Big and small, each relies on the other in Woodland’s inside-out offense.
“Teams have to decide, are they taking us away on the inside or the outside,” Woodland coach Jason Buffum said.
And when opponents double-team Mulder, he doesn’t hesitate to pass outside to Huddleston.
“I love having a guard out there to pass it out to,” Mulder said. “I know he’s going to hit the shot.”
Huddleston, Mulder and Sixberry each average about 13 points per game.
“It’s always a team effort,” Sixberry said. “One guy can always have a big night, but if we’re all clicking it’s even better.”
But it’s how those players work together on defense that makes Woodland one of the state’s stingiest teams.
Woodland is allowing 47.5 points per game, which is the second fewest among Class 2A teams according to Buffum. In a low-scoring slugfest, Woodland feels it has a chance against anybody.
“Our goal is to try and get into the fifties and keep you in the forties,” Buffum said. “You don’t get a lot of lay-ins against us. Even shots that (Mulder) doesn’t block, he alters.”
Just like Mulder and Sixberry open space for Huddleston on offense, the bigs free up the guards on defense. Huddleston said he can defend ball-handlers tighter and more aggressively knowing he has backup.
“If we do have defensive breakdowns and let guys in the middle, Bryce and Sixberry each have a lot of blocks,” Huddleston said.
In North Kitsap, the Beavers will face a team that relies more on 3-point shots than inside scoring. But that doesn’t mean the frontcourt won’t play a big role against the No. 9-ranked Vikings from Poulsbo.
“We’ll have to rebound,” Buffum said. “They’re not a big team but they’re scrappy and have five guys who rebound hard and rebound well. For us to go up there and have a chance to compete, we have to limit their opportunities.”
After winning two loser-out games to reach state, Huddleston said he and his teammates feel battle-tested for Friday’s loser-out game at Mount Tahoma High School.
“We showed a lot of heart,” Huddleston said. “It showed our passion and how bad we want it.”
