PUYALLUP - Taking care of the ball helped the Evergreen Lutheran boys basketball team take care of business in a 47-39 Tri-District Class 2B championship win against Mount Vernon Christian on February 24 at the Chief Leschi Schools.

It was the Eagles' first Tri-District title since 2001.

"We only had 15 turnovers for the game," observed Evergreen Lutheran head coach David Habeck. "We locked down their big scorer, although we shot 36 percent when we typically shoot in the 40s. Our poor shooting kept them in the game. Not being able to buy a basket kept us from getting into the flow of the game."

Ice-cold shooting chilled the offensive output for both squads in a closely contested first half before the Eagles settled for an 18-16 halftime edge.

Aaron Mantey's 3-point play and following bucket to open the second half expanded the Eagle margin to 23-18.

Lack of an inside presence led to scoreless stretches.

"We should have been a little more aggressive," recalled Mantey, who finished with nine points and 10 rebounds.

"They tried to slow us down, and that doesn't help the flow. To be successful, we need to have five guys work hard on the boards without any leaks. We like to push, get out and shoot it. The halfcourt offense is something we can do, but we prefer easy transition baskets."

At times, players resembled colliding billiard balls.

Consecutive baskets by Daniel Kurbis sent the Eagles into the fourth quarter leading 29-20.

Leading 35-24 with 6:21 remaining in the fracas, the Eagles were rocked by a 7-0 MVC Hurricane blast that whittled away Evergreen Lutheran's lead to 35-31 midway through the quarter.

Mantey's close-in lefthanded basket was countered by a 3-point goal from Mount Vernon Christian's Joel Marriott as the Hurricanes struck hard to trail only 37-34 with less than three minutes left.

Nate Feller's basket ignited a seven point Eagle charge as EL soared to a 44-34 mastery with less than one minute remaining.

Evergreen Lutheran held off Mount Vernon Christian the rest of the way.

For Evergreen Lutheran, Jeremy strong posted a team-high 11 points. Patrick Betts scored nine points and hauled in seven rebounds. Nathan Feller notched eight and snared eight boards while Daniel Kurbis contributed eight points and six rebounds.

Heading to state for the first time since 2002, the Eagles (21-4) were optimistic.

"Good shooting is important," concluded Habeck. "Our team has six players that all contribute and make us hard to stop. We need to have good rebounding, keep our turnovers to a minimum and play solid defense."

On Wednesday at the Spokane Arena, the Evergreen boys basketball team fell prey to St. George's in a 58-39 first-round game at the WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington Class 2B boys basketball tournament.

At the Spokane Arena, the Eagles trailed 12-7 after one quarter and fought evenly with their opponents to trail only 27-21 at halftime.

St. George's ran off a 22-4 fourth quarter aginst the suddenly struggling Evergreen Lutheran squad and never looked back.

Daniel Kurbis led the Eagles with 11 points and Patrick Betts contributed nine points and six rebounds.

"We didn't play well in that game," said Evergreen Lutheran head coach Dave Habeck. "We just weren't fired up."

Against its Thursday opponent the Eagles had their game under better control, despite losing a 62-60 overtime game to Mossyrock.

"We were more fired up," said Habeck. "They really played like they wanted to win. They played hard and tried hard."

Both teams fought hard until the Eagles held a 54-51 edge as regulation play neared its end. Mossyrock's Jordan Bradley got off a difficult shot under presssure, but the ball miraculously found the target for a 3-point goal to send the game into overtime, where the Vikings' Brad Allen scored six of his team's eight points to help send Evergreen Lutheran out of the tournament.

Patrick Betts and Daniel Kurbis led the 21-6 Eagles with 16 points each.

Habeck lauded his team's persistence.

"I applaud our five seniors for being exceptional leaders in the games and at practice. All five players provided thee leadership throughout the season. My guys will be able to say that they gave it their all."