The play of Stanwood boys basketball players Matt Vail and Mitch Jones has been key to the Spartans’ success this season. As the team’s two main post players, they’ve contributed in a variety of ways on both ends of the floor — they’re both averaging about 14 points and seven rebounds per game.
“They are unselfish, and they play so well together,” Stanwood coach Zach Ward said. “They do a good job of passing the ball on the interior. They’re both 6-foot-4 on a good day, so they’re a bit undersized, but they’ve got great feet and great hands.”
The Spartans (16-7) finished second in the 3A Northwest District tournament to clinch a spot in this weekend’s state regional round.
“We have a lot of new faces this year. These guys are stepping up into roles that they weren’t in last year,” Ward said. “It took time to establish roles and get the guys to be comfortable playing with each other. We started figuring things out around the first of the year, and now we’re seeing what we can do when we work well together.”
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