Medical Lake gets initial boys' hoop win for Hachtel

It was a good start for new Medical Lake boys' basketball coach Noel Hachtel and now he hopes his team keeps it up.

With four players scoring in double-figures, including 22 points from Trenten Garza, the Cardinals dominated from the opening tip to score a 66-47 nonleague win over the 2B Davenport Gorillas on the road, Nov. 29.

"That's outstanding for a guard," Hachtel said of Garza's point production, adding, he was very impressed with his ability to get to the rim. Garza was 9 of 15 from the field, drawing additional praise from his coach.

Medical Lake had an 18-13 edge over Davenport (0-2) after the first quarter and led 32-20 at halftime.

"I think the players responded real well with the entire staff because we're not running anything from last year," Hachtel said. Hachtel replaced longtime ML coach Arnold Brown last spring after Brown's contract was not renewed.

Before the season began, odds were Garza was going to be the Cardinals' point guard. The staff thought otherwise with Drew Hostetter turning out. Hostetter's shooting, which resulted in 11 points and seven assists, allowed Garza to shine, Hachtel said.

"He's a real smart player," Hachtel said of Hostetter, who is only a sophomore.

Skylar Johnson had a double-double with 10 points and 12 rebounds. "Skylar was huge because he didn't play the whole game," Hachtel said. Joey Jasmer had a career-high 13 points. Nizhole Sherman was sick and did not play.

While offense was prominently on display, it was defense that quietly did its part creating 17 Gorilla turnovers. "We played three quarters of just a solid press," Hachtel said.

Follow-up tests this week remain stern when the Cardinals hosted Idaho 4A school Lakeland of Rathdrum (Dec. 6) and open Northeast A League play, hosting Riverside Dec. 9 at 5:45 p.m. They conclude the busy week with a Dec. 10 visit from perennial state playoff opponent, 2B Liberty at 7:30 p.m.

Paul Delaney can be reached at [email protected].