MARYSVILLE — Marysville Getchell looked to improve their execution when they hosted Arlington on Dec. 27, their fourth game against a 4A opponent this season.

Arlington came to town, fresh off of the holiday break, trying to extend their winning streak to four games and avoid complacency through the first of a pair of nonconference games.

“We wanted to keep focused on our skills and practice hard,” Arlington head coach Joe Marsh said. “It’s always hard to play after Christmas, but we needed to keep at it and get better at what we want to do.”

Getchell showed improvement, as they had in each game this season, but the Eagles pressured the Chargers all night to win their fourth game in a row, 62-13.

Despite the final score, upper-league opponents are necessary tests for this inaugural Charger squad.

“Our effort was excellent, phenomenal,” Getchell head coach Shannon Grandbois said. “This was the best defense we’ve played so far. Never mind that we have to play so many games against 4A schools. If we can show this kind of effort against teams in our league, we’ll be good.”

The Eagles opened the game with full-court pressure to convert Getchell turnovers into layups for an early 10-0 lead. They sat back in a 2-3 zone to keep the Chargers on the perimeter, but the Chargers swung the ball around the outside to find entry passes on the baseline.

Post presence was a factor in both teams’ plans of attack. Charger senior posts Brianna Lloyd-Bennett and Kyleigh Dschaak, who racked up eight points on the night, and junior post Alexys Wilson squared off against Eagle senior centers Cassie Van Loo, Danyell Winterrowd and Kaiti Ferro.

“We like to establish our post players early,” Grandbois said. “You won’t get fouled or score if you don’t shoot.”

The Eagles out-rebounded the Chargers, who stood and watched the ball instead of boxing out and securing possession. The trend continued for a 27-4 Arlington halftime lead.

“We worked on our game plan tonight, like we wanted to, and some girls who don’t usually get to play got to take advantage of the opportunity,” Marsh said. “We’ve played consistently in the last four or five games, and we’re getting better.”

Getchell pressed Arlington to start the third quarter, with a renewed focus on swarming rebounds and creating position with muscle and grit, but the Eagles managed to run their offense as usual.

Arlington senior guard Lauren Grogan hit a three-point shot clock buzzer beater and junior Taylor Graham watched a swooping under-the-basket reverse circus layup fall as she trotted backward toward midcourt.

The Eagles led 52-7 after three quarters.

Arlington hit a pair of threes as the game neared the middle of the fourth quarter and slowed their pace to wind down the rest of the clock for a 62-13 win.

“We’ve got seven straight days of practice and that’ll be great for improving what we want to work on,” said Grandbois after the game. “This is the best group of girls you’ll ever meet. They’re so willing to learn and they’re enduring all of the 4A schools on the schedule.”