The Mountlake Terrace men’s basketball team (7-0, 6-0 WesCo 3A) ousted the Glacier Peak Grizzlies (4-3, 3-2 WesCo 3A) 54-46 in a highly anticipated WesCo 3A showdown on Friday night.

Coming off of a 77-17 blowout over Marysville-Getchell on Thursday night, the Hawks controlled the entire game against the Grizzlies and never surrendered the lead after opening the game with an 11-5 lead.

Senior post Ryan Shannon led the Hawks with 14 points, 12 rebounds and 6 blocks. Junior guard Blake Fernandez chipped in 13 points and 4 assists.

Terrace led by as many as 14 points late in the fourth quarter.  Glacier Peak attempted a late comeback but fell short.

Glacier Peak’s junior post Zach Pederson finished with seven points.  Pederson entered the game as the leading scorer in WesCo 3A with 23.0 points per game but was stymied by the Hawks’ defense all night.

Glacier Peak, a team that finished fifth place in the WIAA 3A state tournament last season, has struggled as of late.  The Grizzlies stumbled earlier this week on the road against Shorecrest and narrowly defeated Everett.

The game was played at a high intensity level and fans on both sides contributed to the game’s intensity by packing the gymnasium. Mountlake Terrace’s Humane Hawks Society, formerly known as the Rowdy Rooters, traveled to the away game and they continue to disrupt opposing teams on their own court, while Glacier Peak’s student section celebrated the holiday season with Santa hats and ugly sweaters.  Prior to the game, fans on both sides sang the National Anthem together due to technical difficulties.

Next up:

12/22: Oak Harbor at Mountlake Terrace, 7:15 p.m.

Holiday Tournament:

12/29: Marysville-Pilchuck at Mountlake Terrace, 7:00 p.m.

12/30: Mark Morris/Snohomish at Mountlake Terrace, time TBA

Key stats:

Ryan Shannon: 14 points, 12 rebounds, 6 blocks, 2 steals

Blake Fernandez: 13 points, 4 assists, 2 steals

Marquis Armstead: 7 points, 3 assists

Eric Moisant: 7 points

Greg Bowman: 7 points, 12 rebounds, 2 blocks

Coby Russell: 3 points, 7 rebounds, 2 blocks, 2 steals