There are a lot of high school basketball rankings out there, but the one that matters most is the WIAA’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI). It is probably the most important factor in determining seedings in the playoffs, including state tournaments.
It is a complicated formula taking into account teams’ records, their opponents’ records, and their opponents’ opponents’ records (we told you it was complicated), but not margin of victory, the classification of opponents, or head-to-head results.
It is adjusted after every game, but the bottom line is the lower the number the better — just like the media rankings. In other words, you want to be No.1, not No.65.
For a look back at Week 7 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.
With that in mind, Whatcom Hoops will often use the RPI ratings whenever rankings are mentioned in game stories or, starting today, in our recaps. Keep in mind, the RPI rankings change every day depending on what your team does or what other teams do.
And while RPI only really matters come playoff time, even then it is only a resource for selection committees made up of real people and not computers.
So after six weeks, we have five of our 11 Whatcom teams ranked in the top 10 of their classifications.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 7 with the RPI rankings included:
GAME OF THE WEEK
There were many closer games, but none had the build up of Friday’s showdown between No.1 Lynden and No.2 Burlington-Edison. In the end, it turned out to be a showcase for the Lions, who held the Tigers to their lowest point total of the season in a dominating 60-32 victory at Burlington. After only leading, 12-10, after the first quarter, the Lions held Burlington to two points in the second quarter to take command of the clash between Class 2A state powers.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior Jilly Fox had 23 points for Ferndale on Friday. … Lynden junior Payton Mills and sophomore Finley Parcher had 20 points each on Wednesday, and Mills followed that with 19 points in the Lions’ big win on Friday. … Freshman Tyra Dykstra had 18 points and senior Allison Shumate had 17 points for Lynden Christian on Tuesday. … Sophomore Jemma James had 18 points and junior Ailina Rabang had 17 points for Lummi Nation on Saturday, and junior Brianna Metteba had 16 points for the Blackhawks on Friday. … Sophomore Tiana Thompson had 17 points and senior Loretta Murphy-Kangas had 16 points in Squalicum’s win Monday. … Sophomore Kate Schroeder had 17 point for Sehome on Friday. … Junior Grace DeHoog had 16 points for Nooksack Valley on Monday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION (RPI ranking: No. 7, 1B) crushed Shoreline Christian on Thursday, 55-17, and Tulalip Heritage on Friday, 54-18; and held off Orcas Island on Saturday, 50-44. On Thursday, the Lady Blackhawks used a balanced attack and impenetrable defense to take a 42-6 lead in swamping the winless Chargers. Metteba had 11 points, 9 steals, and 7 rebounds to lead Lummi; James had 10 points and 5 rebounds; Rabang had 9 points; and senior Robyn Jones and freshman Laraya Dennis had 8 points each. On Friday, the Blackhawks dominated with a 36-2 first half against their rivals. Metteba led four Blackhawks in double figures with 16 points and added 6 steals; James had 11 points and 4 assists; and Rabang and Mack had 10 points each. On Saturday, the Blackhawks led by 18 after three quarters and then had to hang on to defeat the 2B Vikings. James and Rabang led the way with 18 and 17 points, respectively, and a pair of 3-pointers each, and Metteba had 6 points. Lummi Nation also had Tuesday’s game against Providence Classical Christian rescheduled for Jan. 27.
FERNDALE (No. 37, 3A) beat Sedro-Woolley on Wednesday, 53-31, and Bellingham on Friday, 52-48. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles trailed by two after the first quarter but held the Cubs to 19 points the rest of the way in notching the big victory. Sophomore Brooklyn Larrabee had a great all-around game with 15 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 7 steals. Junior Kayla Washington added 12 points, including three 3-pointers; Fox had 10 points; freshman Ari Gilday had 6 points; and junior Abbey White had 7 rebounds. On Friday, in a back-and-forth battle, the Golden Eagles used a 9-0 run in the last three minutes to take the lead for good and hold off the Bayhawks. Fox had 23 points, 11 rebounds, and 4 steals to help defeat her uncle, Bellingham coach Ken McLendon. Washington had 14 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and 3 assists; and Larrabee had 8 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Ferndale girls.
LYNDEN (No. 1, 2A) stopped Sehome on Wednesday, 69-16, and Burlington-Edison on Friday, 60-32. On Wednesday, the Lions scored the first 31 points and didn’t let up in beating the Mariners. Mills and Parcher combined for 40 points with Mills also pulling down 7 rebounds and Parcher hitting a pair of 3-pointers. Junior Rian Stephan added 9 points, and senior Kiki York had 6 points. On Friday, the Lions won the big game on the road by holding Burlington to nearly 30 points below its average. Mills led the way with 19 points and 13 rebounds; Stephan had 10 points; Parcher had 9 points, 15 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists; York had 8 points; and junior Degitu Bowler and sophomore Lexi Hermanutz had 7 points each. For the story and photos from Wednesday’s game, click on Lynden girls.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No. 2, 1A) defeated Mount Baker on Tuesday, 74-16, and Squalicum on Saturday, 73-29. On Tuesday, the Lyncs shut out the Mounties in the second quarter to go up at the half, 50-10, on the way to the NWC win. Dykstra sank four of LC’s 10 3-pointers and finished with 18 points and 6 steals, Shumate had 17 points, senior Danya Dykstra had 14 points and four 3s, and junior Ella Fritts had 13 points, 5 assists, and 5 steals. On Saturday, the Lyncs’ depth proved too much for the short-handed Storm as LC outscored Squalicum by 43 points after only leading by one after the first quarter. Sophomore Jocelyn Eshuis came off the bench to lead LC with 14 points, Shumate and Fritts had 13 points each, junior Sara Van Loo had 11 points, and sophomore Kortnee Tolsma added 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Lynden Christian girls.
MERIDIAN (No. 7, 1A) knocked off Nooksack Valley on Monday, 58-42, and overpowered Oak Harbor on Thursday, 51-16. On Monday, the Trojans broke open a close game by outscoring the Pioneers, 17-3, in the fourth quarter. Junior Kinsley Neal hit two of her five 3-pointers in the final period and led Meridian with 15 points, senior Brooklyn Fuller had a 3-pointer and was 4 of 4 from the line in the decisive quarter and finished with 12 points, senior Sofia Brooks had 8 points, freshman Melanie Short had 7 points, and junior Taya Benson added 6 points. On Thursday, the Trojans held the Wildcats to six first-half points in jumping to a 30-point lead at intermission. Eleven of the 12 Trojans scored with Short having 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals; sophomore Maddy Swanson having 8 points with a pair of 3-pointers; sophomore Kaitlyn Storgaard having 7 points; Fuller grabbing 6 rebounds and 4 assists; and Brooks nabbing 8 steals. For the story and photos from Monday’s game, click on Meridian girls.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No. 9, 1A) lost to Meridian on Monday, 58-42, but bounced back to beat Cascade (Leavenworth) on Saturday, 57-50. On Monday, the Pioneers went cold at the wrong time, only scoring three points in the fourth period in losing to the Trojans. DeHoog had another double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds, senior Kate Shintaffer had 11 points, and junior Payton Bartl added 7 points. On Friday afternoon, the Pioneers traveled across the mountains to defeat Cascade in a non-league game. DeHoog had another monster game with 25 points, 19 rebounds, and 3 assists; Bartl had 14 points and 4 assists; sophomore Kaitlyn Biondolillo had 7 points; and Shintaffer had 7 rebounds and 5 assists. For the story and photos from Monday’s game, click on Nooksack Valley girls.
SQUALICUM (No. 20, 2A) thumped Mount Vernon on Monday, 68-32, but lost to Lynden Christian on Saturday, 73-29. On Monday, the Storm unleashed a 41-point half and then held the Bulldogs without a field goal in the second half to coast to the victory. Five players had nine or more points with Thompson and Murphy-Kangas leading the way with 17 and 16 points, respectively. Sophomores Lexi Robbins and Addison Kettman had 10 points each and Carli Kiesau added 9 points. Thompson added 11 rebounds, and freshman Kai Perez had 8 assists. On Saturday, the Storm were worn down after recovering from sickness that had hit the student body and benched several key players. Thompson had 9 points, and junior Jolie Paz finished with 8 points for Squalicum. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Squalicum girls.
BLAINE (No. 45, 1A) lost to Anacortes on Tuesday, 57-5, in the Borderites’ only game of the week. After scoring four points in the first period, Blaine could only produce a made free throw by Kate Koreski in the final three quarters. Junior Aaliyah Bowman had the other four points on a pair of field goals.
BELLINGHAM (No. 39, 2A) lost to Lakewood on Monday, 68-45, and to Ferndale on Friday, 52-48. On Monday, the Bayhawks fell behind by 13 after the first quarter and couldn’t make up the difference. Senior Malia Hanks had a team-high 12 points, 8 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists; senior Jenny Ruano had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 4 steals; junior Mary Lockhart had 8 points; and sophomore Merritt Jensen had 7 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals. On Friday, the Bayhawks held the lead with 3:33 left in the back-and-forth battle, but couldn’t hold off the Golden Eagles at the end. Jensen led Bellingham with 15 points, including eight in the first quarter to jump start the Bayhawks. Ruano came through with 13 points, six of them in the final period. And senior Malia Hanks had 12 points, eight coming in the third quarter when Bellingham fought back to take the lead, plus 6 rebounds, 6 steals, and 3 assists. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Bellingham girls.
MOUNT BAKER (No. 26, 1A) lost to Lynden Christian on Tuesday, 74-16 and to Anacortes on Saturday, 38-36. On Tuesday, the Mounties managed 10 points in the first quarter but could only produce six points the rest of the way. Sophomore Rebeca Soares had 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals to lead Mount Baker. On Saturday, the Mounties defense kept them in the game, but they came up short in the hard-fought contest. Soares led Mount Baker with 10 points before fouling out midway through the third quarter. Junior Reace Brown had 9 points, and junior Faith Wilson and freshman Kalyn Abitia had 6 points each.
SEHOME (No. 29, 2A) fell to Lynden on Wednesday, 69-16, and to Lakewood on Friday, 55-43. On Wednesday, the Mariners never solved Lynden’s defense managing only six points through three quarters. Freshman Taylor Turrell had 7 points but no other Mariner had more than four. On Friday, the Mariners were outscored, 21-10, in the second quarter and despite playing the Cougars even the other three quarters never made up the difference. Schroeder had 17 points and three 3-pointers to lead Sehome; Turrell had 14 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals; and junior Aspen Barge added 5 rebounds and 4 assists. For the story and photos from Wednesday’s game, click on Sehome girls.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 8
TOP GAME
The past four and seven of the past 10 Class 1A state championships have been won by either Lynden Christian or Nooksack Valley. The two powers have their regular-season clash on Friday, when the Pioneers travel to LC. If you’re free on Monday morning, you can also take in the King Showcase in Seattle, where Lynden will play King’s in a non-league contest.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 20: King’s vs. Lynden in King Showcase (Seattle), Oak Harbor at Blaine, Bellingham at Mount Vernon, Lummi Nation at Lopez Island
Tuesday, Jan. 21: Blaine at Cedar Park Christian (Bothell), Sedro-Woolley at Squalicum, Meridian at Lynden, Ferndale at Sehome
Wednesday, Jan. 22: Lynden Christian at Anacortes, Mount Baker at Nooksack Valley
Thursday, Jan. 23: Sedro-Woolley at Bellingham, Mount Vernon at Sehome
Friday, Jan. 24: Nooksack Valley at Lynden Christian, Squalicum at Anacortes, Mount Baker at Oak Harbor, Grace Academy at Lummi Nation
Saturday, Jan. 25: Burlington-Edison at Ferndale, Blaine at Bear Creek, Meridian at Lakewood
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
League | Overall | |||
W | L | W | L | |
Lynden | 8 | 0 | 15 | 0 |
Lynden Christian | 8 | 0 | 13 | 2 |
Burlington-Edison | 6 | 2 | 12 | 2 |
Nooksack Valley | 6 | 2 | 9 | 5 |
Anacortes | 6 | 3 | 10 | 3 |
Meridian | 6 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
Ferndale | 5 | 4 | 7 | 7 |
Squalicum | 5 | 4 | 7 | 6 |
Lakewood | 4 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
Mount Vernon | 4 | 5 | 8 | 5 |
Sedro-Woolley | 3 | 6 | 7 | 7 |
Sehome | 3 | 6 | 5 | 9 |
Bellingham | 2 | 5 | 5 | 7 |
Mount Baker | 2 | 7 | 6 | 7 |
Blaine | 0 | 7 | 2 | 9 |
Oak Harbor | 0 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
League | Overall | |||
W | L | W | L | |
Lummi Nation | 7 | 0 | 13 | 3 |
Lopez Island | 7 | 1 | 8 | 2 |
Grace Academy | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Providence Classical Christian | 3 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 4 | 1 | 8 |
Tulalip Heritage | 1 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
Shoreline Christian | 0 | 6 | 0 | 12 |