The Mount Baker boys and girls basketball teams took opposite approaches but both managed to find winning formulas in beating their Blaine counterparts in Class 1A District 1 play-in games Monday night, Feb. 10.
In the second game of the doubleheader at the Deming Dome, the Baker boys needed a second-half rally to beat the Borderites, 47-46. The win puts the fourth-seeded Mounties (9-12) into Wednesday’s quarterfinals against top-seeded Lynden Christian. Monday’s loss, however, ended the season for the fifth-seeded Borderites (3-18).
In the first game, the Mount Baker girls flew out to a double-digit lead in the first period but then had to hold off Blaine, 43-35. The win also puts the fourth-seeded Mounties (7-13) into Wednesday’s quarterfinals against top-seeded Lynden Christian. With the loss, the fifth-seeded Borderites finish the season at 4-15.
In Monday’s only other game involving a Whatcom team, the Bellingham girls had little trouble eliminating winless Marysville-Pilchuck in the 2A district play-in game, 54-20. The eighth-seeded Bayhawks (6-13) advance to Wednesday’s quarterfinal against top seed Lynden.
Darius Gilstrap led the Mounties with 13 points. (File photo)
1A Boys: Mounties Rally To Eliminate Borderites, 47-46
After being held to 19 first-half points and watching the fired-up Borderites take a seven-point lead at the half, the Mounties fought back to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter.
It was still tied with a minute left when sophomore Kell Reardon sank the second of two free throws to give Mount Baker its 47-46 lead. The Mounties then had to hang on as Blaine missed an opportunity to tie in the final seconds.
“We barely pulled it out tonight,” said Mount Baker coach Tony Clark. “The team fought hard all night. Our energy and effort was great in the second half, and it was back-and-forth in the fourth quarter.”
Senior Darius Gilstrap continued his hot play of late by leading the Mount Baker comeback with 10 of his team-high 13 points coming in the second half. He also had 11 rebounds and 5 assists. Reardon and junior Jordan Bailey had 9 points each for the Mounties, and senior Cole Lukes added 8 points.
The Borderites fought just as hard, nearly pulling off the upset and avenging a 19-point loss to Mount Baker on Jan. 8.
As they have all season, seniors Josiah Weeda and Dulio Kanagie led the way. Weeda had 15 points, including a pair of clutch 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, and Kanagie has 14 points, eight of them helping Blaine grab its big first-half lead. Junior Landon Melton had 9 points, but no other Borderite managed more than two.
“Prior to each game, I remind the guys of a few standards we want to achieve that have nothing to do with the game plan,” said first-year Blaine coach Chas Kok. “One is to be proud of our efforts, and I thought we did that tonight.”
Besides Weeda and Kanagie, Blaine will miss two other seniors — Beckum Bleazard and Jacob Dohner.
“I’m sad our season is over,” said Kok. “I’m happy our seniors got to play in such a fun environment in their last high school game.”
Mount Baker 47, Blaine 46
Blaine 16 10 9 11—46
Mount Baker 11 8 16 12—47
Blaine: Kerwin, Dahl 2, Bleazard 2, Kenagie 14, Melton 9, J. Dohner 4, Weeda 15.
Mount Baker: L. Smith 5, Gilstrap 13, Bailey 9, G. Smith, Lukes 8, Abitia 2, Hill l, Armbright, Reardon 9.
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Monday, Feb. 10
Play-in game
#4 Mount Baker 47, #5 Blaine 46 (loser out)
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Semifinals
Mount Baker at #1 Lynden Christian (18-2), 7:15 p.m.
#3 Nooksack Valley (10-9) at #2 Meridian (14-6), 7:30 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15
At Lynden High
Consolation round
Semifinal losers, 12:45 p.m. (loser out)
Championship game
Semifinal winners 4:15 p.m. (winner first, to District 1/2 crossover)
Tuesday, Feb. 18
At Lynden High
Consolation final
Consolation winner vs. semifinal loser, 7:45 p.m. (winner second, to District 1/2 crossover, loser out)
The return of Rebeca Soares helped spark Mount Baker. (File photo).
1A Girls: Big Lead Gives Mounties Big Win Over Blaine, 43-35
Mount Baker got a big boost — literally — from the return of sophomore Rebeca Soares and used that to jump out to a 14-point, first-quarter lead that would hold up and end the season for Blaine.
Soares, a 6-foot-2 center who was coming off an ankle injury, dominated the smaller Borderites, scoring nine of Mount Baker’s 20 first-quarter points and finishing with a game-high 24 points.
“It’s definitely nice to have Rebeca back,” said Mount Baker coach Tiffany Ramirez. “We started so well, went out and got after it in the first (period).”
Freshman Kalyn Abitia and junior Reace Brown also contributed to Mount Baker’s early offensive fireworks. Abitia had all five of her points and Brown had four of her five points in the first quarter. Sophomore Jade Frierott also had a big game, coming off the bench to play great defense, according to Ramirez.
The Borderites, however, did not go down without a fight. They outscored Mount Baker in the final three quarters to get the margin into single digits before succumbing — this from a team that had only one player with high school basketball experience before the season started.
The Borderites got their big boost from the smallest player on the court — 5-foot-2 junior Brietta Sandell, who had a team-high 11 points. Freshman Kate Koreski added 9 points thanks to 7-of-10 shooting from the line, and the team’s only veteran, sophomore Marcella Bring, had 7 points, including five in the fourth-quarter comeback.
The game was a lot closer than the two teams’ first meeting on Jan. 8, which Mount Baker won, 53-37. The victory also ended the Mounties’ nine-game losing streak.
“There were definitely a lot of learning moments for us today,” Ramirez said. “Hopefully, we’re connecting those dots and growing.”
The game also was the final one for Blaine’s lone senior and team leader, Brie Smith.
“Brie demonstrates every day what it means to play with passion, what it means to be a great teammate, what it looks like to commit everything you have to the task at hand, and how to live each day and each moment with joy,” said Blaine coach Vic Wolffis.
“I cannot say that in all my years coaching, that I can think of a player that has more consistently given everything they have to a season of basketball. Brie has set the standard for playing hard within my coaching career.”
Mount Baker 43, Blaine 35
Blaine 6 5 11 13—35
Mount Baker 20 4 13 6—43
Blaine: Kruse, Puls 3, Bowman 4, Sandel 1l, Roff, Bring 7, Smith 1, Koreski 9.
Mount Baker: Reeves 3, Brown 5, Soares 24, Wilson 2, Powell, Abitia 5, George 4, Frierott, Evans.
CLASS 1A DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Monday, Feb. 10
Play-in game
#4 Mount Baker 43, #5 Blaine 35 (loser out)
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Semifinals
Mount Baker (7-13) at #1 Lynden Christian (17-3), 5:30 p.m.
#3 Meridian (14-6) at #2 Nooksack Valley (13-7), 5 p.m.
Saturday, Feb. 15
At Lynden High
Consolation round
Semifinal losers, 11 a.m. (loser out)
Championship game
Semifinal winners, 2:30 p.m. (winner first, to District 1/2 crossover)
Tuesday, Feb. 18
At Lynden High
Consolation final
Consolation winner vs. semifinal loser, 6 p.m. (winner second, to District 1/2 crossover, loser out)
Mary Lockhart’s 18 points led the Bayhawks. (File photo)
2A Girls: Bellingham Ousts Marysville-Pilchuck, 54-20
The Bellingham defense made sure there would be no upset by allowing only seven first-half points, and the Bellingham offense ended any doubt with 33 points in the second half to eliminate the Tomahawks (0-21).
The Bayhawks’ only bigger margin of victory and larger offensive output this season were on Dec. 7, when they defeated the same Marysville-Pilchuck squad, 63-15.
“It was a great last home game for our seniors and a great way to start off the postseason,” said assistant coach Kyrin Baklund. “Everyone gave good minutes and contributed to our win.”
It was indeed a team win. Even without injured leading scorer Merritt Jensen, nine of 10 Bayhawks got in the scoring column with junior Mary Lockhart leading the way with 18 points.
Junior Abigail Morell and freshman Elise Holland added 8 points each to the Bellingham attack, and senior Malia Hanks and junior Avery Manning had 5 points each.
“Mary Lockhart really made a presence down low, and Abi Morell stepped up when we need her most,” said Baklund.
Defensively, the Bayhawks only allowed one Marysville-Pilchuck player to score more than three points.
Bellingham 54, Marysville-Pilchuck 20
Marysville-Pilchuck 2 5 9 4—20
Bellingham 12 9 17 16—54
Marysville-Pilchuck: Cameron 2, Baumgart 3, Boisseranc, Conklin 2, Reyes 2, Perez 5, Cervantes Nieblas 2, Whitson, 2 Harper 2, Clemens.
Bellingham: L. Holland 4, Ask, Manning 5, Hanks 5, Evans 2, Ruano 2, Lockhart 18, Green 2, Morell 8, E. Holland 8.
CLASS 2A DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Monday, Feb. 10
Play-in game
#8 Bellingham 54, #9 Marysville-Pilchuck 20 (loser out)
Wednesday, Feb. 12
Quarterfinals
Bellingham at #1 Lynden (21-0), 7 p.m.
#7 Sehome (8-12) at #2 Archbishop Murphy (19-1), 7 p.m.
#6 Lakewood (9-12) at #3 Burlington-Edison (18-3), 6 p.m.
#5 Anacortes (12-7) at #4 Squalicum (11-8), 7 p.m.
Friday, Feb. 14
Consolation games
Quarterfinal losers, 7 p.m. (loser out)
Quarterfinal losers, 7 p.m. (loser out)
Semifinals
At Mount Vernon (times might change if MV hosts a playoff game)
Quarterfinal winners, 6 p.m.
Quarterfinal winners, 7:45 p.m.
Monday, Feb. 17
Consolation games
At Mount Vernon
(loser out)
(loser out)
Wednesday, Feb. 19
At Mount Vernon
Championship game
6 p.m. (winner first, to state regionals)
Thursday, Feb. 20
At Mount Vernon
Consolation game
6 p.m. (loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 22
At Mount Vernon
Consolation final
5:15 p.m. (winner second, to state regionals, loser out)
