“Height is important in many sports, but not as much as in basketball. Despite being able to box out their opponents in order to get rebounds during the first 12 minutes of the Wildcats game versus Marysville-Pilchuck on Wednesday, the Tomahawks height advantage took away any chances of an Oak Harbor upset.Oak Harbor lost to Marysville-Pilchuck, 73-57, as the Tommies rolled over the Cats during the second half with almost a 4-to-1 shot differential.I don’t really know what to say except that they really took it to us in the third, said head coach Dwight Lundstrom. I can’t teach heighth.From the middle of the third on into the fourth the Tommies went on a 22-3 run that buried the Cats. Marysville-Pilchuck players used their height to put up shots over and over again until the ball went through the net.We’ve talked a lot about rebounding with the kids, said Lundstrom. They need to have the courage to get in there. They’re willing to be pushed around and they need to change that. They just need to hold their ground. The Wildcats managed to stop the Tommies for most of the shot clock three times during the fourth quarter, but the Tommies would get a last-second shot off, hit the rim and get the putback for the score. The Wildcats started the game with an uncharacteristic drubbing of the Tommies as the score at the end of the first period was 23-15, and it looked like the Cats could do no wrong. But Oak Harbor’s lead was trimmed to just 34-32 by half time.The physical play of the Tommies resulted in the Cats taking 27 free throws, as Marysville-Pilchuck committed twice as many fouls as Oak Harbor.This one girl, they call her Pocahontas, she was elbowing me and the ref told me, ‘Thanks for keeping your cool,’ said Oak Harbor forward Shirley Spears. We were just trying our best but they just had too much height.Marysville-Pilchuck players, as they have done all season, had the number 34 written on their arms in honor of their coach Kendall Schauer who died earlier this season. The number was Schauer’s when he played basketball in college.One bright spot for the Wildcats continues to be the play of Spears. At 5-foot-7 the sophomore is nowhere near the tallest player for the Cats but she managed to pull down 11 rebounds and lead the team in scoring with 14 points. She was also 8-for-11 at the free throw line.She had a good night, said Lundstrom. Worked hard on the boards. She came to play and we didn’t all come to play, that is for certain.The Wildcats as a team had only 17 rebounds the entire game but made up for it with speed. Hartman had five assists, four steals and seven points.The Cats played Snohomish Friday but the results were not available at press time. Marysville-Pilchuck 73, Oak Harbor 57 Marysville-Pilchuck 15 17 22 19 – 73 Oak Harbor 23 11 9 14 – 57 Marysville-Pilchuck: Bradley 2, Hopp 6, Howell 9, Deuce 8, Zamora 10, Coverdale 6, Ancheta 3, Smith 16, Roth 13. Oak Harbor: Bull 7, Hartman 7, Manibusan 10, King 6, Armstrong 11, White 2, Spears 14. 3-point goals-Howell 1, Deuce 2, Hartman 2, Manibusan 2. JV: Marysville-Pilchuck def. Oak Harbor. Records: Marysville-Pilchuck 6-3 in league, 10-5 overall. Oak Harbor 2-6, 4-10. “