While almost all the Whatcom girls teams participated in holiday tournaments early in the week, the Northwest Conference returned to league action with some big games on Friday and Saturday.
Enjoying the week the most were Lummi Nation and Lynden, which swept through their respective three-day tourneys to claim championships in impressive fashion.
The Lady Blackhawks accomplished it in their first time in the Trojan Storm Winter Classic, while it was nothing new for the Lions, who have now won the Lynden Christmas Classic three years in a row.
For a look back at Week 5 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Boys Recap.
And although they were the only Whatcom girls team to not play in a holiday tournament last week, the Squalicum Storm did just fine, thank you, winning three games by an average of 23 points.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 5.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
It was a week with only a few close games — and none that Whatcom teams won — so let’s give Lynden and Lummi Nation their due as they took care of business on Wednesday in the championship games of their holiday tournaments. The undefeated Lions used their defense to roll over Napavine, 50-20, and the Lady Blackhawks used their offense to overpower Blaine, 70-51. For stories and photos from both tournaments, click on Monday’s Roundup, Tuesday’s Roundup, and Wednesday’s Wrapup.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Blaine senior Aaliyah Bowman had 15 points on Monday, 20 on Tuesday, and a career-high 33 on Wednesday, and junior Kate Koreski added 17 for the Borderites on Monday. … Lummi Nation junior Jemma James had 24 points on Monday, 19 on Tuesday, and 31 points on Wednesday, and senior teammate Ailina Rabang had 20 points on Tuesday. … Nooksack Valley seniors Grace DeHoog and Payton Bartl had 20 and 17 points, respectively, on Wednesday, and DeHoog had 24 and Bartl 16 more on Saturday. … Senior Ella Fritts had 23 points for Lynden Christian on Tuesday and 20 on Wednesday, and sophomore Tyra Dykstra had 16 points on Wednesday. … Lynden junior Finley Parcher had 22 points on Monday, 16 on Tuesday, 20 on Wednesday, and 19 on Saturday; senior Payton Mills had 20 points on Tuesday for the Lions; and junior Lexi Hermanutz had 17 points on Saturday. … Mount Baker junior Rebeca Soares had 21 points on Saturday. … Senior Abbey White had 20 points for Ferndale on Tuesday. … Squalicum junior Lexi Robbins had 18 points on Tuesday. … Sehome junior Kate Schroeder had 15 points on Monday, 17 on Wednesday, and 20 on Friday, and sophomore teammate Taylor Turrell had 15 points on Wednesday. … Bellingham sophomore Lucy Holland had 16 points on Tuesday. … Junior Brooklyn Larrabee had 16 points for Ferndale on Wednesday. … Meridian sophomore Madyn Cline-Malarz had 16 points on Wednesday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN showed off its dominance by beating teams big and small to claim its third straight Lynden Christmas Classic tournament title and then trouncing Mount Vernon on Saturday, 70-22. On Monday, the Lions held 4A Rogers of Puyallup to eight points in the first half and easily beat the Rams, 64-28. Parcher led the Lynden offense with 22 points, hitting four of the Lions’ 11 3-pointers. Seniors Mills, Degitu Bowler, and Rilanna Newcomb made two 3s each with Mills finishing with 12 points, Bowler with 10 points, and Newcomb with 6. Hermanutz added 10 points to the Lynden attack. On Tuesday, the Lions had little trouble with 3A White River, running off 26 straight points in the first half to win, 67-28. Mills led the way with 20 points, Parcher had 16 points, Hermanutz added 9 points, and Bowler had 7 points. On Wednesday, the Lions won the tournament in historic fashion, setting the tournament record for least points allowed by beating 1B Napavine, 50-20. Parcher scored a game-high 20 points to match Napavine’s team total and sank a pair of 3-pointers. Senior Rian Stephan added 9 points, and Mills and Hermanutz had 8 points each. On Saturday, the Lions gave up 11 points in the first quarter and then only surrendered 11 points to the Bulldogs the rest of the game. Hermanutz led a 26-0 second quarter with three of her four 3-pointers and 11 of her 17 points, Parcher had 17 points for the game, and Mills added 11 more as 10 Lions scored.
LUMMI NATION won all three of its games to win the Trojan Storm Winter Classic’s Bracket 2 championship. On Monday, the Lady Blackhawks stormed to a 25-1 lead in blasting South Whidbey, 64-15. James had 24 points, senior Bri Metteba had 11 points, Rabang had 10 points, and eighth-grader Jordy Reeder had 9 points. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks only led by five at the half against the taller Bayhawks, but used a 19-7 third quarter to take command and then put the game away with a 22-point fourth quarter to defeat Bellingham, 69-43. Rabang had 20 points, all in the second half; James had 19 points and three 3-pointers; and Metteba and Reeder each added 14 points and three 3s. In Wednesday’s tournament title game, the Blackhawks showed their firepower by winning a 70-51 shootout with Blaine. James led the scoring blitz with 31 points and five 3-pointers, while Rabang, Metteba, and Reeder each had 12 points with Metteba hitting three 3s and Reeder adding two more 3s.
SQUALICUM didn’t play in any tournaments — despite giving its name to the Trojan Storm Winter Classic — but the Storm had a good week, beating Mountlake Terrace on Monday, 40-25, and Shorewood on Tuesday, 52-31, in a pair of non-league games and blasting Blaine on Friday in a NWC contest, 54-22. On Monday, the Storm struggled to get its offense going but their defense was brilliant, holding the 3A Hawks to their second-lowest point total of the season. Robbins led the balanced scoring with 8 points, junior Colee Harper had 7 points, and sophomore Kai Perez had 6 points in her first action of the season. On Tuesday, the Storm stretched a 10-point first-quarter lead to 22 by halftime in trouncing another 3A team. Robbins got the offense going with 18 points including a pair of 3-pointers, junior Tiana Thompson had three 3s and 11 points, and junior Peyton Horst came off the bench to score 8 points. On Friday, the Storm stormed out to a 24-2 lead and never looked back. Ten Squalicum players scored with freshman Avery Kettman leading the attack with 10 points. Robbins and Harper had 9 points each, Thompson had 8 points, and Perez had 6 points.
MOUNT BAKER only played the first day of the Trojan Storm Winter Classic, beating La Center on Monday, 43-30, and then outlasted Meridian on Saturday, 45-34. On Monday, the Mounties only led by one after the first quarter, but then held La Center to only two points in each of the next two periods to build a big lead and hold off the Wildcats. Eight different Mounties scored with senior Reace Brown having a game-high 11 points, Soares and sophomore Aurora George having 7 points each, and junior Violet Fox having 6 points. On Saturday, the Mounties held Meridian to single digits in three of the four quarters to pull away for the road victory. Soares had 21 points and was 9 of 10 from the line, sophomore Kayln Abitia had 9 points on three 3-pointers, and Fox had 8 points. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Mount Baker Girls.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN suffered its first loss of the season on Monday but then won two in a row at its own Lynden Christian Classic tournament before besting Burlington-Edison on Friday, 63-21. On Monday, the Lyncs fought back from a 12-point deficit in the fourth quarter but a banked in 3-pointer with eight seconds left by Napavine left LC with a 58-54 loss. Tyra Dykstra had 14 points; freshman Daylin Dykstra had 12 points on four 3-pointers; junior Jocelyn Eshuis had 14 points and 7 rebounds; Fritts had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists; and senior Sara Van Loo and junior Ellie Pierce had 5 assists each. On Tuesday, the Lyncs jumped out to a 15-2 first-quarter lead and never let 3A River Ridge get the margin under double digits in a 51-34 victory. Fritts had a game-high 23 points, sinking two 3-pointers, making 7 of 8 from the free throw line, and grabbing 6 rebounds; Tyra Dykstra had 11 points, two more 3s, and 7 rebounds; freshman Jess DeJong came off the bench to add 7 points; Van Loo had 11 rebounds; and Eshuis, Pierce, and senior Grace Russell had 5 rebounds each. On Wednesday, Lynden Christian led by 14 points in the third quarter, but needed a Fritts 3-pointer and two free throws each from junior Ella Pierce and Tyra Dykstra in the final minute to hold off Rogers of Puyallup, 61-52. Fritts had 20 points and three 3-pointers, Dykstra had 15 points and a pair of 3s, Eshuis had 13 points, and the Lyncs sank 19 of 21 free throws for the game. On Friday, the Lyncs broke away from a 6-6 tie after one quarter by outscoring the Tigers 46-8 over the next two periods. Fritts and Tyra Dykstra had 14 points each with Fritts pulling down 12 rebounds and Dykstra collecting 6 rebounds and 4 assists. DeJong added 11 points and 10 rebounds, Van Loo had 6 rebounds and 4 assists, and Eshuis had 5 rebounds.
SEHOME won its first two games at the Trojan Storm Winter Classic before losing in the Bracket 1 finals on Wednesday. The Mariners finished the week by beating Anacortes on Friday, 56-41. On Monday, the Mariners opened the tournament by holding Curtis to 17 points through the first three periods and on offense put up their highest point total of the season. Schroeder had 15 points and a pair of 3s, sophomore Taylor Turrell had 10 points, senior Aspen Barge had 7 points, senior Keira Reeves had 7 points, and senior Lily Jude had 6 points. On Tuesday, Schroeder sank two free throws and made a steal all in the last 33 seconds to help the Mariners hold off 4A Kamiak, 44-41. Schroeder led a balanced offense with 11 points, Turrell and junior Elyse Panagos had 8 points each, junior Sadie Gustafson had 7 points, and Barge had 6 points. On Wednesday, the Mariners rallied from an early nine-point deficit but could never catch defending 1A state champion Bellevue Christian, losing the tournament title game, 45-43. Schroeder provided the only consistent offense with 17 points. Jude came off the bench to provide an emotional spark and 10 points, and Turrell added 9 points. In Friday’s NWC game, the Mariners needed a big fourth quarter, outscoring Anacortes, 20-6, to pull away for the victory. Schroeder once again provided the offense with 13 of her game-high 20 points coming in the final period. Turrell added 15 points, and Barge had 6 points.
FERNDALE joined the Trojan Storm Winter Classic on the second day and posted two easy wins before returning to league action on Friday and losing to Lakewood, 71-54. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles had little trouble with 3A Federal Way, clipping the Eagles, 74-26. White led the Ferndale barrage with 10 of her game-high 20 points coming in the first quarter as the Golden Eagles scored 26 points in the first quarter to start the rout. Senior Kayla Washington had 13 points and three 3-pointers, junior Heavens Jefferson came off the bench to sink four 3s for 12 points, Larrabee had 8 points, and freshman Mia Collins added 9 points. On Wednesday, Ferndale wrapped up its two-day stay at Meridian with a convincing 68-22 win over South Whidbey. Ten of 11 Golden Eagles scored with the starters sitting most of the second half and the reserves shutting out the Falcons in the fourth quarter. Larrabee led the Ferndale barrage with 18 points, Collins had 9 points on three 3-pointers, Washington had a pair of 3s and 8 points, senior Jilly Fox had 7 points, and White had 6 points. On Friday, the Golden Eagles cut a 20-point deficit to 10 in the fourth quarter but couldn’t complete the comeback. Sophomore Ari Gilday had 13 points to lead Ferndale, Fox had 11 points, and Washington, White, and Larrabee added 8 points each.
BELLINGHAM won two of it three games at the Trojan Storm Winter Classic, but lost its NWC game at Nooksack Valley on Saturday, 55-37. On Monday, the Bayhawks had their way with 4A Federal Way, easily winning 44-24. Lucy Holland had 11 points to lead the balanced Bellingham attack, junior Merritt Jensen had 10 points, seniors Mary Lockhart and Isabelle Rogers had 6 points each, and sophomore Elise Holland had 5 points. On Tuesday, the Bayhawks were within five at the half but couldn’t keep up with the quicker Blackhawks, losing to Lummi Nation, 69-43. Lucy Holland had 16 points and four 3-pointers, and Jensen added 14 points. On Wednesday, the Bayhawks used a big 25-point second quarter to put up their highest scoring total of the year and easily beat La Center, 59-32 Leading Bellingham was Lockhart with 14 points and sophomore Ayasha Ferrier, who had 12 points on four 3-pointers, all in the big second period. Lucy Holland added 11 points, and Jensen had 10 points. On Saturday, the Bayhawks stuck with the Pioneers for three quarters but could only come up with five fourth-quarter points. Jensen led Bellingham with 12 points, Lucy Holland had 9 points, and Lockhart had 7 points.
NOOKSACK VALLEY won its opener at the T-Town Throwdown in Tacoma before losing its final two games in the tournament, and then bouncing back with a 55-37 win over Bellingham on Saturday. On Monday, the Pioneers slowly pulled away to an eight-point halftime lead and then held Puyallup to only 13 points in the second half to secure the 46-32 win. Senior Chayleigh Davis had 13 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists, and junior Raegan Burke also had 13 points thanks to three 3-pointers. Bartl added 8 points and a pair of 3s, and DeHoog had 7 points, 16 rebounds, and 6 blocked shots. On Tuesday, the Pioneers couldn’t pull off their second upset of a Class 4A team in two days, losing to Bethel the tournament semifinals, 67-37. DeHoog had 12 points, and senior Natalie VanLiew had 10 points, but no other Pioneer managed more than five points. DeHoog also had 6 rebounds as did junior Kaitlyn Biondolillo. On Wednesday, the Pioneers lost to 3A Inglemoor, 48-46, on a long jumper with four seconds left. DeHoog led the Pioneers with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks, but it was Bartl who fueled the comeback with 10 of her 17 points coming in the fourth period, including a driving shot that tied the game with 15 seconds left. She also would finish with four 3-pointers and 6 rebounds. Burke added 6 points. On Saturday, DeHoog dominated with 13 of her 24 points coming in the fourth period, hitting two 3-pointers, and grabbing 15 rebounds, and 5 steals. Bartl had 16 points on three 3-pointers and 6-for-7 shooting from the free throw line, Biondolillo added 6 points, and Burke had 6 rebounds
BLAINE won two of three games at the Trojan Storm Winter Classic to place second and then lost to Squalicum in a NWC contest on Friday, 54-22, and a non-league game to Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) on Saturday, 37-18. On Monday, the Borderites had their highest scoring game of the seasoning beating Coupeville, 44-30. Koreski ignited the Blaine offense with 17 points and three 3-pointer, all in the final three quarters as Blaine broke away from a 6-6 tie. Bowman added 15 points for the Borderites. On Tuesday, Blaine only led by two going into the fourth quarter but pulled away for a 43-33 victory over La Center. Bowman led the Borderites with 20 points and two 3-pointers, one coming in the crucial final period. Senior Mesa Puls had 9 points and another 3-pointer in the fourth quarter. On Wednesday, the Borderites couldn’t keep up with high-scoring Lummi Nation and fell, 70-51, in the tournament championship game. Bowman did her best with a career-high 33 points, and Koreski had 11 points, but no other Borderite scored more than four points. On Friday, the Borderites found themselves in a 24-2 hole after one quarter and never recovered. Bowman had 13 points, but only four Borderites managed to score. On Saturday, the Borderites fell behind by 17 in the first quarter and despite playing the Eagles even the rest of the way couldn’t make up any ground. Bowman had 8 points but was the only Borderite with more than four points.
MERIDIAN lost two of three games at its Trojan Storm Winter Classic tournament and then came up short at home against Mount Baker on Saturday, 45-34. On Monday, the Trojans fought back from a 15-point halftime deficit to close with three but couldn’t complete the comeback and lost to 4A Kamiak, 54-47. Junior Eden Bernardy had 14 points with 12 of her points and both her 3-pointers coming in the second-half rally, and Cline-Malarz added 6 points. On Tuesday, the Trojans outlasted Burlington-Edison in a defensive slugfest, 27-23. Cline-Malarz had two 3-pointers for 6 points to lead Meridian to the non-conference victory. On Wednesday, Meridian only scored six points after halftime and despite holding 3A Port Angeles to only 19, ended up losing, 41-31. The only Trojan immune to the cold shooting was Cline-Malarz, who had 16 points, including all six of Meridian’s second-half points. Senior Kinsley Neal sank a pair of 3-pointers for 6 points, but no other Trojan had more than three points. On Saturday, the Trojans closed to within four early in the second half but could get no closer in falling to the Mounties. Bernardy had 14 points and Neal had 10 points thanks to three 3-pointers, but no other Trojan had more than five points. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Meridian Girls.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 6
TOP GAMES
The Northwest Conference gets serious this week, especially among the Class 1A schools, with several key matchups. Lynden Christian is at Meridian on Monday, and Blaine is at Mount Baker on Wednesday. Nooksack Valley is at Sehome on Tuesday in another game featuring top teams. But the most interesting contests might be three non-leaguers — two-time defending Class 2A state champion Lynden hosts defending 1A state champ Bellevue Christian on Tuesday, Nooksack Valley visits 1A runner-up King’s on Friday, and Lummi Nation travels to the coast to face three-time defending 1B state champion Neah Bay on Saturday.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 5: Lynden Christian at Meridian, Squalicum at Ferndale, Lummi Nation at Tulalip Heritage
Tuesday, Jan. 6: Bellevue Christian at Lynden, Ferndale at Everett, Nooksack Valley at Sehome, Oak Harbor at Bellingham
Wednesday, Jan. 7: Lynden at Sedro-Woolley, Blaine at Mount Baker
Thursday, Jan. 8: Mount Vernon at Ferndale, Burlington-Edison at Nooksack Valley, Meridian at Anacortes
Friday, Jan. 9: Nooksack Valley at King’s, Blaine at Lynden Christian, Sehome at Oak Harbor
Saturday, Jan. 10: King’s at Lynden, Squalicum at Mount Baker, Lummi Nation at Neah Bayn, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) at Blaine, Mount Baker at Meridian, Bellingham at Nooksack Valley
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 5 | 0 | 10 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 4 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Nooksack Valley | 3 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Mount Baker | 4 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| Sehome | 4 | 1 | 8 | 3 |
| Squalicum | 4 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
| Lakewood | 2 | 2 | 4 | 5 |
| Bellingham | 2 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 2 | 3 | 6 | 4 |
| Ferndale | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Anacortes | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Meridian | 1 | 3 | 3 | 5 |
| Mount Vernon | 1 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0 | 3 | 2 | 7 |
| Blaine | 0 | 4 | 3 | 9 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 4 | 0 | 9 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Lopez Island | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 2 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 3 | 1 | 6 |
