He added that the team is beginning to see that a team effort has been critical to their wins.
I just know every game from now on is very, very important, he said. We have to win most of our games.

At M-PHS

Marysville-Pilchuck 10 13 9 19 51
Everett 8 9 10 10 37

Marysville-Pilchuck Soriano 2, Scheller 7, Lanphere 2, Thomason 18, Lovell 3, Toler 3, Forsythe 6, Greene 4, Elwell 6. Everett Gunnerson 3, Murray 9, Jones 10, Mattson 14, Hennings 1. 3-point goals Murray 1, Toler 1. Records M-P 8-6 overall, 6-4 in conference. Everett 3-9, 3-6.