With some sharp outside shooting and an inspired defensive effort, the Meadowdale Mavericks showed those in attendance at Shorecrest High School Tuesday night that they could stand up against the No.5-ranked 3A team in the state, the Shorecrest Scots — at least early on. The Mavericks led at the end of the first eight minutes, 15-13, and continued to hold a slight advantage during the first two minutes of the second quarter.
But then the Scots showed just why they are considered a top-five team in the state right now.
Shorecrest went on a 19-1 run to close out the first half and deflated any hopes that the Mavericks may have had of pulling off a big road upset. Unable to recover from the Scots’ second-quarter spurt, Meadowdale eventually fell to Shorecrest 75-58 in the Wesco League matchup staged in Shoreline.
The Mavericks (2-4 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference play, 8-6 overall) were outscored 23-6 in the fateful second quarter on Tuesday.
“Good teams are going to go on runs; they’re a good team,” Meadowdale Coach Roger O’Neill said of the Scots. “They went on a big one.”
The two teams traded the lead seven times in the first quarter with the Mavericks relying on 3-point buckets by Noah Million (with two 3-pointers), Natnael Ghirmay and Marley Miller for the majority of the team’s early points.
But Shorecrest would flex their muscles in the second quarter, using their speed and athleticism to steamroll the Mavs and take a big 35-21 lead into the halftime break.
“We got killed in transition,” O’Neill said of the Maverick’s second quarter. “And it started with our offensive possessions; we got sloppy there. We had a couple of empty possessions there. And then Shorecrest is a super-talented team and they’re best in transition. They do a really nice job in pushing the ball up the court. And we didn’t get back.”
Devan Jones scored nine of his 19 points in the second quarter to lead the Shorecrest charge. Teammate Brayden Fischer contributed six in the quarter; Fischer ended the game with 29 points to lead all scorers.
The Mavs showed some life in the second half, cutting the Shorecrest lead to 10 points a couple times early in the fourth quarter. But that was as close as Meadowdale could get as the Scots refused to allow the Mavs to build any sustaining momentum during the final stages of the contest.
Khalil Botley led the Mavericks in scoring with 17 points, 15 in the second half. Million and Ghirmay each added 10 points in the loss.
For the Mavs, Tuesday’s defeat to Shorecrest (6-1 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference play, 13-1 overall) follows a resounding 78-43 loss to Edmonds-Woodway on Jan. 10 — the Warriors are the No.2-ranked 3A team in the state according to the WIAA RPI rankings.
O’Neill put into perspective his team’s wild emotional ride during the mid-portion of their 2024-25 season.
“We were coming off a five-game winning streak (games between Dec. 23 to Jan. 7), feeling good about ourselves. And now we’re on a two-game losing streak feeling no-so-good about ourselves. But the reality is we played Edmonds-Woodway and Shorecrest — two very, very good teams.”
“The way I look at it is, we’d been passing a bunch of tests along the way, getting better and getting better,” O’Neill continued. “And we were just told by the scoreboard Friday night and the scoreboard tonight that we’re not at this level yet. And we need to keep working hard.”
Four of the Mavericks’ final six games of the regular season will be played at home, but O’Neill isn’t counting on a favorable schedule to get his squad into the postseason District 1 tournament that begins in early February. The long-time Meadowdale coach said he wants to see his team improve for their season-ending push.
“We’ve got big goals as a group,” O’Neill said. “And it sounds so cliche but it’s true: we’ve just have to keep getting better and be playing our best basketball at the end of the season.”
O’Neill hopes the losses to Edmonds-Woodway and Shorewood don’t disheartened his squad too much.
“Is there discouragement? I’m sure there is. It sucks to lose,” O’Neill concluded. “But I think it’s a group that will stay together and keep working. I certainly believe in our guys. We have some serious things that we need to get better at but I believe in the guys in that locker room to put in the work to get there.”
The Mavericks next see action on Tuesday, Jan. 21, when they host Shorewood; tipoff is slated for 7:15 p.m.
Prep Boys Basketball: Meadowdale at Shorecrest, Jan. 14
Meadowdale 15 6 20 17 – 58
Shorecrest 13 23 18 21 – 75
Meadowdale individual scoring: Khalil Botley 17, Noah Million 10, Natnael Ghirmay 10, Payton Hernandez 8, Marley Miller 8, Nolan Lee 4, Orion Ezeonwuka 1, Jordan Berhe, Richard Jones Jr., Adam Desta, Avery Pelote, Yosef Estifanos
Shorecrest individual scoring: Brayden Fischer 29, Devan Jones 19, Robert Biniam 12, Porter Swanson 6, Junior Kagarabi 3, Jack Thompson 2, Ebenezer Hailu 2, Tyson Lasconia 2, Dylan Delrosario, Gabriel Guillen Romero
Records: Meadowdale 2-4 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 8-6 overall; Shorecrest 6-1 in 2A/3A Wesco League South Conference, 13-1 overall
Meadowdale next game: versus Shorewood; Tuesday, Jan. 21; 7:15 p.m. at Shorewood HIgh School
Shorecrest next game: versus Mountlake Terrace; Friday, Jan. 17; Friday, Jan. 17; 6:30 p.m. at Shorecrest High School
— Story and photos by Doug Petrowski
