Because last week was a quiet one — there were only two games involved Whatcom girls teams in Week 4 — and this week will bring a flurry of holiday tournament results, it’s a great time to take inventory of where our teams are.
So instead of our weekly Whatcom Hoops recap, we’re going to look at each team and where they stand at this point of their seasons.
For a look at our Whatcom boys teams after Week 4, check out Whatcom Hoops Boys Grades.
Granted, because of weather postponements and scheduling anomalies, some teams are behind the rest, but we’ll take that into consideration. And it is still early in the season so please take any opinions with a grain of salt.
But still … doesn’t everybody like to give their opinion?
Like we’ve done in the past, we’ll use report cards for each team based on the elementary school grading system:
Outstanding: Teams that have reached their high goals so far this season or that have done better than expected.
Satisfactory: Teams that are about where they were expected to be so far and have a chance to do even better.
Needs improvement: Teams that will need to up their game the rest of the season to reach their postseason goals.
Incomplete: Teams that are difficult to judge because of early-season scheduling, injuries, and other circumstances.
Here where our girls teams stand after Week 4.
OUTSTANDING
LYNDEN LIONS
Overall record: 6-0
Northwest Conference record: 4-0, first place
Why outstanding: Because there’s no super-outstanding. These Lions are riding a 54-game winning streak and appear even better than their last two teams, which only won Class 2A state titles. They are not only winning but dominating by an average margin of 44 points, and that includes wins over 4A Tahoma and 3A Stanwood, two teams expected to reach their state playoffs. There are still a few tough tests in the regular season but the real challenges will be in early March in Yakima.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN LYNCS
Overall record: 7-0
NWC record: 3-0, second place
Week 4 result: The Lyncs stunned Class 4A Arlington on the road, 56-43. Senior Ella Fritts had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists; sophomore Tyra Dykstra had 12 points and 4 rebounds; junior Jocelyn Eshuis had 8 points; freshman Jess DeJong had 8 rebounds; and junior Grace Russell had 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Why outstanding: That the Lyncs are near the top of the league standings isn’t unusual since we’ve pretty much seen it every season for the past 50 years. But this could be one of LC’s biggest “rebuilds” in years and yet here the inexperienced Lyncs are — undefeated with impressive wins over 2A power Archbishop Murphy and 4A Arlington. The upcoming Lynden Christmas Classic and its state-ranked opponents will offer a realistic appraisal of where LC stands.
LUMMI NATION LADY BLACKHAWKS
Overall record: 6-1
Northwest 1B League record: 4-0, first place
Why outstanding: Don’t judge Lummi Nation by its league games since the Lady Blackhawks will fly through the Northwest 1B League with little trouble. But they aren’t afraid to schedule tougher opponents starting this week in the Trojan Storm Winter Classic and then Jan. 10 at three-time defending Class 1B state champion Neah Bay. The Blackhawks’ only loss is to 2B power Mount Vernon Christian by four points, so Lummi is gearing up for another run to state.
SATISFACTORY
SEHOME MARINERS
Overall record: 5-2
NWC record: 3-1, tied for fourth place
Why satisfactory: The Mariners may turn out to be the surprise team of the county come playoff time, but 18-point losses to Lynden Christian and Stanwood show that there’s still work to do to reach the elite level. Still, this is a young team with potential that already has victories over Ferndale and Squalicum to its credit (although both were non-league contests). With a third Class 2A state berth available, you can expect the Mariners to be battling for it.
SQUALICUM STORM
Overall record: 5-2
NWC record: 3-1, tied for fourth place
Why satisfactory: The Storm are in the same category as Sehome — a young but experienced team with talent. Squalicum also hasn’t been at full strength yet and should be after the holidays. They’ll need to avoid the up-and-down rollercoaster of youth that’s plagued them in the past and find ways to win against good opponents in critical times (translation: win in the playoffs). But that’s down the road and if the youngsters keep improving, it may come down to a third Squalicum-Sehome showdown for a spot at state.
MOUNT BAKER MOUNTIES
Overall record: 5-2
NWC record: 3-1, tied for fourth place
Why satisfactory: The Mounties still have to play the top tier NWC teams so their record is a little deceiving. But still … this is a different Mount Baker team that when playing together, will give opponents fits. The funny thing for our Class 1A squads is that the regular season doesn’t matter much since it’s only for seeding at district. What counts is how much teams improve and how they are playing at the end of the season, and Mount Baker should keep improving and figures to be in the hunt at the end.
BELLINGHAM BAYHAWKS
Overall record: 4-3
NWC record: 2-2, seventh place
Week 4 result: The Bayhawks led 5-2 after two minutes but gave up 16 points in a row and never recovered in losing a non-league contest to Class 3A Edmonds-Woodway on Monday, 66-33. Sophomore Lucy Holland hit all six of her free throws and two of the Bayhawks’ five 3-pointers for a team-high 12 points, junior Merritt Jensen had 7 points , but no other Bayhawk had more than three points although senior Mary Lockhart did pull down 8 rebounds. For the story and photos from Monday’s game, click on Bellingham Girls.
Why satisfactory: The Bayhawks have had the advantage of an easy early-season schedule, but like most of our girls teams, they definitely have improved. No one is expecting them to beat Lynden (will anybody?) or to go to state, but this is a more confident group that won’t be an easy win for the middle-of-the-pack teams. And if they win more games than they have in any of the past five years (six), how can it not be a satisfactory season?
NEEDS IMPROVEMENT
FERNDALE GOLDEN EAGLES
Overall record: 1-3
NWC record: 1-1, eighth place
Why needs improvement: It would be tempting to put the Golden Eagles in the “incomplete” category since they’ve had three games washed out and two of their three losses were to a really good 4A Jackson team and Lynden. But, unfortunately, Ferndale has to be judged on a different criteria because the Golden Eagles play in the 3A ranks where the playoff competition is always a big step up. The good news is that Ferndale has the senior leadership to make the Golden Eagles a forced come February.
MERIDIAN TROJANS
Overall record: 2-2
NWC record: 1-2, tied for ninth place
Why needs improvement: The Trojans are a little bit of a mystery, a mostly young team with experience that looks good against weaker teams but has struggles against stronger teams. Their pressure defense can keep them in games, but when it’s not effective, they’ve had trouble scoring. Expectations are always high and having just missed state spots the past couple of years, they don’t want to wait another year. If they can solve their offensive woes, they’ll be in the thick of it.
BLAINE BORDERITES
Overall record: 1-6
NWC record: 0-3, 15th place
Why needs improvement: Yes, this is still the program where just having a team is a win and where winning games is cause for celebration. But the Borderites are a proud bunch, many of them highly successful in other sports, so please don’t keep treating them with kids’ gloves. They show signs of improvement already but if they want to upset one of the traditional 1A powers in the district playoffs, they’ll need to make big strides.
INCOMPLETE
NOOKSACK VALLEY PIONEERS
Overall record: 3-0
NWC record: 2-0
Why incomplete: You could pencil the undefeated Pioneers into the “satisfactory” category but except for the two Lynden schools, no team has higher expectations than Nooksack, where going to Yakima in March is a given. This year is no different especially with players who experienced the back-to-back 1A state titles. But flooding has limited them to three games, so a bigger sample size is needed to determine where they stand. Still, until one of the other 1A schools knocks them off, the Pioneers are still a favorite.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 5
Ten of our 11 girls teams will be playing in holiday tournaments at the beginning of this week and then Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League games will start up again on Friday and Saturday, Jan. 2 and 3.
For a preview of all the holiday tournaments, click on Holiday Tournaments.
Here’s a look at the non-tourney schedules this coming weekend.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 29: Mountlake Terrace at Squalicum
Tuesday, Dec. 30: Shorewood at Squalicum
Friday, Jan. 2: Sehome at Anacortes, Squalicum at Blaine, Burlington-Edison at Lynden Christian, Ferndale at Lakewood
Saturday, Jan. 3: Mount Vernon at Lynden, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) at Blaine, Mount Baker at Meridian, Bellingham at Nooksack Valley
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Nooksack Valley | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Mount Baker | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Sehome | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Squalicum | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Bellingham | 2 | 2 | 4 | 3 |
| Ferndale | 1 | 1 | 1 | 3 |
| Anacortes | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Lakewood | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Meridian | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Mount Vernon | 1 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Blaine | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Lopez Island | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
