When the Arlington Eagles and Marysville Pilchuck Boys Basketball teams face of, the crowd is always in for a treat. Whether the audience knows it or not, when they sit down in the stands to watch the game, they’re about to witness the most even match-up in high school basketball. It looks a lot like a boxing match, the teams exchanging blows, but not one team gaining a noticeable edge. It is a fight. It is a war. It is Eagles vs. Tomahawks.

When the game starts its a little quiet. For the fans who aren’t too big on crowds that make so much noise they shake the ground and leave your ears in recovery mode after the game, the end of the first quarter is most likely when you should leave. As the game progresses, the performances from both teams get the crowd more and more riled up. Whether its a ridiculously deep 3-pointer from Drew Bryson, or a colossal block from Nate Heckendorf, there is always something interesting happening on both ends of the floor. When you’re in the audience at an Arlington vs. Mp game, you feel like the crowd you’re in is ten times bigger than it actually is. The student section takes every opportunity they get to let an opposing player know he just airballed a shot or got his shot attempt swatted into the second row. During these games, the true feeling of rivalry is experienced.

But it’s the individual players that really make the excitement show up. Nathan Aune, a senior for Arlington, is constantly driving to the basket and igniting the crowd after he makes an acrobatic layup. Marysville’s Josh Bevan has the ability to shoot the deep ball whenever he feels like it, and he rarely misses. The young gun on the Arlington squad, Drew Bryson, has had a breakout sophomore season. His ability to shoot the ball from any distance once he crosses half court catches defenses snoozing. Bryson’s ability to catch and shoot from way beyond the arc is a skill that hasn’t been seen since the days of Terry Dawn, the former Arlington basketball star, who is now a sophomore and key player for the Central Washington Wildcats.

The first meeting between the two teams this season kicked off Wesco League Play. The result of that game was 54-53 Tomahawk win. Just looking at the numbers, this game looks like a close win for the Tomahawks, and a hard fought game. But looking deeper, or being present at the game, the game feels completely different. MP’s Cole Grinde tipped in a buzzer beater with 0.1 seconds left on the clock to defeat the Eagles. A great shot, no doubt. But the story goes even further. A video of this game winning play found its way onto a fan’s cell phone, and then wound up on SportsCenter Top Ten Plays, for the whole nation to see.

The next match-up between the two rivals was played at Arlington High School. The loss in the conference opener left the Eagles hungry. They came out of the gates with an early lead, and sustained their lead, entering halftime with the score 27-21. After a phenomenal run in the final two quarters, MP lead by as much as 10 in the 4th. The Eagles, despite the late-game deficit, wouldn’t quit. After a few quick baskets, the lead was cut to 5. Aune went on to hit a three pointer and a pair of free throws, tying the game with 21 seconds left. On MP’s next offensive possession, they turned the ball over with five seconds left on the clock. Arlington was then presented with the same opportunity that MP had 3 weeks before. Nathan Aune got the inbounds pass and drove up court, pulling up for a layup at the buzzer, but was met with the rising hand of Nate Heckendorf, who swatted the final shot attempt. In overtime, it was all MP. After a quiet first three minutes of the 5th quarter, Michael Painter scored his 29th point of the night, followed by a deep three from Josh Bevan that buried the Eagles hopes of winning. The Tommies ended up winning by a score of 64-59, taking the second and final meeting of the regular season between the two electric teams.
For Wesco Basketball fans, there is still hope to see this legendary matchup one more time this season. The possibility of the two teams meeting in the postseason is alive and well, and has fans of both teams crossing their fingers. Regardless of how the rest of the season plays out, this season’s matchups between these crosstown rivals has given a rare and precious gift to the fans.