Meadowdale Rolls Past Interlake in Tournament Opener

Meadowdale Rolls Past Interlake in Tournament Opener
By Steven Dion

Meadowdale Junior Nathan Heilpap

The third of four games slated for round one of the boys tourney at Bellevue College featured a 3A clash between KingCo and Wesco as Interlake would take on Meadowdale. During the shootaround, it was difficult to tell which team was which as both team donned their powder blue warmups. On the line in this contest would be a round two battle on Tuesday night with the winner of the Renton/Inglemoor game which followed this game. The stage was set for the Saints and Mavericks to determine which team would advance in the winner’s bracket.

The Mavs raced out of the gates on a 7-0 run during the first 3:50 of the game. Many of their early field goals stemmed from turnovers on the defensive end leading to transition buckets on offense. Reid Wilson and Charlie White accounted for 14 of Meadowdale’s 30 first half points. Interlake’s difficulty finding a groove was exacerbated by unusually unfortunate bounces around the rim. The Saints found themselves down by double digits after one quarter despite getting good looks at the basket. Meadowdale took advantage of slow zone rotations from IHS by allowing Aidan O’Neill and Nathan Heilpap dial a pair from downtown. Interlake’s Justin Jordan provided a spark off the bench by knocking down a few jumpers of his own in the second quarter. The first half ended with a Landon Hopkins three at the buzzer to give the Mavericks a 30-15 leading heading into the locker room.

With a sense of urgency by Darren Bowden’s Saints, the pace of the game picked up in the third frame, but MHS was prepared to defend their lead. Interlake chipped away at the deficit slowly, but the Mavs closed the quarter strong to set up the final eight minutes. Kyle Grund played a major role in putting the game on ice as the 6’6 senior scored 6 of his 8 points down the stretch. Interlake’s Ayden Allen put together a strong second half en route to a game high 13 points, but Meadowdale advances to the second round after an 18 point win.

The Final Score: Meadowdale 55 Interlake 37

Top Performers:
Meadowdale
Charlie White and Reid Wilson-12 points

Interlake
Ayden Allen-13 points