The Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League leaders won all their games as both leagues head into their final weeks.
Lynden and Lynden Christian each won two games last week to set up Saturday afternoon’s showdown at LC for the NWC championship. Lummi Nation continued its run through the NW1B League with a pair of easy victories.
Squalicum and Blaine also had good week with the Storm continuing its hot streak with two wins and the Borderites winning two of their three games.
For a look back at Week 8 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Meridian had a comfortable 15-point lead in the third quarter at Lakewood on Saturday, but when sophomore Eden Bernardy left with an ankle injury, the Trojans had to show their heart by holding off the Cougars’ furious comeback before winning, 63-59. “The girls were rattled after that (Bernardy’s injury),” said Meridian coach Bree Joy. “It was a bummer because Eden had 14 points before she got injured.” Freshman Melanie Short helped pick up the slack with seven of her 12 points coming in the fourth quarter of the exciting win.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior Ailina Rabang had 28 points for Lummi Nation on Monday and 16 more on Friday, and sophomore Jemma James had 15 points on Friday. … Sophomore Finley Parcher had 19 points and junior Payton Mills had 17 for Lynden on Monday, and Parcher came back with 25 points and Mills had 15 on Tuesday. … Nooksack Valley juniors Payton Bartl and Charleigh Davis had 23 and 18 points, respectively, on Wednesday. … Junior Jilly Fox had 20 points for Ferndale on Tuesday. … Freshman Taylor Turrell had 19 points for Sehome on Thursday. … Sophomore Addison Kettman had 17 points and freshman Kai Perez had 15 for Squalicum on Friday, and sophomore Tiana Thompson had 15 points on Tuesday. … Senior Danya Dykstra had 17 points and junior Ella Fritts had 15 for Lynden Christian on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION (RPI ranking: No. 6, 1B): clobbered Lopez Island on Monday, 67-21, and Grace Academy on Friday, 64-21. In Monday’s matchup between the NW1B’s top two teams, the Lady Blackhawks turned a close game into a blowout by outscoring the Lobos, 41-10, over the final three quarters. Rabang had a monster game with 28 points and five 3-pointers, James had 15 points, and junior Kashlyn Mack added 9 points. On Friday, the Blackhawks scored all the points they needed in a 25-point first quarter as they easily defeated the Eagles. Rabang led the balanced attack with 16 points, junior Brianna Metteba had 11 points, Mack had 10 points, James had 8 points, and freshman Laraya Dennis had 6 points.
LYNDEN (No. 1, 2A): defeated King’s on Monday, 54-27, and Meridian on Tuesday, 69-20. On Monday, the Lions doubled-up the Knights at the King Showcase in ShoWare Center. Parcher had 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals; Mills had 17 points and 5 rebounds; and sophomore Lexi Hermanutz had 14 points, all in the first half. On Tuesday, the Lions pounced on the Trojans from the tipoff for a 17-0 lead and never let Meridian in the game. Parcher had 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 steals; Mills had 15 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals; junior Rian Stephan had 9 points; and junior Degitu Bowler, junior Jules Slayton, and Hermanutz had 6 points each.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No. 1, 1A): beat Anacortes on Wednesday, 64-26, and Nooksack Valley on Friday, 70-50. On Wednesday, the Lyncs’ defense held the Seahawks to their lowest point total of the season, including just seven points in the first half as LC built a 26-point lead. Dykstra led a balanced LC attack with 12 points, junior Estela Hernandez had 11 points, senior Allison Shumate and Fritts had 10 points each, sophomore Jocelyn Eshuis had 8 points, junior Sara Van Loo had 7 points, and senior Alisa Scott had 6 points. On Friday, the Lyncs held the Pioneers to three points in the final five and a half minutes to turn a close contest into a 20-point win. Dykstra enjoyed LC’s senior night with a game-high 17 points and two 3-pointers, Fritts had 15 points, Shumate had 10 points, Hernandez and freshman Tyra Dykstra had three 3s and 9 points each, and Scott had 6 crucial points. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Lynden Christian girls.
SQUALICUM (No. 14, 2A): slipped past Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 47-44, and Anacortes on Friday, 50-37. On Tuesday, the Storm were still recovering from the illness that had hit the basketball teams and student body but had enough strength to rally from an early eight-point deficit to overtake the Cubs. Thompson had six of her team-high 15 points in the fourth quarter as the Storm outscored Sedro, 13-8, in the final period. Thompson added 5 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists; Kettman and sophomore Lexi Robbins added 11 and 9 points, respectively, with Kettman collecting 8 rebounds and 3 steals, and Robbins dishing out 7 assists and nabbing 6 steals. On Friday, the Storm were down early but held the Seahawks to 25 points over the final three quarter to notch their sixth win in their last seven games. Kettman had 17 points, including eight in a 17-point Squalicum second quarter that gave the Storm control of the game, and Perez added 15 points.
BLAINE (No. 42, 1A): defeated Oak Harbor on Monday, 22-19; lost to Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) on Tuesday, 60-20; and then beat Bear Creek on Saturday, 40-27. On Monday, the Borderites held the Wildcats to three points in the first quarter and then had just enough offense to earn their first NWC win of the season. Junior Aaliyah Bowman had 8 points and 9 rebounds, sophomore Marcella Bring had 10 rebounds, junior Brietta Sandell had 5 rebounds, and sophomore Kate Koreski had 4 rebounds and 4 steals. On Tuesday, the Borderites struggled to score in the non-league road loss. Bowman again led the way with 6 points, Bring had 4 steals, junior Mesa Puls had 4 rebounds, and Koreski had 3 steals. On Saturday, the Borderites unleashed their defense on the Grizzlies, holding them to nine points over the final three quarter. After being shut out in the second quarter, Blaine scored 22 points in the second half to notch the non-league win. Bowman and Koreski had 12 points each, and senior Brie Smith added 10 points.
FERNDALE (No. 34, 3A): beat Sehome on Tuesday, 45-32, but lost to Burlington-Edison on Saturday, 66-46. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles used their offense to go up by seven in the first half and then held the Mariners to 11 points in the second half to secure the victory. Fox dominated inside with 20 points, 16 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocked shots; junior Kayla Washington had 11 points; junior Abbey White and sophomore Brooklyn Larrabee had 6 points each with Larrabee adding 5 assists and 5 steals. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles stayed with Burlington until the fourth quarter when they only managed four points. Fox had 14 points to lead Ferndale, and Washington and White had 12 points and two 3-pointers each.
MERIDIAN (No. 7, 1A): lost to Lynden on Tuesday, 69-20, but came back to beat Lakewood on Saturday, 63-59. On Tuesday, the Trojans were overpowered by the defending 2A state champs and held to their lowest point total of the season. Senior Sofie Brooks had 6 points but no other Trojan managed more than three points. On Saturday, the Trojans jumped out to an early lead and were up by as much as 15 before withstanding a Lakewood late rally. Sophomore Eden Bernardy had the hot hand with 14 points before going down with an injury with five minutes left in the third period. Freshman Melanie Short had seven of her 12 points in the fourth quarter, junior Kinsley Neal helped the Trojans grab the early lead by hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter, Brooks had 7 points, and senior Brooklyn Fuller had 6 points.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No. 12, 1A): defeated Mount Baker on Wednesday, 59-43, but lost to Lynden Christian on Friday, 70-50. On Wednesday, the Pioneers used a 17-7 fourth quarter to pull away from the stubborn Mounties. Only four Pioneers scored with Bartl’s 23 points and five 3-pointers leading the way. Davis had 18 points, half coming in the decisive final period, as well as 6 steals and 4 rebounds; junior Grace DeHoog had 12 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists; and senior Kate Shintaffer had 6 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals. On Friday, the Pioneers were only down by three with three minutes left in the third quarter but couldn’t keep up with the Lyncs in the final period. Shintaffer and Davis had 14 points each with Shintaffer hitting three 3-pointers and grabbing 8 rebounds, while Davis sank a pair of 3s. DeHoog added 12 points and 8 rebounds, and Bartl had 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Nooksack Valley girls.
BELLINGHAM (RPI ranking: No. 45, 2A): lost to Mount Vernon on Monday, 46-36, and to Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, 56-45. On Monday, the Bayhawks fell behind by 13 at the half and despite holding the Bulldogs to two points in the third quarter and closing to within three, couldn’t make up the difference. Sophomore Merritt Jensen had 12 points and 5 rebounds; senior Malia Hanks had 9 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 steals; and senior Jennifer Ruano added 6 points. On Thursday, the Bayhawks fell behind by 10 in the first quarter and couldn’t close the gap against the Cubs. Jensen continued her stellar play with a team-high 10 points and 7 rebounds, Hanks and Ruano had 8 points each with Hanks adding 5 rebounds and 3 assists and Ruano pulling down 4 rebounds, and junior Mary Lockhart had 6 points and 6 rebounds.
MOUNT BAKER (No. 30, 1A): lost to Nooksack Valley on Wednesday, 59-43, and to Oak Harbor on Friday, 44-38. On Wednesday, the Mounties were within six points going into the final period but could only come up with seven points and couldn’t keep up with the Pioneers. Junior Reace Brown had 13 points, freshman Aurora George had three 3-pointers and 11 points, sophomore Rebeca Soares had 10 points, and freshman Kalyn Abitia had 6 points on a pair of 3s. On Friday, the Mounties couldn’t overcome two missing injured starters and were outscored in the final period, 16-10. Senior Faith Wilson and junior Samiya Powell had 9 points each with Wilson also collecting 4 rebounds, 3 assists, and 5 steals and Powell pulling down 4 rebounds. George had 7 points, Abitia and Brown had 6 points each with Abitia hitting a pair of 3s and nabbing 6 steals and Brown grabbing 5 rebounds.
SEHOME (No. 31, 2A): fell to Ferndale on Tuesday, 45-32, and to Mount Vernon on Thursday, 39-32. On Tuesday, the Mariners were within seven at the half but only managed 11 points in the second half against the Golden Eagles. Nine different Mariners scored but sophomore Kate Schroeder was the only one to score more than four points with 7. Junior Aspen Barge added 7 rebounds and 3 blocked shots. In Thursday’s defensive struggle, the Mariners were within four going into the fourth period but couldn’t come up with enough offense. Turrell had 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 steals, but she was the only Mariner with more than four points. Junior Keira Reeves and sophomore Elyse Panagos had 6 rebounds each, and Barge had 5 blocks.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 9
TOP GAMES
It’s rivalry week for many of our teams with not only bragging rights but possibly league championships on the line. Bellingham gets to host city rivals Squalicum on Tuesday and Sehome on Thursday in the spirit-filled Bellinghome competition. Then on Friday, Lummi Nation hosts their Northwest 1B League rival Tulalip Heritage, and finally, on Saturday, Lynden is at Lynden Christian with the Northwest Conference title going to the winner.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 27: Sehome at Sedro-Woolley, Anacortes at Nooksack Valley, Lynden at Mount Baker, Lummi Nation at Providence Classical Christian
Tuesday, Jan. 28: Squalicum at Bellingham, Lakewood at Blaine, Ferndale at Meridian, Lummi Nation at Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood)
Wednesday, Jan. 29: Lynden Christian at Oak Harbor
Thursday, Jan. 30: Ferndale at Blaine, Sehome at Bellingham, Mount Baker at Lakewood
Friday, Jan. 31: Mount Vernon at Meridian, Nooksack Valley at Squalicum, Tulalip Heritage at Lummi Nation
Saturday, Feb. 1: Lynden at Lynden Christian, La Conner at Bellingham
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden Christian | 10 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| Lynden | 9 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
| Burlington-Edison | 8 | 2 | 14 | 3 |
| Nooksack Valley | 7 | 3 | 10 | 6 |
| Meridian | 7 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
| Squalicum | 7 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| Anacortes | 6 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Ferndale | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
| Mount Vernon | 6 | 5 | 10 | 5 |
| Lakewood | 4 | 7 | 7 | 10 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 4 | 7 | 8 | 8 |
| Sehome | 3 | 8 | 5 | 11 |
| Bellingham | 2 | 7 | 5 | 9 |
| Mount Baker | 2 | 9 | 6 | 9 |
| Blaine | 1 | 7 | 4 | 10 |
| Oak Harbor | 1 | 10 | 4 | 12 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 9 | 0 | 15 | 3 |
| Lopez Island | 9 | 3 | 10 | 3 |
| Grace Academy | 5 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 4 | 4 | 5 | 6 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 2 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 |
