In a contest between rivals, the Eastlake Wolves girls basketball team earned a comeback victory against the Skyline Spartans in the Cascade Classic international girls basketball tournament championship game.

Eastlake, who trailed Skyline 41-36 at halftime, dominated the final two quarters of play en route to a 74-62 victory on Dec. 30 at Skyline High School. Eastlake point guard Gina Marxen, who finished the game with 22 points, scored eight points in the third quarter to spark the comeback. Marxen’s lay-up with 4:11 left in the third quarter gave Eastlake a 50-46 lead. In the fourth quarter, Eastlake’s sharpshooter put the game away. Marxen nailed a difficult 3-pointer with 4:13 left in the game, giving the Wolves a commanding 67-58 lead.

Eastlake head coach Sara Goldie wasn’t surprised to see Marxen put her stamp on the game.

“Gina is a leader whether she is scoring or not. She is an all-around player and does it all. She is our floor general. When she takes over, it is obvious,” Goldie said.

Marxen said the Wolves started off the game slow but dialed up the intensity in the second half.

“(Sara) Goldie told us at halftime that we have to be motivated and that it doesn’t matter where you find it, you just have to find it. We picked up the energy in the second half. Our key was to get back on defense, hustle more and box out,” Marxen said.

Eastlake freshman forward Keeli Burton, who is a powerful force in the post, scored 22 points in the win for the Wolves. Eastlake guard Cameron Edward scored 11 points as well in the win.

“We got a great inside/outside game. Anyone on our team can score. Other teams don’t know who to guard because we have all these weapons,” Marxen said.

Goldie said having a roster with an abundance of scorers works to the Wolves advantage.

“It is hard to stop a team if you can share the pressure of scoring. I think it is every coach’s goal to spread the offense around so its harder for other teams to stop,” Goldie said.

Skyline head coach Stacie Erfle remained upbeat despite the loss to their rival.

“This was great competition for us. We got this team (Eastlake) two more times (Jan. 13 and Feb. 3) so it’s an opportunity for redemption. Eastlake is such a quality program. Sara does an amazing job of creating such a cohesive team,” Erfle said.

Skyline junior guard Jade Loville scored a team-high 21 points in the loss. Erfle said Loville missed two weeks earlier this season with an ankle injury. Erfle expects her team at full strength when league play resumes in January.

“This was her first tournament back. We’re trying to get back in our groove. Three of our players were gone today. We’re excited for league play and hope to start clicking on all cylinders. It is good for the camaraderie of the team to have everyone healthy and playing,” she said.