MARYSVILLE After winning the nights earlier game, Snohomish stuck around to watch three-and-a-half quarters of M-P versus Oak Harbor.
With less than two minutes left, the Panthers got up to leave. Oak Harbor led by 12.
Ultimately, the Wildcats won 51-41 on Feb. 19 to end the season for the Marysville girls basketball team in their widest margin of victory in the teams three games this season.
While Oak Harbor led by five or fewer points at the end of the first three quarters, a strong game by Wildcat senior Mietra Smollack and some tough calls against M-P wore down the Tomahawks game.
Smollack put up a game-high 27 points, while the Tomahawk fan base grew vocally exasperated with several of the officials calls of jump ball during M-P attempts when the crowd was looking for fouls against Oak Harbor.
Oak Harbor also prevented a lot of passes inside to Tomahawk junior Britt Harris, who led the team offense throughout the regular season. An expressive player, senior forward Jessica Masters wore her frustration on her face as she tried to help her team turn the game around in the final quarter. As Snohomish got up to leave, as the Oak Harbor lead forced M-P to send their players to the free-throw line, Masters tried to make a play.
The senior hit a three-pointer after one of Smollacks turns at the charity stripe. She got another two right after on a fast-break play to close within eight. But by then it was too late, and Masters used her fifth foul to send Oak Harbors Janay Baeyen to the line.
Freshman Dacia Hecken-dorf, who sat with the senior, tried to console her teammate.
Before the game I was like, We just have to have fun and play together, said M-P coach Julie Martin. When we play as individuals, we play nowhere near as good as when we play as a team. In a normal situation were fine with it, but I think we kept thinking This is going to be the last game, rather than, Lets get it done. I think they tried their best.
Oak Harbor advanced to a winner-to-state, loser-out game against Snohomish, where they lost to the Panthers.
Senior guard Anna West led the Tomahawks with a 12-point effort.
Martin added that West and fellow senior guard Nicole Peterson went underrated through much of the season.
They didnt get a lot of acknowledgment or props. I really take my hat off to the leadership of those girls, how they led our team, Martin said, adding that shell miss what her graduating seniors Masters, West, Peterson, Shaelei Lucas, Krisel Juco and Kylie Fordon brought to the team.
Honestly, a great bunch of girls that Im really going to miss, especially those (six) seniors whose positive attitudes, Im really going to miss, she added. It was a great experience for me. I wish wed gotten further.

At M-PHS

M-P 9 11 12 9 41
Oak Harbor 14 11 11 15 51

M-P Lucas 8, Fordon 2, West 12, Peterson 3, Masters 7, Harris 7, Heckendorf 2. Oak Harbor Tubo 6, Thiel 8, Henricksen 2, Denmon 5, Smollack 27, Baeyen 3. 3-point goals Peterson 1, Tubo 1, West 2, Denmon 1, Masters 1.