There would be no major upsets in the Class 1A District 1 boys and girls basketball tournaments as the favorites opened with victories in their home play-in games on Wednesday, Feb. 11
The fourth-seeded Meridian girls shook off fifth-seeded Blaine in the second half to win, 44-34, while the fourth-seeded Blaine boys used one big quarter to take down fifth-seeded Mount Baker, 60-43.
With their wins, the Trojans and Borderites move into the double-elimination portion of their tournaments and for their reward get to play the top-seeded Lynden Christian squads in the semifinals on the road on Friday. The Meridian-LC girls game is at 5:30 p.m. and the Blaine and LC boys square off at 7:30 p.m.
The semifinal winners will play in the championship games on Tuesday night at Lynden High School. Semifinal losers are still alive, but must go through the consolation bracket to earn the district’s second state berths.
For the Blaine girls and Mount Baker boys, however, their seasons are over.
Girls: Trojans Pull Away In Second Half, 44-34
The Meridian girls made sure there was no Cinderella ending for Blaine as the Trojans used a solid second half to end the Borderites’ season, 44-34.
The victory, which raised Meridian’s record to 8-13, didn’t come easily against the feisty Borderites, who turned the game into a defensive struggle. The Trojans only led 15-13 at the half before winning the second half, 29-21.
“There were offensive struggles for us again, but Blaine played tough defense and didn’t go down without a fight,” said first-year Meridian coach Kayla Bernsen. “We used pressure to make it happen once again, with lots of steals and jump balls.”
Junior Eden Bernardy led Meridian, scoring 10 of her team-high 16 points in the second half and making 10 free throws. “Eden is relentless on the drive, and they weren’t falling for her tonight, but she converted at the free throw line,” said Bernsen.
The Trojans also got 8 points from junior Lola Gibbs, 6 points from junior Maddy Swanson, and 5 points from junior Amelia Koning.
While the Borderites couldn’t pull off the upset, it was far from upsetting for head coach Sean Miller and assistant Ashley Dickerson, who took over much of the bench duties this season.
After all, the Borderites, who ended the year with a 4-18 mark, were only two seasons away from not having a program at all.
“Self-inflicted turnovers hurt us down the stretch,” said Miller, who added that he was happy to be involved this season even though it was his first and last. “It’s pretty much the story of our season. But they played about as well as they have all season.”
One player who earned praise even from the opposing coach was senior Aaliyah Bowman. In a defensive battle, she managed to put up a game-high 24 points and keep Blaine in the game. Despite the pressure of the playoffs and the pressure of Meridian’s defensive attention, she had three 3-pointers and made all four of her free throws.
“Bowman stepped up big,” said Bernsen. “She played really well tonight and showed a lot of leadership.”
The only other Borderites who managed to score were freshman Hailey Kruse with 4 points and senior Brietta Sandell and junior Kate Koreski with 3 points each.
It was the final game for Bowman, Sandell, and three other Blaine seniors — Olivia Tanjuaquio, Mesa Puls, and Bea Dickson.
Meridian 44, Blaine 34
Blaine 11 2 11 10—34
Meridian 11 4 16 13—44
Blaine: Bring, Tanjuaquio, Bowman 24, Sandell 3, Kruse 4, Hill, Dickson, Richards, Koreski 3.
Meridian: Krumdiak, Koning 5, Bernardy 16, Storgaard 4, Swanson 6, Noste, James 2, Cline-Malarz, Gibbs 8, Benson 3.
CLASS 1A GIRLS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Wednesday, Feb. 11
Play-in game
Meridian 44, Blaine 34 (loser out)
Friday, Feb. 13
Semifinals
Meridian at #1 Lynden Christian, 5:30 p.m.
#3 Mount Baker at #2 Nooksack Valley, 5 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 17
At Lynden High
Championship game
5:40 p.m. (winner first, to state regionals)
Friday, Feb. 20
At Lynden High
Consolation game, 5:40 p.m. (loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 21
At Lynden High
Consolation final, 1 p.m. (winner second, to state regionals, loser out)
Boys: Borderites Eliminate Mount Baker, 60-43
The second quarter made all the difference as the Blaine boys erupted for 24 points and held Mount Baker to just eight on the way to a decisive 60-43 victory.
“I was really proud of how disciplined we played in the first half,” said Blaine coach Chas Kok, whose Borderites’ raised their record to 5-17. “Both offensively and defensively, we did our jobs and trusted our teammates.”
Senior Landon Melton led the offensive fireworks with 11 of his 15 points and his lone 3-pointer coming in the crucial second period. When the fireworks were done, the Borderites led by 18 and it mattered little that the Mounties outscored Blaine in the second half.
Joining Melton in double figures was junior Peyton Bouma, who also had 15 points. But the Borderites got a balanced attack with senior Kai Kerwin adding 9 points, senior Milo Dahl chipping in 8 points, and junior Dawson Dohner collecting 5 points.
“Landon played poised and in control that first half,” said Kok. “Peyton has also been a tremendous boost for us off of the bench since returning from injury.”
Freshman Trey Galbraith led the Mounties with 14 points and senior Jordan Bailey and junior Kell Reardon had 9 points each. Unfortunately, the Mounties were hurt by the absence of their second-leading scorer, Payten Abitia. The senior guard rolled his ankle on Monday and was forced to miss the game.
“We fought hard and gave it everything we had,” said Mount Baker coach Tony Clark, whose team finished the season with a 3-16 record. “I was proud of our effort and teamwork.”
With the loss, four Mount Baker seniors played their final game — Bailey, Abitia, Jet Ross, and Payton Zamzow.
Blaine 60, Mount Baker 43
Mount Baker 10 8 14 11—43
Blaine 12 24 15 9—60
Mount Baker: Ross 2, Smith 2, Bailey 9, Nicol-Mills 3, Galbraith 14, McEvoy-Salgado 3, Barksdale 1, Zamzow, Reardon 9.
Blaine: Kerwin 9, Briner, Banks 2, Dahl 8, Dohner 5, C. Brown, L. Brown 2, C. Dickson, Noa, Melton 15, P. Bouma 15, G. Dickson 4.
CLASS 1A BOYS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Wednesday, Feb. 11
Play-in game
Blaine 60, Mount Baker 43 (loser out)
Friday, Feb. 13
Semifinals
Blaine at #1 Lynden Christian, 7:30 p.m.
#3 Nooksack Valley at #2 Meridian, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Feb. 17
At Lynden High
Championship game, 7:15 p.m. (winner first, to state regionals)
Friday, Feb. 20
At Lynden High
Consolation game, 7:15 p.m. (loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 21
At Lynden High
Consolation final, 2:50 p.m. (winner second, to state regionals, loser out)
