In a preseason Wesco 3A coaches poll, the Marysville Pilchuck boys basketball team was picked to finish sixth. That didn’t sit too well with the Tomahawks players.
“They were surprised,” Marysville Pilchuck coach Bary Gould said. “They had played a lot of good teams over the summer, and (did well). I think (the poll) rubbed them the wrong way. They played with a chip on their shoulder, with something to prove. They wanted to say, ‘We’re not the team from last year. We’re not the underdog. We’re going to win games convincingly.’”
The Tomahawks certainly did just that; they finished the regular season with a 16-4 record and placed first in the 3A Northwest District tournament to clinch a state regional berth.
“In order to take on that (winning) mentality, you have to win, especially early on. We were able to do that,” Gould said. “It was a process. Success begets success. We learned how to win, and kept it up. Now we’re comfortable with that role. That mentality developed over the course of the season.”
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.