The Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League leaders stayed atop the standings by going undefeated last week.
Lynden led the way with four impressive victories, including non-league wins over previously unbeatens Bellevue Christian and Stanwood.
Lynden Christian and Nooksack Valley, which join the Lions and Burlington-Edison as the last teams without a loss in NWC play, also won their games last week. Meridian was the other Whatcom NWC squad that had an unblemished week with three wins.
For a look back at Week 3 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.
For a look at the upcoming holiday tournaments, check out Holiday tournaments.
In the NW1B, Lummi Nation continues to dominate, collecting three league wins by an average margin of 48 points.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 3.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Last year, there were only a few close games during the regular season, but on Tuesday alone, there were three exciting finishes. Meridian rallied from seven down in the fourth to beat Squalicum, 39-36. Then Sehome scored the game’s last three points in the final 30 seconds to edge Mount Baker, 47-44. But the tightest game was in Mount Vernon, where the Bulldogs rallied from 10 down in the fourth only to see Nooksack Valley junior Chayleigh Davis sink the game-winner with five seconds left, giving the Pioneers a 50-49 victory.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Finley Parcher had 27 points for Lynden on Monday, 17 on Wednesday, and 23 on Friday and 26 more on Saturday. Junior Payton Mills added 16 points for the Lions on Wednesday and 16 again on Saturday. … Sophomore Jemma James had 23 points and junior Ailini Rabang had 21 points for Lummi Nation on Monday. James added 16 points Wednesday, and Rabang had 19 points on Thursday. … Nooksack Valley’s Payton Bartl had 22 points on Tuesday, and fellow junior Grace DeHoog had 17 points on Thursday.. … Juniors Abbey White and Kayla Washington had 20 and 18 points, respectively, for Ferndale on Wednesday, and junior Jilly Fox had 19 points on Friday. … Squalicum sophomore Tiana Thompson had 18 points on Saturday. … Sehome sophomore May Madera had 16 points for Sehome on Tuesday, and junior Aspen Barge had 16 points for the Mariners on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN knocked off Lakewood on Monday, 73-34; Bellevue Christian on Wednesday, 49-32; Ferndale on Friday, 75-38; and Stanwood on Saturday, 52-27. On Monday, the Lions held the Cougars to 16 points in the first half and were up by 26 at intermission and never challenged. Parcher added 10 rebounds and 3 steals to her 27 points; Mills had 12 points and 10 rebounds; sophomore Lexi Hermanutz had 10 points, 6 steals, and 5 rebounds; and junior Rian Stephan added 6 points. On Wednesday, the Lions’ defense only gave up 17 points through three quarters in handing the Vikings their first loss of the season. Parcher and Mills were too much for BC to handle with Parcher collecting 17 points and 8 rebounds and Mills having 16 points and 8 rebounds. Stephan added 7 points and 3 rebounds. On Friday, the Lions’ took command with a 30-point, first-quarter blitz and never let the Golden Eagles get in their game. Parcher again led the Lions with 23 points as nine Lions had four or more points. Mills added 9 rebounds and 6 assists to her 13 points, senior Kiki York had 10 points, and Hermanutz contributed 6 points. On Saturday, the Lions shocked the Class 3A Spartans, who came into the game 6-0. Parcher had 26 points, 8 steals, and 6 rebounds, and Mills had 16 points, 8 rebounds, and made all six of her free throws as the Lions were a deadly 17 of 20 from the line.
LUMMI NATION beat Friday Harbor on Monday, 61-18; Darrington on Wednesday, 43-7; and Grace Academy on Thursday, 72-8. On Monday, the Lady Blackhawks held the Wolverines to two points in the first quarter and then used a 24-point second quarter to blow the game wide open. James led the offense with 23 points and a pair of 3-pointers, and she also had 4 steals. Rabang added 21 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals, and junior Kashlyn Mack contributed 8 points, 7 steals, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists. On Wednesday, it was the Blackhawks’ defense that shined, shutting out the Loggers in the first half and giving up only two points through three quarters. James had 16 points to lead Lummi Nation, and Rabang and Mack added 8 points each. On Thursday, the game was over by the first quarter when the Blackhawks held a 36-2 lead. Rabang had 19 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals; James had 15 points and 10 steals; Mack added 14 points, 6 assists, and 5 steals; and junior Bri Metteba and freshman Laraya Dennis added 6 points each.
MERIDIAN defeated Squalicum on Tuesday, 39-36; Blaine on Friday, 43-9; and Cedarcrest on Saturday, 42-20. In Tuesday’s defensive struggle, the Trojans completed the fourth-quarter comeback when sophomore Maddy Swanson hit a 3-pointer to give Meridian the lead in the final minute and freshman Melanie Short and Swanson each hit a free throw in the final 13 seconds to hold off the Storm. Senior Brooklyn Fuller led the Trojans with 9 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists; Short had 8 points; and sophomore Eden Bernardy added 6 points. On Friday, the Trojans’ pressure defense shut out the Borderites in the second quarter to take a 24-3 halftime lead as the reserves enjoyed a lot of playing time. Ten different Trojans scored with sophomore Amelia Koning collecting 12 points and two 3-pointers, Short tossing in 7 points, and sophomore Kaitlyn Storgaard pulling down 7 rebounds. On Saturday, the Trojans started slow on offense but their defense shut down the Red Wolves, and a 26-point second half gave Meridian the non-league victory. Bernardy had a team-high 14 points thanks to an outstanding 8 of 9 performance at the free throw line. Fuller had 9 points, and junior Kinsley Neal had 8 points and a pair of 3-pointers. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Meridian girls.
NOOKSACK VALLEY edged Mount Vernon on Tuesday, 50-49, and stopped Sedro-Woolley, 54-46, on Thursday. In Tuesday’s thriller, the Pioneers held off Mount Vernon thanks to making 13 of 15 free throws. Bartl dominated outside with 22 points, including three 3-pointers, DeHoog dominated inside with 14 points and 16 rebounds, and senior Kate Shintaffer and Davis added 6 points each. On Thursday, the Pioneers built up a 16-point lead but had to withstand a Cubs’ comeback before pulling out the victory. DeHoog once again stood tall with 17 points, 17 rebounds, and 5 assists but got a lot of help from the other returning veterans. Bartl had 11 points, 5 steals, and 5 assists; Davis had 10 points; and Shintaffer had 8 points, 4 steals, and 3 assists. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Nooksack Valley girls.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN overpowered Sehome on Friday, 61-28. The Lyncs used a stifling defense that gave up less than 10 points in three quarters and a balanced offense that produced 20 assists and saw five players score six or more points. Freshman Tyra Dykstra led the Lyncs with 14 points, four 3-pointers, and 7 steals; senior Allison Shumate had 13 points; senior Alisa Scott had 10 points; junior Ella Fritts had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists; senior Danya Dykstra had 6 points and 4 assists; sophomore Ellie Pierce had 5 steals and 4 assists; and junior Kayla Yun had 4 assists and 4 steals.
BLAINE lost to Meridian on Friday, 43-9, but beat Cascade (Everett) on Saturday, 29-25. On Friday, the Borderites struggled against the Trojans’ pressure defense and had a season-low scoring output. Freshman Courtney Roff had a 3-pointer; senior Brie Smith had a three-point play, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals; and junior Aaliyah Bowman had a bucket and free throw, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. On Saturday, the Borderites limited the Class 4A Bruins to 14 points in the final three quarters to notch the non-league victory. Smith had 10 points to lead Blaine, Bowman had 8 points, and junior Brietta Sandell had 7 points and two 3-pointers, including one in the crucial fourth period. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Blaine girls.
FERNDALE beat Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 59-32, but lost to Lynden on Friday, 75-48. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles limited the Wildcats to single digits in each quarter to secure an important win against a Class 3A rival. White and Washington combined to outscore Oak Harbor with 38 points, Fox had a team-high 7 rebounds, and sophomore Brooklyn Larrabee had 10 points and 10 steals as Ferndale forced 36 turnovers. On Friday, the Golden Eagles played the Lions relatively even in the second half but never were able to cut into Lynden’s lead after being outscored, 30-10, in the first quarter. Fox had 19 points thanks to three 3-pointers, Larrabee had 6 points in addition to 3 assists and 3 steals, and Washington and White had 5 points each.
SEHOME beat Mount Baker on Tuesday, 47-44, but lost to Lynden Christian on Friday, 61-28. Despite playing without two injured starters on Tuesday, the Mariners managed to hold Mount Baker to five fourth-quarter points to secure the win. The key play of the game came with 27 seconds left, when, after a Mariner was fouled and had to leave the game because of an injury, junior Nora Kingsley came off the bench after not playing all game long and hit two free throws. After sophomore Kate Schroeder made a steal, junior Aspen Barge hit another free throw with two seconds left to complete the comeback. Madera led the Mariners with 16 points on five 3-pointers; Schroeder had 12 points, 7 steals, and 4 rebounds; and sophomore Sadie Gustafson had 6 points. On Friday, the Mariners couldn’t get their offense going against the Lyncs as only four players managed to score. Barge stood out with 16 points and 9 rebounds, Schroeder added 5 points and 5 steals, and junior Kiera Reeves had 4 assists.
SQUALICUM lost to Meridian on Tuesday, 39-36, but bounced back to top Lakewood on Saturday, 65-42. On Tuesday, the Storm held Meridian to two points in the third period to take the lead but were outscored, 16-6, in the fourth period. Sophomore Lexi Robbins had a game-high 11 points, freshman Kailana Perez and sophomore Colee Harper had 7 points each, and senior Loretta Murphy-Kangas had 6 points. On Saturday, eight of nine Storm players scored as Squalicum used a 22-point first quarter to take command and a 21-point fourth quarter to put away the Cougars. Thompson led the barrage with 18 points and 10 rebounds, Murphy-Kangas, Perez, and Robbins had 11 points each with Robbins adding 6 assists and 5 steals, and Harper had 8 points.
BELLINGHAM defeated Oak Harbor on Monday, 49-37; lost to Anacortes on Thursday, 59-22; and was beat at the buzzer by Edmonds-Woodway on Saturday, 39-37. On Monday, the Bayhawks broke open a tight game with 19 points in the fourth quarter. Senior reserve Jenny Ruano had her best game of the year with 14 points, two 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists. Sophomore Merritt Jensen added 13 points and 8 rebounds, and senior Malia Hanks had 6 points, 7 rebounds, 6 steals, and 5 assists. On Thursday, the Bayhawks’ offense never got rolling in the NWC loss. Jensen and Ruano had 8 and 6 points, respectively, but no other Bayhawk had more than 4 points. On Saturday, the Bayhawks were down by four with 15 seconds left but tied the game on Ruano’s free throw and a 3-pointer by Alexyce Evans. But Edmonds-Woodway tipped in a missed shot at the buzzer to earn the victory. Junior Mary Lockhart led Bellingham with 11 points, Jensen had 8 points, ad Ruano and Hanks had 5 points each.
MOUNT BAKER lost to Sehome on Tuesday, 47-44, and to Burlington-Edison on Thursday. In Tuesday’s loss, Mount Baker went cold at the wrong time scoring only two points in the fourth quarter until freshman Rian Harkness hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 44-all in the last minute. Unfortunately, those would be the Mounties’ final points. Soares led Mount Baker with 13 points, making all seven of her free throws, and 16 rebounds; Harkness had 9 points; sophomore Lily Reeves had 7 points; and senior Faith Wilson had 6 points. On Thursday, the Mounties never solved the Tigers’ defense being held to 13 points in the first half. Soares finished with 13 points and 11 rebounds, and Harkness added 12 points and 4 rebounds.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 4
TOP GAMES
Undefeated Lynden and Lynden Christian will be tested this week starting with the Lyncs’ non-league game against Class 4A Arlington on Monday. Then the two Whatcom teams will play some of the top teams in the state on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday in the Lynden Christmas Classic at Lynden Christian.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 23: Granite Falls at Mount Baker, Arlington at Lynden Christian
Wednesday, Dec. 25: Merry Christmas
Thursday, Dec. 26: Nooksack Valley vs. River Ridge at T-Town Throwdown tournament in Tacoma, Brookswood vs. Lynden Christian and Lynden vs. Meadowdale at Lynden Christmas Classic, Sultan vs. Meridian at Trojan Storm Classic at Meridian
Friday, Dec. 27: Bellingham at Interlake, Eisenhower at Squalicum, Sehome vs. Eastmont at CWU tournament, Nooksack Valley at T-Town Throwdown tournament in Tacoma, Lynden and Lynden Christian in Lynden Christmas Classic, Meridian at Trojan Storm Classic at Meridian
Saturday, Dec. 28: Nooksack Valley at T-Town Throwdown tournament in Tacoma, Sehome vs. Ellensburg at CWU tournament, Lynden and Lynden Christian in Lynden Christmas Classic, Meridian at Trojan Storm Classic at Meridian
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Nooksack Valley | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Burlington-Edison | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Meridian | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Anacortes | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferndale | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Mount Vernon | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Sehome | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Bellingham | 1 | 2 | 4 | 1 |
| Lakewood | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Squalicum | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Blaine | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 4 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Lopez Island | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 2 | 0 | 5 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 0 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
