The recent winter storms caused postponements and cancellations, and the Northwest Conference schedule caused an unusual number of double-digit victories — and defeats — for our girls basketball teams in Week 6.
Even the two games pitting league leaders were not as close as expected as Lynden Christian handed Burlington-Edison its first loss of the season on Monday, 63-37, and Nooksack Valley beat Meridian in the Class 1A showdown on Saturday, 75-44.
While the eight Class 2A teams in the NWC and the five Class 1A teams all qualify for their respective district tournaments and are playing for seeding, the three Class 3A teams are vying for only two district playoff spots.
After Week 6, Ferndale (4-2 in district RPI games) and Mount Vernon (4-3) hold a sizable lead over Oak Harbor (1-5) with four weeks remaining in the regular season.
For a look back at Week 6 for our county boys team, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 6.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In one of the rare close games last week, Sehome used a strong defensive effort to take a 13-point lead into the fourth quarter and then held on to beat Anacortes on Friday, 41-38. Senior Maddie Schumacher had Sehome’s only points in the final period, sinking a bucket and a pair of big free throws. “We did a better job of closing it out … managing the game and knocking down free throws,” said Sehome coach Anye Turner.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Mari Binning had 29 points in Squalicum’s big win on Monday. … Mount Baker junior Maddy Barter had 25 points on Friday. … Lynden junior Adia Newcomb and sophomore Haylee Koetje had 19 and 18 points, respectively, on Monday. … Sophomore Devin Coppinger had 19 points to lead Nooksack Valley on Tuesday and followed that with 24 points on Saturday. … Junior Demi Dykstra led Lynden Christian with 18 points in the Lyncs’ big win on Monday. … Blaine senior Krystin Kamrath had 18 points, including three 3-pointers, on Friday. … Senior Maddie Schumacher had 18 points for Sehome on Monday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Lynden remained unbeaten in league by defeating Sehome on Monday, 59-33, and Squalicum on Friday, 66-31. Against the Mariners, Newcomb and Koetje combined for 37 points and had a pair of 3-pointer each as the Lions jumped out to a 19-6 lead in the first quarter and never let the Mariners close the gap. Against the Storm, the Lions dished out 16 assists, six of them by sophomore Mya VanderYacht. Newcomb and senior Claire DeVries led a balanced attack with 14 points each, and Koetje added 11 points. Newcomb also had zero turnovers as starting point guard, and junior Chloe Wittenberg had a team-high 15 rebounds and 3 assists and shot 57 percent from the field.
Nooksack Valley also remained undefeated in league by beating Mount Baker on Tuesday, 64-21, and Meridian on Saturday, 75-44. On Tuesday, the Pioneers jumped to a 20-4 first-quarter lead and then shut out the Mounties in the third quarter to put the finishing touches on the league win. Ten different Pioneers scored with Coppinger’s 19 leading the way followed by senior Tehya Moore with 11, and juniors Hallie Kamphouse and Taylor Lentz with 7 and 6, respectively. On Saturday, Coppinger had 24 points to lead the Pioneers, seven of them coming in the third period when Nooksack outscored Meridian, 26-7, to blow the game open. Kamphouse added 16 points, including four 3-pointers, and Moore and senior McKenna Wichers added 11 each.
Lynden Christian handed Burlington-Edison its first loss of the season on Monday, 63-37, and then beat Bellingham on Friday, 58-20. On Monday, the Lyncs defense held the Tigers to 27 points below their scoring average and used a 21-point fourth quarter to blow open the game. Dykstra had a team-high 5 assists to go with her 18 points and two 3-pointers, senior Libby Stump had 14 points and 8 rebounds, and sophomore Reganne Arnold came off the bench to score 8 points. Against the Bayhawks, freshman Grace Hintz led a balanced attack with 14 points and 6 rebounds as eight different Lyncs scored. Senior Libby Stump sank 9 of 10 free throws and had 13 points, Dykstra added 9 points, and senior Alli Van Kooten had 8 points and 8 rebounds as LC made 17 of 18 from the line.
Ferndale had its Wednesday game with Sedro-Woolley canceled and pulled away in the second quarter to defeat Mount Baker on Friday, 54-34. Mallory Butenschoen led Ferndale with 12 points and fellow sophomore Tia Gilday came off the bench to score 11 points. Senior Hannah Barlean and junior Ashley Lang added 8 points each.
Blaine knocked off Anacortes on Monday, 43-33, and then lost to Lakewood on Friday, 36-27. In Monday’s foul-marred contest, 44 fouls were called and the Borderites finished the game with only four players. But Blaine put together a 15-point fourth quarter to hold off the Seahawks and notch the Borderites’ first league win of the season. Sophomores Deja Dube and Alia Ball came up big with 15 and 13 points, respectively, and seniors Hailey Pike and Kamrath added 8 and 7 points. On Friday, the Borderites struggled offensively, managing only two points in the first quarter and finishing with their lowest point total of the season. Kamrath had three 3s among her 18 points, and Ball added 6 points but no other Borderite was able to score more than two points.
Bellingham beat Lakewood on Tuesday, 32-15, and lost to Lynden Christian on Friday, 58-20. The Bayhawks put together one of their best games of the season on Tuesday, holding the Cougars to 10 points over the final three quarters. Senior Mazy Wright and junior Ellie Wolverton led the way with 12 points each and combining for Bellingham’s three 3-pointers. Against LC, Bellingham fell behind 17-1 and couldn’t close the gap. Wright had 11 points and four of the team’s six field goals, and sophomore Genevieve Blum had a team-high 6 rebounds.
Squalicum defeated Mount Vernon on Monday, 51-46, and lost to Lynden on Friday, 66-31. The Storm rallied in the second half Monday and sealed the game by making 70 percent of their free throws. Binning led Squalicum with 29 points and 7 rebounds, junior Shelby Smithson had 9 points and 3 rebounds, and sophomore Makayla Heaton added 5 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists. On Friday, the Storm only managed to score four points in the middle two quarters against Lynden. Heaton had 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 2 steals, and Binning had 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 assists.
Sehome lost to Lynden on Monday, 59-33, and beat Anacortes on Friday, 41-38. On Monday, the Mariners only scored in single digits the first three quarters against Lynden. Schumacher had 18 points, but no other Mariner managed more than four. On Friday, the Mariners jumped to a big lead in the first quarter thanks to 11 of sophomore Natalie Brewer’s 16 points, but then had to hang on in the fourth quarter when they only managed four points. Schumacher finished with 12 points.
Meridian shut down Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 39-21, and lost to Nooksack Valley on Saturday, 75-44. In Monday’s victory, senior Skyleigh James had a game-high 17 points and 7 rebounds; junior Avery Neal had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals; and sophomore Allie Richter came off the bench to hit two big 3-pointers and finish with 7 points. On Saturday, James again led the way with 16 points and 8 rebounds, and fellow seniors Ellie DeWaard and Kadance Blankers added 8 and 7 points, respectively.
Mount Baker lost to Nooksack Valley on Tuesday, 64-21, and to Ferndale on Friday, 54-34. Junior Maddy Barter had 11 points against the Pioneers, but no other Mountie managed more than four points. On Friday, Barter scored 20 of Mount Baker’s 21 second-half points but a five-point second quarter put the Mounties in a double-digit hole they couldn’t climb out of despite outscoring the Golden Eagles in the fourth quarter.
Lummi Nation had its Tuesday game against Chief Kitsap Academy canceled. The Blackhawks now are off until they host Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) on Thursday, Jan. 13, in the first game of a girls-boys doubleheader.
WEEK 7
TOP GAME
Meridian is at Burlington-Edison on Thursday in a contest between two teams looking to bounce back from big losses last week. The winner will keep pace with the Northwest Conference leaders as we head down the stretch.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 10: Bellingham at Sedro-Woolley, Blaine at Lynden Christian, Ferndale at Meridian, Nooksack Valley at Squalicum
Tuesday, Jan. 11: Oak Harbor at Lynden, Burlington-Edison at Mount Baker
Thursday, Jan. 13: Sedro-Woolley at Blaine, Lakewood at Sehome, Squalicum at Ferndale, Meridian at Burlington-Edison, Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) at Lummi Nation
Friday, Jan. 14: Mount Baker at Bellingham, Lynden at Anacortes, Lynden Christian at Sehome, Oak Harbor at Nooksack Valley
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 7 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Nooksack Valley | 6 | 0 | 8 | 2 |
| Lynden Christian | 6 | 1 | 8 | 4 |
| Burlington-Edison | 4 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Meridian | 5 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| Ferndale | 4 | 2 | 5 | 3 |
| Mount Vernon | 4 | 3 | 5 | 5 |
| Squalicum | 4 | 3 | 4 | 3 |
| Bellingham | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 |
| Lakewood | 2 | 4 | 3 | 4 |
| Sehome | 2 | 4 | 2 | 6 |
| Anacortes | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Blaine | 1 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Oak Harbor | 1 | 5 | 4 | 5 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Grace Academy | 2 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Lummi Nation | 2 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Shoreline Christian | 2 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
