The seedings continued to hold up in the Class 1A District 1 tournaments as the Meridian girls and Nooksack Valley boys used impressive victories on Thursday night, Feb. 10, to advance to the consolation finals and move one step closer to state berths.
In the Class 1B district tournaments, the Lummi Nation teams won in different fashions on Thursday and are now one victory away from going to state. The Lady Blackhawks took third as Serena Pantelia hit the game-winner with eight seconds remaining, while the Blackhawks boys won the district championship comfortably.
And the Bellingham girls won their Class 2A play-in game to extend their season and move into the double-elimination portion of the district tournament.
Here’s a look at Thursday’s playoff action involving county teams.
1A Girls: Meridian Uses 3s To Shoot Down Blaine
Nine out of 10 Trojans scored and third-seed Meridian held fourth-seed Blaine to single digits in each of the first three quarters to pull away from the Borderites, 60-30, in the second round of the district tournament.
Sophomore Allie Richter had a game-high 16 points for Meridian, including four 3-pointers. In all, seven different Trojans hit 10 3s in the game.
“It was a good team win,” said Meridian coach Bree Park, whose 15-5 team is ranked 10th in the latest Associated Press state poll. “Our outside shots were falling for everyone. I couldn’t be prouder of this team.”
Senior Ellie DeWaard added 10 points for the Trojans, senior Kadance Blankers and freshman Brooklyn Fuller had 7 points each, and senior Skyleigh James had 6 points.
As usual, senior Hailey Pike led Blaine with 11 points. Sophomore Alia Ball added 9 points, and senior Krystin Kamrath had 6 as the Borderites ended their season with a 9-10 record.
Meridian advances to the consolation final against the loser of Friday’s championship game between top-seed Nooksack Valley and second-seed Lynden Christian.
The consolation final will be played on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. on the home court of the Nooksack Valley-Lynden Christian loser.
The winner of that game advances, along with the district champion, to the District 1/2 cross-over games to play the fourth and fifth seeds from the Emerald Sound tournament for the right to go to the state regionals. The season will be over for the loser of Tuesday’s game.
Meridian 60, Blaine 30
Blaine 7 4 8 11—30
Meridian 15 14 15 16—60
Blaine: Shaelyn Shields, Hailey Pike 11, Jordyn Vezzetti, Millie Berkeley, Krystin Kamrath 6, Alia Ball 9, Deja Dube 4, Shaylie Daniels.
Meridian: Brooklyn Fuller 7, Morgan Adams 3, Emilee Swanson 5, Sofia Brooks 3, Kadance Blankers 7, Allie Richter 16, Avery Neal 3, Ellie DeWaard 10, Skyleigh James 6, Malie McCauley.
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Tuesday, Feb. 8
#4 Blaine 34, #5 Mount Baker 33 (loser out)
Thursday, Feb. 10
#3 Meridian 60, Blaine 30 (loser out)
Friday, Feb. 11
Championship game
#2 Lynden Christian at #1 Nooksack Valley (winner to bi-district playoff)
Tuesday, Feb. 15
Consolation final
Meridian at Lynden Christian-Nooksack Valley loser (winner to bi-district playoff, loser out)
1A Boys: Nooksack Valley Blows Out Meridian In Fourth
Third-seed Nooksack Valley broke open a close game in the second half to defeat fourth-seed Meridian, 58-36, in the second round of the District 1 tournament at Meridian.
Leading by five midway through the third quarter, the Pioneers (6-11) took a 10-point lead into the final period and scored 17 of the first 18 points in the fourth quarter to put the game away. The 25-4 run eliminated the Trojans, who finished their season at 6-13.
Junior Bennett DeLange and freshman Brady Ackerman led the Pioneers with 15 points each, and sophomore Joey Brown had 10 points, all in the fourth quarter. Freshman Caden Heutink added 9 points for the Pioneers, who hit 13 of 15 free throws for the game.
Junior Hunter Jones led the Trojans with 13 points and freshman Jaeger Fyfe, who had 32 points in the Trojans’ first-round victory over Mount Baker, finished with 9 on Thursday.
Nooksack Valley continues on to the consolation final against the loser of the Friday’s championship game between top-seed Lynden Christian and second-seed Blaine. The consolation final will be played on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. on the home court of the girls championship game loser, either Lynden Christian or Nooksack Valley.
The winner of that game advances, along with the district champion, to the District 1/2 cross-over games to play the fourth and fifth seeds from the Emerald Sound tournament for the right to go to the state regionals.
Nooksack Valley 58, Meridian 36
Meridian 15 6 10 5—36
Nooksack Valley 16 10 15 17—58
Meridian: Bryce Johnson 1, Jaeger Fyfe 9, Amrit Nagra 1, Daniel Short, Tucker Harrison, Talon Jenkins 3, Owen Hughes 6, Taran Burks 3, Hunter Jones 13, Tyrel Brooks.
Nooksack Valley: Caden Heutink 9, Bennett DeLange 15, Cory Olney, Colton Lentz 4, Wayne Silves 3, Dawson Kimball 2, Tristan Kamphouse, Joey Brown 10, Brady Ackerman 15.
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Tuesday, Feb. 8
#4 Meridian 66 #5 Mount Baker 46 (loser out)
Thursday, Feb. 10
#3 Nooksack Valley 58, Meridian 36 (loser out)
Friday, Feb. 11
Championship game
#2 Blaine vs. #1 Lynden Christian at Nooksack Valley (winner to bi-district playoff)
Tuesday, Feb. 15
Consolation final
Nooksack Valley vs. Blaine-Lynden Christian loser (winner to bi-district playoff, loser out)
1B Boys: Lummi Nation Wins District Championship
Seniors Tyran Lane and Duncan Toby powered Lummi Nation over Mount Vernon Christian, 67-57, in the District 1 championship game on Thursday.
It was the 13th straight victory for the fourth-ranked Blackhawks (13-1), who were the top seed in the tournament. Mount Vernon Christian (14-5) finishes second.
Lane had 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals, 3 assists, and 3 blocks. Toby had 15 points, 6 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. Eighth-grader Jerome Toby had 8 points and 4 steals, and freshman Tony Abrams had 6 points and 5 steals for the Blackhawks. Richard Wilson added 6 rebounds.
Both teams had already clinched spots in the District 1/2/3 tournament, which starts on Saturday with play-in games. Also qualifying for the tri-district tournament were third-place Orcas Island, fourth-place Grace Academy, and fifth-place Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood).
The Blackhawks will be the second seed in the tri-district tournament and will host the winner of Saturday’s loser-out game between seventh-seed Orcas Island and 10th-seed Muckleshoot Tribal in a quarterfinal contest on Tuesday, Feb. 15. A victory on Tuesday would put Lummi Nation in the state tournament.
CLASS 1B DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Thursday, Feb. 3
Play-in games
#6 Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 41, #7 Concrete 35 (loser out)
#3 Grace Academy 54, #10 Lopez Island 19 (loser out)
#8 Providence Classical Christian 63, #5 Darrington 50 (loser out)
#4 Orcas Island 1, #9 Fellowship Christian 0 (loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 5
First round
Grace Academy 63, Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 36
Orcas Island 59, Providence Classical Christian 57
Tuesday, Feb. 8
Consolation round
Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 60, Providence Classical Christian 56 (winner fifth place to tri-district, loser out)
Semifinals
#2 Mount Vernon Christian 58, Grace Academy 50
#1 Lummi Nation 79, Orcas Island 39
Thursday, Feb. 10
At Lummi Nation
Consolation final
Orcas Island 55, Grace Academy 48 (winner third, loser fourth, both to tri-district)
Championship game
Lummi Nation 67, Mount Vernon Christian 57 (winner first, loser second, both to tri-district)
1B Girls: Lummi Nation Wins Thriller, Takes Third
Sophomore Serena Pantelia hit the biggest shot of the game with eight seconds to go to give Lummi Nation the 42-40 victory over archrival Grace Academy in the District 1 consolation finals. The win, the Blackhawks’ eighth in their last nine games, improved their record to 10-4 and gave them the district’s third-place trophy.
Pantelia led Lummi Nation with 15 points, including six in the final quarter as the Blackhawks rallied from five points down by outscoring the Eagles, 15-6. Another sophomore, Keyonee Morris, had a pair 3-pointers in the fourth-quarter rally and finished with 8 points.
With the Blackhawks’ leading scorers — juniors Aleisha Solomon and Raven Solomon — held to 6 and 5 points, respectively, Lummi Nation had to find points elsewhere. Besides the two sophomores, senior Jacynta Miles added 10 points.
Lummi Nation and Grace Academy (8-3), which took fourth in the tournament, had already clinched spots in the next round of the playoffs: the District 1/2/3 tournament, which starts on Saturday. District 1 champion Mount Vernon Christian, runner-up Orcas Island, and fifth-place finisher Shoreline Christian also advance to tri-districts.
The Blackhawks will be the third seed in the tri-district tournament and will host the winner of Saturday’s loser-out game between sixth-seed Evergreen Lutheran and 11th seed Crescent in a quarterfinal contest on Tuesday, Feb. 15. A victory on Tuesday would put Lummi Nation in the state tournament.
Lummi Nation 42, Grace Academy 40
Lummi Nation 6 17 6 15—42
Grace Academy 6 11 17 6—40
Lummi Nation: Aleisha Solomon 6, Graciela Lopez, Raven Solomon 5, Serena Pantelia 15, Keyonee Morris 8, Jacynta Miles 10.
Grace Academy: Zia Fackenthal 10, Emma Mathews, Kathryn Fehme 8, Heidi Impola 9, Karis Jones 1, Candice Mugo-Wainaina 12.
CLASS 1B DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Thursday, Feb. 3
Play-in games
NW 1B/2B #3 Darrington 49, NW 1B #4 Lopez Island 16 (loser out)
NW 1B #3 Shoreline Christian 38, NW 1B/2B #4 Concrete 37 (loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 5
First round
NW 1B #2 Lummi Nation 54, Darrington 29
NW 1B/2B #2 Orcas Island 72, Shoreline Christian 29
Tuesday, Feb. 8
Consolation
Shoreline Christian 49, Darrington 37 (loser out)
Semifinals
NW 1B/2B #1 Mount Vernon Christian 52, Lummi Nation 41
Orcas Island 38, NW 1B #1 Grace Academy 36
Thursday, Feb. 10
At Lummi Nation
Consolation final
Lummi Nation 42, Grace Academy 40 (winner third, loser fourth, both to tri-district)
Championship game
Mount Vernon Christian 62, Orcas Island 30 (winner first, loser second, both to tri-district)
2A Girls: Bellingham Eliminates Lakewood In OT
Eighth-seed Bellingham needed to go to overtime to extend its season by defeating ninth-seed Lakewood, 51-48, in a district play-in game.
In a back-and-forth second half, the Bayhawks (6-12) needed their freshmen to come through in the clutch. Ninth-grader Ella Morrow had a team-high 15 points and fellow freshman Malia Hanks hit a 3-pointer to tied the game at 40-40 and send it into OT.
Senior Mazy Wright and junior Ellie Wolverton hit big shots in the extra frame and Wright’s two free throws in the final minute iced the game. It was a fitting climax for Wright, who broke a 19-year-old school record for career steals and was honored after the game by previous record-holder Sara Hanson.
With head coach James Wolverton sitting out the game because of COVID protocols, long-time coach Steve Chronister was on the bench for the first time in 15 years and led the Bayhawks to victory.
The Bayhawks now advance to the double-elimination portion of the district tournament and will visit top-seed and sixth-ranked Burlington-Edison in a first-round contest on Saturday. Lakewood (5-12) had its season end with Thursday’s loss.
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Play-in games
Thursday, Feb. 10
#7 Cedarcrest 51, #10 Sedro-Woolley 24 (loser out)
#8 Bellingham 51, #9 Lakewood 48 (loser out)
First round
Saturday, Feb. 12
Cedarcrest at #2 Archbishop Murphy
#6 Squalicum at #3 Lynden
#5 Anacortes at #4 Sehome
Bellingham at #1 Burlington-Edison
Consolation games
Tuesday, Feb. 15
First-round losers at higher seed, 7 p.m. (loser out)
First-round losers at higher seed, 7 p.m. (loser out)
Semifinals
Tuesday, Feb. 15
At Mount Vernon
First-round winners, 5:30 p.m.
First-round winners, 7 p.m.
Consolation games
Thursday, Feb. 17
At Mount Vernon
Consolation winner vs. semifinal loser, 5:30 p.m. (loser out)
Consolation winner vs. semifinal loser, 7:15 p.m. (loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 19
At Mount Vernon
Consolation final
Consolation games winners, 5:30 p.m. (winner to state regionals, loser out)
Championship game
Semifinal winners, 7 p.m. (winner to state regionals, loser out)
