The Pacers of the boys 11-12 Washington Youth Basketball age group proved too much for the Sonics. Head Coach Carlton Barr’s team picked up another victory on Saturday, 35-28.

With a clear height advantage, the Pacers, led by forward William Crisp, had little trouble securing rebounds and earning second-chance points. Being the faster team, they were also able to create open looks in transition throughout the game and contest the Sonics offense with a tough half-court press.

“Good man-to-man defense is the key,” said Barr. “If you get them to pick the ball up, you just trap it, and then they’re going to throw a bad pass.”

Barr’s defensive philosophy worked to perfection, as his team allowed just seven points in the first half.

The final 20 minutes was very different basketball. Barr removed some of his starters and gave his bench adequate playing time, allowing the Sonics to slowly chip away at the Pacers’ lead. However, the hot hand of Treshawn Washington kept the lead from becoming uncomfortable. He finished with a game-high 10 points, all of which were scored in the second half.

Justin Dudley ran the point masterfully and prevented costly turnovers. He ended with nine points.

The Sonics managed to score 14 points in the final 10 minutes, but couldn’t stop the dominance of Dudley down low.

The Sonics will face off against the Lakers at 7 p.m. on Thursday, while the Pacers will look to stay hot against the Clippers at 5:30 p.m.