All four Whatcom County teams are still alive in the Class 1A District 1 girls basketball tournament, and Nooksack Valley and Meridian guaranteed themselves spots in next week’s bi-district tournament with victories on Thursday night, Feb. 13.
Nooksack Valley advanced at the expense of Mount Baker, beating the Mounties, 48-24. Meridian had another strong game in clobbering Cedar Park Christian (Bothell), 44-28.
With the victories, the Pioneers and Trojans move on to the consolation final and will play for third and fourth places on Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at Mount Vernon High School.
The Mounties lost Thursday night, but they are still in position for a bi-district berth. They will play Cedar Park Christian on Saturday at 2 p.m., also at Mount Vernon, with the winner taking fifth place and advancing, and the loser being eliminated.
The county’s fourth entry, Lynden Christian, will play King’s for the district championship on Friday at 5:30 p.m. at Mount Vernon. A victory would not only give the Lyncs their fifth straight district title, but would guarantee them a spot in the regional round of the state tournament.
Pioneers Put It All Together In Stopping Mounties
Nooksack Valley (16-6) takes pride in its defense, and the Pioneers should feel proud after limiting Mount Baker (12-10) to just 16 points in the final three quarters and holding the Mounties to their second-lowest point total of the season.
The Pioneers’ lone senior, guard Kora Larsen, led a balanced scoring attack with 11 points. Sophomore forward McKenna Wichers added 9 points, junior guard Maya Galley and freshman guard Hallie Kamphouse added 6 each, and sophomore guards Tehya Moore and Ellie Van Berkum had 5 each.
For the Mounties, a two-point second quarter put them in a double-digit hole they couldn’t escape. Senior forward Abby Yost and sophomore guard Trinity Anderson had 6 points each and junior forwards Petra Allred and Ripley Reardon had 5 each as Mount Baker was held to only 10 field goals for the game.
The Mount Baker-Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) game on Saturday will be a rematch of a district opening-round game, which the Mounties lost, 54-42.
Nooksack Valley 48, Mount Baker 24
Mount Baker 8 2 9 5—24
Nooksack Valley 10 13 10 15—48
Mount Baker: Trinity Anderson 6, Rylee Ross, Madison Barter, Petra Allred 5, Alyssa Chadwick, Kaitlyn Rosenburg, Hayley Jimmie 2, Madelyn Valum, Taite Reardon, Abby Yost 6, Ripley Reardon 5.
Nooksack Valley: Kora Larsen 11, Tehya Moore 5, Maya Galley 6, McKenna Wichers 9, Hallie Kamphouse 6, Ellie Van Berkum 5, Renae Hoekema 2, Jenna Compton 2, Taylor Lentz 2.
Trojans Put Clamps On Cedar Park Christian
While Meridian’s Skyleigh James and Cedar Park Christian (Bothell)’s Irena Korolenko were having an offensive shootout, the Trojans’ defense was busy shutting down and almost shutting out the rest of the Eagles.
Korolenko had a game-high 20 points, but Cedar Park Christian (16-7) got little else as Meridian’s stingy defenders limited four other Eagles to two points each.
Meanwhile, James was leading Meridian (12-12) with 17 points, including all eight of the Trojans’ points in the third quarter, as Meridian notched its third blowout win in the district tournament.
And the sophomore post got lots of help as six other Trojans scored at least 3 points each. Sophomore guard Kayla Aalpoel had 7 points and freshman guard Avery Neal had 6 points as the Meridian bench got a lot of playing time.
Meridian 44, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 28
Meridian 11 4 7 6—28
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 16 15 8 5—44
Meridian: Madeline Bowler 3, Kayla Aalpoel 7, Maris Baklund 4, Brynn Neal, Finnley Claeys 3, Amanda Schleimer, Kandance Blankers 4, Emilee Swanson, Avery Neal 6, Ellie DeWaard, Skyleigh James 17.
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell): Trinity Michel, Reagan Hicks, Skye Bonner, Abby Perrigoue 2, Megan Perrigoue 2, Olivia Decker 2, Irena Korolenko 20, Mikaehla Brown 2, Marianna Brown.
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 1
Saturday, Feb. 8
Meridian 65, Sultan 34 (loser out)
Monday, Feb. 10
Nooksack Valley 61, Coupeville 15
King’s 42, Meridian 36
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 54, Mount Baker 42
Lynden Christian 81, South Whidbey 41
Tuesday, Feb. 11
Meridian 52 Coupeville 24 (loser out)
Mount Baker 53, South Whidbey 17 (loser out)
Lynden Christian 82, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 14
King’s 43, Nooksack Valley 36
Thursday, Feb. 13
Meridian 44, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 28
Nooksack Valley 48, Mount Baker 24
Friday, Feb. 14
Lynden Christian vs. King’s at Mount Vernon, 5:30 p.m. (winner first, loser second)
Saturday, Feb. 15
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) vs. Mount Baker at Mount Vernon, 2 p.m. (winner fifth, loser out)
Meridian vs. Nooksack Valley at Mount Vernon, 5:30 p.m. (winner third, loser fourth)
(Top five advance to Bi-District)
