The Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League leaders Nooksack Valley and Lummi Nation collecting big victories this week, but there’s still a logjam among contenders atop the standings — at least for the NWC.
The Pioneers defeated Lynden in a showdown at home and remain undefeated overall. However, Ferndale and Burlington-Edison are also unbeaten in league play and Lynden, Lynden Christian, and Sehome only have one loss.
In the NW1B, in what was supposed to be a battle for first place, Lummi Nation easily dispatched Grace Academy as the Lady Blackhawks and the rest of the Whatcom County teams head into the winter break.
For a look back at Week 4 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 4.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In another week with few close games, the biggest game of the week was closer than the score indicated. Defending Class 1A state champion Nooksack Valley used a big first-half to hand Class 2A state contender Lynden its first loss, 67-52, on Tuesday. The top-ranked Pioneers remained undefeated thanks to a 38-17 first half and a balanced attack with three players in double figures, but the visiting Lions managed to outscore Nooksack Valley in the second half thanks to a late rally.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Senior Emmy Hart had a school-record eight 3-pointers and 26 points and senior Natalie Brewer had 15 points for Sehome on Monday, and Hart added 15 points on Wednesday. … Freshman Jemma James had 25 points in Lummi Nation’s lone game this week. … Sophomore Jillea Fox had 23 points on Friday and senior Mallory Butenschoen had 18 points for Ferndale on Tuesday. … Squalicum senior Mari Binning had 21 points on Monday and 16 on Tuesday. … Freshman Finley Parcher had a 19 points for Lynden on Tuesday and another 16 on Friday. … Junior Allison Shumate had 19 points and sophomore Ella Fritts had 16 points to lead Lynden Christian on Wednesday. … Seniors Tana Hoekema, Lainey Kimball, and Devin Coppinger had 18, 16, and 15 points, respectively, in Nooksack Valley’s big win on Tuesday and Coppinger followed that with 18 points on Friday. … Mount Baker senior Jenna Wineinger had 17 points on Wednesday and sophomore Natalie Van Liew had 16 on Friday. … Senior Allie Richter had 15 points for Meridian on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
NOOKSACK VALLEY defeated Lynden on Tuesday, 67-52, and Blaine on Friday, 70-30. In a battle of unbeaten on Tuesday, the host Pioneers used a dominating first half to go up by 21 and hold off the Lions to stay undefeated. Hoekema had 14 of her 18 points in the first half and finished with three 3-pointers, Kimball had 10 of her 16 points in the first half, and Coppinger added a quiet 15 points. On Friday, Nooksack Valley unleashed a 32-point first quarter and was never threatened. All nine Pioneers scored with Coppinger leading the attack with 18 points, two of the team’s 11 3-pointers, 7 steals, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Hoekema had 13 points and 5 rebounds, Kimball had 12 points, junior Alayna Dykstra had 8 points and 6 rebounds, sophomore Payton Bartl had 7 points with two 3s, senior Kaylee Anderson had 6 points on two 3s, and sophomore Chayleigh Davis had 4 assists. Check out the story on Tuesday’s game at Nooksack Valley-Lynden girls.
LUMMI NATION had its Tuesday game with Shoreline Christian canceled and then won its Northwest 1B showdown with Grace Academy on Thursday, 70-27. The Lady Blackhawks came out fired up and took a 23-4 lead after one quarter to end any doubts. James, who was just voted the WaFd Bank Washington high school athlete of the week for Dec. 4-9, had a pair of 3-pointers to go with her 25 points. Senior Keyonee Morris had 14 points and three 3s, and senior captain Serena Jo Pantalia had 11 points in her first action of the season after recovering from knee surgery. Check out the story on Thursday’s game at Lummi Nation girls.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN beat Blaine on Wednesday, 66-24, in the Lyncs’ only game of the week. LC came out firing with a 46-point first half and coasted to the NWC victory. Shumate led the offense with 19 points including a 7-for-8 performance from the line, Fritts had half her 16 points in the first-quarter blitz, sophomore Estela Hernandez had 9 points, and senior Tabby DeJong added 7 points.
MERIDIAN defeated Mount Baker on Friday, 45-35, in the Trojans’ only game of the week. In a tight contest throughout, Meridian held the Mounties to six points in the final quarter to pull away at the end. Richter had four 3-pointers among her team-high 15 points, freshmen Maddy Swanson and Eden Bernardy had 10 and 7 points, respectively, and senior Savannah Storgaard finished with 6 points.
FERNDALE trounced Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 63-46; lost to Stanwood on Thursday, 60-37; and beat Bellingham on Friday, 65-28. On Tuesday, Butenschoen had a big game with 18 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists. Sophomore Abbey White added 13 points and 8 rebounds, senior Naomi Stanley had 11 points, and Fox had 7 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. On Thursday, after being tied at halftime, the Ferndale offense went quiet, scoring only 13 points in the second half. Butenschoen had 11 points and sophomore Kayla Washington had 7. On Friday, the Ferndale defense limited the Bayhawks to 19 points over the final three quarters to secure the victory. Fox led the balanced Ferndale scoring with 23 points, Washington added 14, Butenschoen had 11, senior Maleah Singson had 9 on three 3s, and White added 7 points.
LYNDEN lost to Nooksack Valley on Tuesday, 67-52, but bounced back to clobber Sedro-Woolley on Friday, 81-15. On Tuesday, the Lions’ outscored Nooksack Valley in the second half but couldn’t make up enough of a 21-point halftime deficit. Parcher did her best with a game-high 19 points and three 3-pointers, sophomore Payton Mills had 9 points, and senior Kalanie Newcomb and junior Kiki York had 6 points each. On Friday, the Lynden defense never let the Cubs score more than five points in a quarter as the Lions jumped to a 48-9 first-half lead. Eleven different Lions scored with Parcher’s 16 leading the way. Mills had 11, senior Haylee Koetje and York had 10 each, senior Mya VanderYacht had 9 points on three 3-pointers, sophomore Rian Stephan had 7, and Newcomb had 6 points on two 3s. Check out the story on Tuesday’s game at Lynden-Nooksack Valley girls.
SEHOME beat city rival Bellingham on Monday, 63-24, and lost to Lake Stevens on Wednesday, 69-41. In the BellingHome Battle on Monday, Hart bombarded the Bayhawks with a Sehome single-game record eight 3-pointers and finished with a game-high 26 points. Brewer had 12 of her 15 points and a pair of 3s as the Mariners used a 25-point third quarter to finish off their city rivals. Senior Madi Cooper added 10 points for the Mariners. On Wednesday, the Mariners couldn’t keep up with the Class 4A Vikings in the non-league loss. Hart continued her hot hand going 5 of 10 on 3-pointers and finishing with 15 points, and Cooper and Brewer added 9 points each. Brewer also had 7 rebounds and 3 steals, senior Hazel Gaston had 6 rebounds, and Cooper had 4 assists. Check out the story on Monday’s game at Sehome-Bellingham girls.
SQUALICUM lost to Burlington-Edison on Monday, 53-36, but bounced back to beat La Conner on Tuesday, 52-21. On Monday, the Storm were within five of the first-place Tigers, but a chilly fourth quarter that saw Squalicum only make four free throws was not enough. Binning scored 19 of her team-high 21 through three quarters to keep the Storm in the game, but with 5 each senior Caitlyn Richardson and junior Loretta Murphy-Kangas were the only other players with more than three points. On Tuesday, the Storm’s offense came alive with a 21-point first quarter and the Storm’s defense nailed down the victory by shutting out the Braves in the third quarter. Binning led the scoring barrage with 16 points and added 7 steals and 5 assists; senior Makayla Heaton had 11 points, a pair of 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals; and freshman Addison Kettman added 8 points as nine different Squalicum players scored.
BELLINGHAM lost to Sehome on Monday, 63-24, and to Ferndale on Friday, 65-28. On Monday, the Bayhawks fell behind by 11 after one quarter and only managed 13 more points the rest of the game. Lily Jude had a team-high 8 points, fellow sophomore Mary Lockhart had 7 points, and junior Malia Hanks added 6. On Friday, the Bayhawks were within four after one quarter but couldn’t overcome a 20-5 second-quarter deficit. Hanks finished with 12 points and Lockhart had 10 points. Check out the story on Monday’s game at Bellingham-Sehome girls.
BLAINE lost to Lynden Christian on Wednesday, 66-24, and to Nooksack Valley on Friday, 70-30. On Wednesday, Blaine only managed a single 3-pointer in the first quarter to fall behind 20-3 to the Lyncs. Only four Borderites managed to score with seniors Jordyn Vezzetti and Deja Dube accounting for 9 points each. On Friday, Blaine finished off a brutal week against last season’s two Class 1A state finalists by falling behind the defending state champion Pioneers by 40 at halftime. Dube finished with 13 points and two 3-pointers, and Vezzetti had 11 points after going 7 of 9 from the line.
MOUNT BAKER fell to Granite Falls on Wednesday, 59-50, and to Meridian on Friday, 45-35. On Wednesday, the Mounties were dealing with sickness and couldn’t hold a seven-point lead in their non-league loss to the Tigers. Wineinger’s 17 led the offense with sophomore Samiya Powell adding 12 points, Van Liew finishing with 7 points, and junior Faith Wilson collecting 6 points. On Friday, the Mounties were within four heading into the fourth quarter but only managed six points in the final period as the Trojans pulled away. Van Liew’s 16 points led Mount Baker and Wineinger had 14 points and was 10 of 11 from the line, but only one other Mountie managed to score.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 5
TOP GAMES
Seven of our 11 teams are in holiday tournaments with Lynden and Lynden Christian at the Lynden Christmas Classic at LC; Blaine, Meridian, and Squalicum at the Trojan Storm Winter Classic at Meridian; Nooksack Valley at the Top of the Peak Holiday Tournament at Snohomish’s Glacier Peak; and Lummi Nation at the Mount Vernon Christian Holiday Tournament.
SCHEDULE
For a complete list of the games, see the Holiday Tournament Preview on Christmas Day.
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Ferndale | 6 | 0 | 7 | 3 |
| Nooksack Valley | 6 | 0 | 8 | 0 |
| Burlington-Edison | 5 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Lynden | 5 | 1 | 8 | 1 |
| Lynden Christian | 4 | 1 | 5 | 3 |
| Sehome | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Anacortes | 3 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Oak Harbor | 3 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Lakewood | 2 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Blaine | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Meridian | 1 | 4 | 2 | 3 |
| Mount Vernon | 1 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 4 | 2 | 5 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 5 | 3 | 7 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Tulalip Heritage | 5 | 0 | 6 | 3 |
| Lummi Nation | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Grace Academy | 3 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Lopez Island | 2 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
