Boys Basketball: Lakes Pounds Mount Vernon In Opening Round Of State Playoffs

Mount Vernon learned a lesson, and the Lakes boys basketball team were the instructors.

The Lancers (20-3 overall) handed the Bulldogs (11-10 overall) their worst loss of the season with a suffocating full-court defense in a 71-46 blowout during the opening round of the Class 3A state tournament at Bellevue Community College on Friday night.

Orange uniforms moved in unison across the gym like tracers in the night, flashing to the basket for layups and dunks. The Lancers — the No. 5 ranked team in the state — muscled, finessed and performed at a level the Bulldogs could not match.

Leading the way was Lakes senior Isaac Winston. He scored a game-high 26 points, grabbed six rebounds and registered six steals.

"Coach (Jojo Rodriquez) told us if we play fast we'd win the game, so we played up and full-court defense," Winston said. "We wanted them to feel uncomfortable, which is what we did."

Lakes stunned Mount Vernon by jumping out to a 10-0 lead and never looked back. They led by as much as 34 points and entered the second half with a 41-23 lead, as the Lancers forced 20 turnovers and scored 30 points as a result.

Rodriquez said Mount Vernon took a long time to adjust to their speed.

"We figured they had a strength and we had a strength," Rodriquez said. "We knew their strength was the three-pointer and we just imposed our will which was athleticism, speed, quickness and full-court pressure up and down the floor."

Lakes was 1-for-11 from beyond the arc and Mount Vernon was 7-for-24 as junior guard Shane Servoss scored a team-high 16 points and was 4-for-7 from long range. No other Bulldog scored in double figures, and Lakes had three (Taylor McCallister 13 and Nate Guy 10) including freshman Anthony White who scored five and grabbed five rebounds with a career-high 18 minutes.

"If I have a good week of practice, then I have a good game," White said.

Lakes out-rebounded Mount Vernon 42-25 as 6-foot-8 post Zach Banner registered a game-high 11 rebounds. But it wasn't the post presence of Banner that troubled the Bulldogs. Lakes attacked the basket on offense and relentlessly pusued the ball on defense.

The Lancers will face off against the loser of Bellevue and Decatur at 3 p.m. on Saturday at Bellevue College. A victory would send the Lancers to the Tacoma Dome, which has been the team's goal from the beginning of the season.

"We're not done yet," Rodriquez said. "We haven't reached our goal."

Box Score

Lakes                       24   17  22  8   —  71

Mount Vernon       12   11   11   12  — 46

Lakes: Winston 26, McAllister 13, Guy 10, Holloway 6, White 5, Banner 4, Olson 3, Flamer 2, Wood 2.

Mount Vernon: Servoss 16, McDowell 9, Cook 5, White 4, Vopnford 3, Fitzgerald, Oliver.