It’s a long way to the top.

The Oak Harbor High School boys basketball team hosted two of the Western Conference’s top three teams last weekend, and the results were not pretty.

Undefeated and third-ranked Mountlake Terrace (13-0, 17-0) crushed Oak Harbor 64-27 Friday, Jan. 27, and third-place Shorewood (10-3, 13-4) whipped the Wildcats 67-50.

Buried in the Terrace defeat was one positive note: Mike Washington Jr. set a new OHHS career scoring record. The 6-3 senior scored six points and for at total of 1,429, breaking Brannon Stone’s (1994-98) mark of 1,427.

The tall and talented Hawks frustrated the Oak Harbor offense all night, demonstrating its defensive dominance early by limiting the Wildcats to two first-quarter points (both free throws) and bolting to a 19-2 lead.

Oak Harbor’s problems were magnified in the quarter as coach Mike Washington Sr. sat two starters for disciplinary reasons.

Terrace upped the lead to 37-12 at halftime, then continued its commanding performance by outscoring Oak Harbor 23-2 in the third quarter.

Heading into the fourth quarter, only two Wildcats, Washington Jr. and his brother Drew, had scored.

Drew Washington finished with 10 points, JoJo Webster five, Zach Gibbs two, Kevawn Brooks two and Chris Hailer two.

Oak Harbor shot 22 percent (11-for-49) for the game; Terrace shot 48 percent (26-for-54). The Hawks also won the rebounding (43-31) and turnover (14-17) battles.

Washington Sr. said, “They are the best team that I have coached against in my six years at Oak Harbor. They are big, athletic, smart basketball players who can pass, shoot, rebound and defend. I believe they can make a nice run in the state playoffs.”

Oak Harbor, with no player taller than 6-3, has struggled against taller teams all year. Mountlake Terrace went 6-7, 6-7, 6-4 across its front line.

Shorewood started a 6-9 post and four others least 6-3.

And the big T-birds did some damage. Josh Hawkinson, 6-9, scored 11 points and grabbed 12 rebounds, 6-4 Semir Kadiric had 10 points and 13 boards, and 6-4 Ben Andrews and 6-3 Gage Carroll each scored 15 points.

After Shorewood led 14-7 after the first quarter, Oak Harbor edged closer, 27-24, at the half.

The Thunderbirds outscored Oak Harbor 23-13 in the third quarter to take control.

Washington Sr. said, “We played well in the second quarter but overall had trouble matching their size…Several times on rebounds, I felt we had positioning but the 6-9 player would jump over us for the offensive board.”

Shorewood out-rebounded Oak Harbor 39-24 and out-shot Oak Harbor 52 percent to 36.5 percent. The T-birds had 10 turnovers, one fewer than Oak Harbor.

Washington Jr. netted 19 points for Oak Harbor, and Webster and Brooks had nine each. Drew Washington added three; and Matt Burgoyne, Gibbs, Elias Whitefoot, Hailer and Paul Johannsen two each.

The game was Oak Harbor’s third in as many nights. Washington Sr. said, “We did not play with a lot of energy.”

Oak Harbor (6-8, 6-12) hosts Glacier Peak (10-4, 13-5) Monday, Jan. 30, at 7:15 p.m. and ends the regular season at Marysville Getchell (1-13, 1-17) Wednesday, Feb. 1, at 7:15 p.m.