The Northwest Conference began league play with favorites Lynden and Nooksack Valley rolling to big wins and remaining undefeated. But they weren’t the only ones.
After two weeks of action, Sehome and Anacortes also remain unbeaten and Ferndale and Burlington-Edison kept pace atop the NWC standings.
For a look back at Week 2 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 2.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In a week with a lot of blowouts, the most impressive win might have been Lynden’s 54-45 victory over Lake Stevens. The Class 2A Lions dominated the 4A Vikings, whose only loss was to state power Arlington by three. With underclassmen accounting for more than half of Lynden’s points, the Lions made an early-season statement to the rest of the state.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nooksack Valley senior Devin Coppinger had 26 points on Wednesday and 18 on Saturday, and senior teammate Lainey Kimball added 16 points on Wednesday and 24 on Saturday. … Lummi Nation freshman Jemma James had 25 points on Monday, 26 points on Wednesday, and 22 on Friday. … Sophomore Kayla Washington had 21 points in Ferndale’s victory on Tuesday and senior teammate Mallory Butenschoen had 17 points on Thursday. … Blaine freshman Teia Dube had 19 points on Tuesday and another 19 on Thursday, and senior Jordyn Vezzetti added 17 points on Tuesday, 16 on Thursday, and 23 on Saturday for the Borderites. … Lynden freshman Finley Parcher had 17 points in Monday’s victory and senior Haylee Koetje had 17 points on Thursday for the Lions. … Sophomore Ella Fritts tossed in 16 points for Lynden Christian on Tuesday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN clobbered Oak Harbor on Monday, 70-33; beat Lake Stevens, 54-45, on Wednesday; and dominated Lakewood on Thursday, 69-20. On Monday, the Lions held Oak Harbor to one first-quarter field goal as they leaped out to a quick double-digit lead and were never headed. Parcher had 17 points and five of Lynden’s 13 3-pointers, and senior Kalanie Newcomb had four 3s to account for her 12 points. Sophomores Payton Mills and Degitu Bowler added 13 and 8 points, respectively, as 11 Lions got in the scoring column. On Wednesday, the Lions shocked the Class 4A Vikings in the non-league contest. Mills had 13 points and 7 rebounds, Parcher had 10 points and 6 rebounds, and Kiki York added 9 points with the three going 8 of 9 from the line. On Thursday, the Lions used a 32-0 second quarter to leave Lakewood behind and win their fifth straight game. Koetje’s 17 points and 5 assists led Lynden, senior Mallary Villars had 12 points including a pair of 3-pointers and a 6-for-6 performance from the line, York had 10 points, and Parcher had five of Lynden’s 20 steals.
FERNDALE opened league play with a 65-56 victory over Lakewood on Tuesday and a 53-34 victory over Squalicum on Thursday. On Tuesday, a 23-point fourth period gave the Golden Eagles the win. Washington led the way with 21 points and four 3-pointers and her backcourt mate, senior Maleah Singson, had 12 points on four 3s as well as 6 rebounds and 3 assists. Butenschoen had 10 of her 11 points in the decisive final quarter, and sophomore Jillea Fox had 10 points and 13 rebounds. On Thursday, the Golden Eagles’ defense held Squalicum to two first-half field goals in building a 37-13 halftime lead. Butenschoen led the offense with 17 points, hitting three 3-pointers, going 4 of 5 from the line, and grabbing 11 rebounds; Fox added 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals; and Washington had 11 points while making four of her five free throws.
NOOKSACK VALLEY defeated Sedro-Woolley on Wednesday, 84-23, and Bellingham on Saturday, 72-16. On Wednesday, the Pioneers honored last year’s Class 1A state championship team — the first girls basketball state title in the school’s history — and then went out and dominated the Cubs. Coppinger led the way with 26 points, 11 rebounds, and six of Nooksack’s 28 steals. Kimball also had a great all-around game collecting 16 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. Senior Tana Hoekema added 13 points and 5 rebounds, senior Kaylee Anderson had 6 assists, and junior Kate Shintaffer had 6 steals. On Saturday, the Nooksack defense never let the Bayhawks have more than six points in a quarter. All nine Pioneers scored with Kimball leading the way with 24 points, Coppinger adding 18, and sophomore Payton Bartl chipping in 10 points.
SEHOME defeated Squalicum on Monday, 47-38, and Meridian on Thursday, 45-35. On Monday, the seniors led the way, helping the Mariners rally from a 7-0 deficit to take down their crosstown rivals. Emmy Hart had three 3s, 14 points and 4 steals; Madi Cooper had 10 points, 8 assists, and 3 steals; Kylie Watson had 9 points; and Natalie Brewer added 7 points and combined with Hazel Gaston for 17 rebounds. On Thursday, Brewer had all 10 points and both her 3-pointers after intermission as the Mariners broke away from a halftime tie to beat the Trojans. Hart led the Mariners with 15 points and three 3s and also collected 5 rebounds and 3 assists; Cooper had 9 points and 3 assists; Watson added 8 points and team-highs of 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals; and Brewer also had 5 rebounds and 4 steals. Check out the story on Monday’s game at Sehome-Squalicum girls.
BLAINE defeated Bellingham on Tuesday, 53-30, and Cascade (Everett) on Thursday, 58-23, but lost to Oak Harbor on Saturday, 54-51. On Tuesday, the Borderites pulled away in the second half to notch their NWC victory over the visiting Bayhawks. Teia Dube had 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 steals, and senior sister Deja Dube added 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals. Vezzetti also was in double figures with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and she also had 6 rebounds and 6 steals. On Thursday, the Borderites ran out to a 20-3 first quarter lead and coasted to a non-league win over the Class 3A Bruins. Teia Dube and Vezzetti had 19 and 16 points, respectively, with the freshman pulling down 11 of Blaine’s 55 rebounds and the senior sinking a pair of 3s and grabbing a dozen rebounds. Millie Berkeley added 11 points; fellow senior Alia Ball added 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists; and Deja Dube had a team-high 14 rebounds. On Saturday, the Borderites used a 16-0 run to get the lead but couldn’t hold it down the stretch and lost their first game of the season. Vezzetti had four 3-pointers among her 23 points and added 11 rebounds and 4 steals. Deja Dube had 13 points, 11 rebounds, 7 steals, and 5 assists, and Teia Dube tossed in 10 points, was 4-for-4 from the line, and pulled down 4 rebounds. Check out the story on Tuesday’s game at Blaine-Bellingham girls.
LUMMI NATION started the week with dominating victories over Darrington on Monday, 52-26, and Providence Classical Christian on Wednesday, 53-12, before falling to Evergreen Lutheran in Tacoma on Friday, 44-33. On Monday, the Lady Blackhawks’ defense gave up just a pair of first-quarter field goals and none in the third quarter in their romp of Class 2B Darrington. James had five 3-pointers among her 25 points and got help on offense from senior Keyonee Morris (8 points), senior Zeta Landsem (7), junior Robyn Jones (5) ,and eighth-grader Laraya Dennis (5). In Wednesday’s Northwest 1B League opener, the Blackhawks jumped to a 22-2 first-quarter lead and never let the Highlanders in the game. James again dominated with 26 points, including a pair of 3s in the big first quarter, Morris added 12 points, and Landsem had 10. On Friday, Lummi Nation was within three going into the final period but was outscored, 16-8, in suffering the non-league loss. James sank four 3-pointers on the way to 22 points, but the Blackhawks only managed two other field goals with Jones adding 5 points.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN lost a close one to Burlington-Edison on Tuesday, 49-47, but bounced back to beat Sedro-Woolley on Friday, 69-21. On Tuesday, the Lyncs only managed six fourth-quarter points as the Tigers rallied with three free throws in the final 12 seconds for the comeback win. Fritts led LC with 16 points and three 3-pointers, junior Allison Shumate added 9 points, and senior Tabby DeJong had 8. On Friday, nine Lyncs scored four or more points and a 23-2 second quarter helped LC overpower the Cubs. Fritts had 14 points and a pair of 3s in three quarters, Shumate had 10 points, DeJong and sophomore Estela Hernandez had 8 points each, and junior Makalie Teeter and sophomore Sara Van Loo had 7 points each.
BELLINGHAM lost at Blaine on Tuesday, 53-30, and at home against Nooksack Valley on Saturday, 72-16. On Tuesday, sophomore Alexyce Evans hit two 3-pointers and scored a team-high 12 points, and junior Malia Hanks had all seven of her points in the first half when the Bayhawks kept pace with the Borderites. Hanks also had 4 assists and 3 steals, and sophomore Mary Lockhart added 6 rebounds. On Saturday, the Bayhawks couldn’t get much offense going against Nooksack Valley. Lockhart had 9 points but was the only Bayhawk to score more than three. Check out the story on Tuesday’s game at Bellingham-Blaine girls.
MERIDIAN dropped its first two NWC contests to Anacortes on Monday, 48-35, and to Sehome on Thursday, 45-35. On Monday, the Trojans played Anacortes even through three quarters but couldn’t hold off the Seahawks in the fourth. Senior Savannah Storgaard had 12 points and 5 rebounds, senior Allie Richter had 11 points and 6 rebounds, and junior Brooklyn Fuller had 7 points and 3 steals. On Thursday, the Trojans were even through the first half but a 17-9 Sehome third quarter allowed the visiting Mariners to escape with the win. Storgaard and Richter led Meridian with 10 points each with Richter tossing in Meridian’s only two 3-pointers.
SQUALICUM lost at Sehome on Monday, 47-38, and fell to Ferndale on Thursday, 53-34. On Monday, the Storm jumped out to a 19-11 lead in the second quarter but couldn’t hold off the Mariners. Freshman Carli Kiesau led the Golden Eagles with 9 points, senior Makayla Heaton had 8 points, and senior Mari Binning and junior Loretta Murphy-Kangas finished with 7 points each. Binning added 7 assists and 4 steals, and Murphy-Kangas pulled down 9 rebounds. On Thursday, a frigid first half put the Storm in a 24-point hole at halftime that they couldn’t make up. Heaton made three 3-pointers for a team-high 9 points and had 7 rebounds, Binning added 7 points, freshman Addison Kettman had 6 points all on free throws, and Murphy-Kangas had 7 rebounds. Check out the story on Monday’s game at Squalicum-Sehome girls.
MOUNT BAKER had its season-opening three-game winning streak snapped with a 47-27 loss to La Conner on Monday, and then dropped NWC contests to Mount Vernon on Wednesday, 49-36, and to Anacortes on Friday, 53-25. On Monday, the Mounties fell behind by 10 early in the non-league game, but after cutting the margin to four at halftime, only scored 11 in the second half and couldn’t keep up with the Class 2B power. Senior Jenna Wineinger had team-highs of 10 points, 13 rebounds, and 6 steals; junior Faith Wilson added 8 points, 4 steals, and 4 blocks, and sophomore Natalie Van Liew had 6 points and 6 steals. On Wednesday, the Mounties were within five going into the fourth period before the Bulldogs pulled away. Freshman Violet Fox led Mount Baker with 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals; Wineinger had 7 points and 14 rebounds; and Wilson also had 7 points and collected 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 blocked shots. On Friday, the Mounties only managed five field goals and never got their offense going in falling to the Seahawks. Van Liew led the way with 9 points, Fox sank 5 of her 6 free throws and collected 5 steals, and senior Rhonda Madera had a team-high 8 rebounds.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 3
TOP GAME
In a game between two teams undefeated in Northwest Conference play, Sehome travels to Burlington-Edison on Thursday in an important battle for Class 2A district seeding.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 11: Bellingham at Sedro-Woolley, Meridian at Ferndale, Lynden Christian at Mount Vernon
Tuesday, Dec. 12: Lake Stevens at Ferndale, Squalicum at Lynden, Mount Baker at Sehome, Lummi Nation at Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood)
Wednesday, Dec. 13: Lakewood at Blaine, Oak Harbor at Nooksack Valley
Thursday, Dec. 14: Blaine at Squalicum, Sehome at Burlington-Edison, Lummi Nation at Lopez Island
Friday, Dec. 15: Bellingham at Lynden Christian, Lynden at Meridian
Saturday, Dec. 16: Ferndale at Mount Baker, Lynden Christian at Tahoma, Lakewood at Nooksack Valley
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Anacortes | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Burlington-Edison | 2 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferndale | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Lynden | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Nooksack Valley | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Sehome | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Blaine | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Lynden Christian | 1 | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Oak Harbor | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Lakewood | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Meridian | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Grace Academy | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Lummi Nation | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Lopez Island | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
