ARLINGTON The Arlington Eagles boys basketball team took on the Mount Vernon Bulldogs on Saturday Dec. 8 in a non-league game. The Bulldogs came into the game a heavy favorite, being picked to win not only the Northwest Conference but also to place well in the State tournament.
Arlington made Mount Vernon sweat it out but eventually fell 69-75 in defeat.
A slow start to the game doomed the Eagles chances. It was 8-0 in favor of the Bulldogs before Arlington scored their first points. Caleb Scarth nailed a corner three-pointer to get the Eagles going. Arlington played tough defense on the ensuing possession but an extremely patient Mount Vernon side simply passed the ball around the perimeter for a minute before finding an open shot near the basket. Then the Eagles were hit with a technical foul for reporting the wrong number for a player in the scorers book. The Bulldogs received two foul shots and the basketball, pushing their lead to 12-3. Cole Carpenter drew a three shot foul on Arlingtons next possession, and sunk two of the three free throws. Lucas Larson then made a tough double-clutch lay up in the lane to bring Arlington to within five, but Mount Vernon extended their lead to 18-9 by the end of the quarter.
The 1-3-1 zone of Mount Vernon continued to bother the Eagles in the second quarter. The Bulldogs pulled further ahead, at one point leading by 13 after forcing several Arlington turnovers. But just when things looked their worst for Arlington the Eagles made a big run to cut into the deficit. Carpenter beat a Bulldog press by driving through the middle for a lay in. Then Will Heath hit a turnaround jump shot in the post. Brad McPherson canned a short jumper in the lane and pumped his fist in excitement. Still, the Eagles could not get closer than seven points and at halftime Mount Vernon still led 40-30.
In the third quarter Arlington made another run, closing to within five points on the strength of Heaths defense. The scrappy guard forced two turnovers early on and turned them into transition baskets for the Eagles. Tyler Busby then threw a long outlet pass to Carpenter to pull the Eagles within 39-44. Scarth took a pass from Carpenter moments later to bring the Eagles within four.
That was as close as the Eagles would get as Mount Vernon made a run to reclaim their 10 point lead by the end of the quarter. A.J. Richardson came off the bench to lead a fourth quarter push by the Eagles, but it was too little too late. Mount Vernon took their time on offense and Arlington was forced to foul down the stretch. The Bulldogs held on for a six point win.
The guys put out a great effort tonight, our best effort of the season so far, said Coach Nick Brown after the game, this was even better than the win at Lynnwood in terms of effort. Im disappointed in the result, but not the effort.