The first full week of the season is in the books and of our 10 girls basketball teams that saw action, half remain undefeated, and only one has yet to notch its first victory.
Bellingham, Lynden Christian, and Sehome recorded a pair of non-league victories each, although the Mariners’ wins were against Northwest Conference rivals Ferndale and Squalicum in games that don’t count in the league standings.
Meridian and Nooksack Valley only had one game each but easily dispatched their non-league opponents to being the season unbeaten.
The team the rest of the state is waiting to see — two-time defending Class 2A state champion Lynden — had the week off but will jump right into NWC play when the Lions visit upstart Oak Harbor on Tuesday.
For a look back at Week 1 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Boys Recap.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 1.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In the midst of a lot of blowouts and close non-league contests that our Whatcom teams lost, the best game was probably Sehome’s 47-40 come-from-behind victory at Squalicum on Friday. Although it was considered a non-league game, the battle was not only between two Bellingham city rivals but two veteran teams expected to be contenders for state berths. Like they did three days earlier against Ferndale, the Mariners fell behind early but turned up the defense and limited the Storm to 16 points in the second half to hand Squalicum its first loss of the season.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Lynden Christian senior Ella Fritts had 26 points on Monday and 21 more on Tuesday. Sophomore teammate Tyra Dykstra added 19 for LC on Tuesday. … Junior Jemma James had 26 points and senior Ailina Rabang had 22 in Lummi Nation’s opening win Friday, and eighth-grader Jordan Reeder had 17 points and James had 15 for the Lady Blackhawks on Saturday. … Junior Rebeca Soares had 20 points for Mount Baker on Wednesday and 16 more on Friday. … Bellingham junior Merritt Jensen had 16 points on Wednesday and 19 on Saturday, and sophomore Elise Holland added 15 points for the undefeated Bayhawks on Saturday. … Blaine senior Aaliyah Bowman had 17 points on Wednesday. … Senior Kayla Washington had 16 points for Ferndale on Friday. … Junior Colee Harper had 15 points to lead Squalicum on Monday. … Sehome junior Kate Schroeder had 15 points in the Mariners’ opener Tuesday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
BELLINGHAM did a beat-down on the Marysville teams, defeating Marysville-Getchell on Wednesday, 54-29, and Marysville-Pilchuck on Saturday, 53-13. On Wednesday, the Bayhawks held the Chargers to 19 points in the final three quarters to pull away and sealed the non-league win by hitting 12 of 16 free throws to give new coach Drew McFall a victory in his first game at the helm. Jensen led the Bayhawks with 16 points and 6 rebounds, senior Mary Lockhart had 14 points and 9 rebounds, sophomore Lucy Holland had 10 points, 5 rebounds, and three 3-pointers, and twin sister Elise had 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals. On Saturday afternoon, Bellingham dominated on both ends of the court, using a 36-2 run to run away from the Tomahawks. Jensen led the Bayhawks with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals; Elise Holland had 15 points, a team-high 5 assists, and 4 steals; Lockhart added 7 points; and Lucy Holland had 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 steals.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN opened the season with two non-league home contests, defeating Tenison Woods Catholic of Richmond, Australia, on Monday, 53-32, and Onalaska on Tuesday, 71-51. Its non-league game at Lake Stevens on Saturday was rescheduled for Jan. 16. On Monday against the team from Down Under, the Lyncs used a 14-1 fourth-quarter run to turn a close game into a romp. Fritts led the way with 26 points, including a pair of 3-pointers; junior Jocelyn Eshuis had 11 rebounds and 6 points; Dykstra had 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 steals; and junior Ellie Pierce added a team-high 4 assists. On Tuesday, the Lyncs pulled out to a 10-point first-quarter lead and then put away the Loggers with a 20-point third quarter. Fritts had the hot hand again with 21 points and 7 rebounds, Dykstra had 19 points and three 3-pointers, freshman Jess DeJong had 10 points and 8 rebounds, and Eshuis had 12 rebounds.
SEHOME opened the season with two come-from-behind non-league victories against familiar foes, beating visiting Ferndale on Tuesday, 55-46, and Squalicum on the road on Friday, 47-40. On Tuesday, senior Gwen Gates came off the bench to spark the Mariners as they rallied from a 10-point, first-quarter deficit to take the lead at the half and hold off the Golden Eagles. Schroeder led the way with 15 points, sophomore Taylor Turrell had 11 points, and Gates had 10 points, half coming in the critical second period. On Friday, the Mariners again found themselves trailing by eight at intermission but held the Storm to 16 points in the second half to pull out the victory. This time junior Elyse Panagos sparked the rally, scoring eight of her 10 points after halftime and grabbing 8 rebounds. Schroeder led the Mariners with 14 points and 8 rebounds, and Turrell had 9 points and 3 assists, with five of her points coming in the fourth-quarter comeback as Sehome outscored Squalicum, 19-9. For the story and photos from Tuesday’s game, click on Sehome Girls.
MERIDIAN enjoyed its trip to the San Juans with a 29-17 victory at Friday Harbor on Tuesday, giving new coach Kayla Bernsen her first win of the season. The Trojans’ offense struggled after a 14-point first quarter, but their pressure defense strangled the Wolverines. Meridian limited Friday Harbor to four points and one field goal in the first half, and the Trojans finished with 23 steals, six of them by junior Amelia Koning. Junior Eden Bernardy had 7 points and 6 rebounds for the Trojans, senior Taya Benson had 5 points, and junior Kaitlyn Storgaard and sophomore Madyn Cline-Malarz had 7 rebounds each.
NOOKSACK VALLEY started the season in impressive fashion with 52-8 victory at Sultan on Tuesday. The Pioneers shut out the Turks in the first quarter to take command and would only allow three field goals for the entire game. Nooksack’s senior veterans led the way as Payton Bartl had 12 points and 4 assists, Chayleigh Davis had 11 points and 3 assists, and Grace DeHoog had 10 points, 15 rebounds, and seven of the Pioneers’ 26 steals. Junior Raegan Burke also added 7 points.
SQUALICUM gave new coach Caden Mee two big victories to start the season, dominating Everett on Monday, 72-25, and Sultan on Wednesday, 56-14, before losing to Sehome on Friday, 47-40. On Monday, the Storm broke away from a 6-all tie by scoring the next 18 points in routing the visiting Seagulls in a non-league contest. Harper led the scoring barrage with 15 points, freshman Avery Kettman had 10 points and 8 rebounds in her varsity debut, junior Addison Kettman had 9 points and 7 rebounds, junior Lexi Robbins had 10 points and 6 assists, and senior Jolie Paz and junior Tiana Thompson had 8 points each. On Wednesday, the Storm unleashed their defense, not letting the the Turks score more than five points in any quarter. Ten different Squalicum players scored with Harper’s 15 again leading the way. She also had nine of the Storm’s 28 steals. Robbins added 11 points, 5 assists, and 3 steals; Thompson had 7 points; and Paz had 6 points and 5 steals. On Friday, the Storm went cold in the second half, only managing 16 points and seeing their eight-point halftime lead evaporate in the fourth quarter of the non-league game. Robbins led Squalicum with 12 points and 4 assists despite being plagued by foul trouble, Avery Kettman had 9 points, Addison Kettman added 7 points, and Thompson had 6 points and 5 blocked shots.
LUMMI NATION continue its domination of Northwest 1B League opponents with a season-opening 84-16 victory over Grace Academy on Friday before falling at Mount Vernon Christian on Saturday, 52-48. On Friday, the Lummi Nation defense gave up only eight points over the final three quarters to run away from the Eagles. All eight Lady Blackhawks got in the scoring column with James collecting 26 points along with 12 rebounds, 11 steals, and 8 assists; Rabang had 22 points, 10 assists, 7 rebounds, and 7 steals;, senior Brianna Metteba had 13 points and 5 steals; and eighth-grader Jordan Reeder had 11 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals in her varsity debut. On Saturday against Mount Vernon Christian, the Blackhawks found themselves down by nine midway through the fourth-quarter but rallied twice to within two before the Class 2B state power iced the game with a pair of free throws with seven seconds left. Reeder and James fueled the fourth-quarter comeback with the eighth-grader scoring eight of her 17 points and the junior hitting four 3-pointers in the final period. Reeder would finish with five 3-pointers and 3 steals, James had 15 points and 6 rebounds, and Rabang added 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists.
MOUNT BAKER had its season-opener at Coupeville on Monday postponed, then defeated Orcas Island on Wednesday, 51-21, but lost at Mount Vernon Christian on Friday, 41-34. On Wednesday, the Mounties took a commanding 19-6 first-quarter lead and then Soares took over, scoring 19 of her 20 points in the final three periods. Sophomore Kalyn Abitia had 13 points, including two of her three 3-pointers in the first period; senior Samiya Powell added 7 points; and senior Reace Brown collected 6 rebounds and 3 blocks. On Wednesday, the Mounties played the Class 2B state power evenly, only trailing by one with just under three minutes to go before the Crusaders finished on an 8-2 run to hand Mount Baker its first loss. Soares again led the Mounties with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 blocks, and Brown added 6 points and 4 rebounds. Freshman Maci Kammenga had the team’s only 3-pointer but was the only other player with more than two points.
LYNDEN had the week off from games and will open its season on Tuesday, Dec. 9, when it hosts Oak Harbor.
BLAINE lost to Bear Creek on Saturday, Nov. 29, 58-39, and at La Conner on Tuesday, 51-24, but came back to beat Friday Harbor on Wednesday, 40-18. On Saturday, despite playing the Grizzlies even in the second half, the Borderites couldn’t overcome their seven-point first half and 20-point halftime deficit. Junior Kate Koreski led Blaine with 12 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals; Bowman had 11 points and 13 rebounds; and senior Brietta Sandell had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. On Tuesday, the Borderites were only down by two at the half, but then struggled on offense, only scoring nine points after intermission. Bowman finished with 12 points and 8 rebounds, and Koreski had 6 points and 10 rebounds, but no other Borderite managed more than three points. On Wednesday, new coach Sean Miller got his first win of the season as the Borderites used a 16-1 run to turn a two-point lead into a 27-10 insurmountable margin over the Wolverines. Bowman and Sandell dominated on both ends of the court with Bowman collecting 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 5 steals, and Sandell had 9 points and 10 steals. Koreski had another outstanding all-around game with 8 points, 6 steals, and 3 assists, and Bring added 6 points.
FERNDALE dropped a pair of non-league games to open the season, falling at Sehome on Tuesday, 55-46, and to Jackson on Friday, 52-44. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles burst to a 14-4 lead but couldn’t hold off the Mariners’ comeback. Senior Abbey White had 14 points and Washington added 12 points for Ferndale, which will play Sehome in a NWC counter again on Jan. 20. On Friday against the undefeated Class 4A Timberwolves, Ferndale led at the half but couldn’t come back after a cold, six-point third quarter. Washington had 16 points, making three 3-pointers and going 5 of 6 from the line; senior Jillea Fox had 10 points; and White added 8 points, but the Golden Eagles were hurt by 15 missed free throws in the second half. For the story and photos from Tuesday’s game, click on Ferndale Girls.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 2
TOP GAMES
The NWC and Northwest 1B League get serious with everyone entering league play this week. The biggest game will be on Thursday featuring Lynden at Squalicum, two squads that return almost all their players from last year’s successful teams. But the most anticipated games could be non-leaguers Saturday when the defending 2A state champion Lions visit 4A power Tahoma, and one of the 2A state favorites, Archbishop Murphy, travels to Lynden Christian.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 8: Burlington-Edison at Squalicum, Sehome at Meridian, Sedro-Woolley at Mount Baker
Tuesday, Dec. 9: Mount Vernon at Lynden Christian, Stanwood at Sehome, Ferndale at Anacortes, Lynden at Oak Harbor, Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) at Lummi Nation
Wednesday, Dec. 10: Friday Harbor at Mount Baker, Bellingham at Blaine, Nooksack Valley at Lakewood
Thursday, Dec. 11: Lynden at Squalicum, Burlington-Edison at Meridian, Lynden Christian at Sedro-Woolley
Friday, Dec. 12: Mount Baker at Bellingham, Stanwood at Ferndale, Lummi Nation at Providence Classical Christian
Saturday, Dec. 13: Blaine at Sehome, Lynden at Tahoma, Archbishop Murphy at LC, Nooksack Valley at Ferndale
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Anacortes | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Blaine | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferndale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lakewood | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lynden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Meridian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Sehome | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lopez Island | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Lummi Nation | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Grace Academy | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
