Winter weather forced the postponement of all Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League games last Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday, which raised havoc with league schedules as the teams try to wrap up their regular seasons over the next two weeks.
While most teams only played one game last week and some didn’t play any, two of the NWC’s hottest teams stayed hot with multiple victories. Nooksack Valley raised its record to 17-1 with three wins, and Squalicum won for the 10th time in the past 11 games with the Storm’s only loss coming to the Pioneers.
League titles and district seedings still have to be determined and big games are still to be played. The weather might be chilly in Whatcom County, but the basketball races are heating up.
For a look back at Week 8 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.
Here are the girls highlights from Week 8.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In the week’s closest game, Blaine fought back and then fought off Mount Baker in a contest for Class 1A seeding, 54-47, on Monday night. The visiting Borderites were down most of the first half but rallied to take a double-digit lead into the fourth period thanks to senior Jordyn Vezzetti, who had a game-high 21 points. But the Mounties battled back to within four in the final minutes before Blaine finished the scoring with three free throws for the victory.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Freshman Jemma James had 32 points and sophomore Ailina Rabang had 24 for Lummi Nation on Tuesday. … Nooksack Valley senior Devin Coppinger had 27 points on Tuesday sandwiched between 16-point performances on Monday and Saturday, and senior Tana Hoekema added 20 points for the Pioneers on Tuesday. … Senior Jordyn Vezzetti had 21 points for Blaine on Monday. … Freshman Eden Bernardy had 20 points for Meridian on Saturday. … Mount Baker freshman Violet Fox had 18 points on Monday. … Squalicum senior Mari Binning had 18 points on Saturday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
NOOKSACK VALLEY (RPI ranking: No.1, Class 1A) shocked Union in a non-league game on Monday, 54-41; beat Meridian on Tuesday, 69-34; and defeated Mount Baker on Saturday, 72-24. Despite missing two injured starters and falling behind early in Monday’s game, the Pioneers rallied with a 20-8 second quarter and held the Titans, a top-five Class 4A team, to its lowest point total of the season. Coppinger had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals, and Nooksack got big games from posts Hoekema (11 points and 15 rebounds) and sophomore Grace DeHoog (11 points and 13 rebounds). Chayleigh Davis added 7 points and fellow sophomore Payton Bartl added 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers, and junior Kate Shintaffer had 7 rebounds. On Tuesday, after a slow start, the Pioneers outscored Meridian, 31-6, and never looked back. Coppinger and Hoekema combined for 18 points in the first quarter to spark Nooksack and Coppinger would finish with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals, and Hoekema had 20 points and 9 rebounds. DeHoog and Bartl continued their stellar play filling in as starters with DeHoog collecting 9 points and 6 rebounds and Bartl grabbing 4 steals. On Saturday morning, Nooksack used a 22-3 burst to end the first quarter and kept rolling over the Mounties in a contest originally scheduled for Thursday. All eight Pioneers scored with Coppinger leading the way with 16 points and 4 assists. DeHoog had 13 points and a team-high 10 rebounds; Kimball returned to action and had 11 points; Hoekema had 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals; and Shintaffer had 9 points.
SQUALICUM (No.13, 2A) beat Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 42-23, and Bellingham on Saturday, 62-30. On Tuesday, the Storm held the Cubs to two points in the first quarter and was never threatened after building a quick double-digit lead. Binning led Squalicum with 14 points, 6 assists, 5 rebounds, and 5 steals; and freshman Addison Kettman added 8 points and 6 rebounds. On Saturday, Squalicum held the Bayhawks to 10 first-half points in pulling out to a 32-point lead. Binning hit three 3-pointers and all three of her free throws for 18 points, senior Makayla Heaton added three more 3s and 14 points, and freshmen Lexi Robbins and Tiana Thompson added 7 and 6 points, respectively.
BLAINE (No.31, 1A) beat Mount Baker on Monday, 54-47, and had Friday’s game with Burlington-Edison postponed. On Monday, the Borderites starting lineup accounted for all their points. Vezzetti had another big game with 21 points, senior Deja Dube had 12 points, her freshman sister Teia Dube had 9 points, and seniors Amelia Berkeley and Alia Ball had 6 points each. For the story on Monday’s game, click on Blaine-Mount Baker girls.
LUMMI NATION (No.16, 1B) knocked off Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) on Tuesday, 76-7, and had Thursday’s game with Lopez Island and Friday’s game with Orcas Island postponed. On Tuesday, the Lady Blackhawks shut out the Eagles in the first quarter and only surrendered two free throws in the second quarter in building up a 50-2 lead. James had four 3-pointers among her 32 points and Rabang had all but two of her 24 points in the first-half explosion. Senior Keyonee Morris added 6 points as eight Blackhawks scored.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No.7, 1A) topped Oak Harbor on Monday, 44-36, and had Thursday’s game with Sehome rescheduled for Jan. 29. The Lyncs used their defense to limit the Wildcats to 16 second-half points and pulled away for the NWC victory. Junior Grace Hintz continued her comeback with a team-high 14 points, junior Allison Shumate had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Tabby DeJong had 10 points and 8 rebounds.
SEHOME (No.10, 2A) beat Anacortes on Tuesday, 61-52, and had Thursday’s game at Lynden Christian rescheduled for Jan. 29. On Tuesday, the Mariners went up by a dozen in the first half and held off Anacortes for Sehome’s fifth straight victory. The Mariners were the definition of a balanced offense thanks to 17 assists. Senior Emmy Hart had 12 points, seniors Madi Cooper, Kylie Watson, and Natalie Brewer had 10 points each, and freshman Kate Schroeder came off the bench to notch 8 points. Watson also had 6 assists, senior Macie Aven had a team-high 6 rebounds and 3 assists, and Brewer and Schroeder had 5 rebounds each with Schroeder also nabbing 3 steals.
FERNDALE (No.39, 3A) had Wednesday’s game with Mount Vernon rescheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 23, and had Friday’s game with Anacortes rescheduled for Saturday, Feb. 3.
LYNDEN (No.2, 2A) had Wednesday’s game with Burlington-Edison rescheduled for Monday, Jan. 29, and had Friday’s game at Mount Vernon rescheduled for Thursday, Feb. 1.
BELLINGHAM (No.51, 2A) lost to Lakewood on Monday, 63-39; had Wednesday’s non-league game with Friday Harbor postponed; and lost to Squalicum on Saturday, 62-30. On Monday, Bellingham fell behind early and couldn’t make up any ground on the Cougars. Junior Malia Hanks had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists; sophomore Mary Lockhart had 12 points and 5 rebounds; and freshman Merritt Jensen had 8 points and 5 rebounds. On Saturday, the Bayhawks couldn’t overcome another slow start in losing to their crosstown rivals. Hanks had 7 points, Lockhart sank 5 of 6 free throws and had 6 points, and Jensen added 6 points.
MERIDIAN (No.40, 1A) lost to Nooksack Valley on Tuesday, 69-34; had Thursday’s non-league game with Sultan rescheduled for Saturday, Jan. 27; and lost to Sedro-Woolley on Saturday, 49-34. Meridian was playing without starters Allie Richter and Savannah Storgaard, both of whom suffered season-ending injuries. On Tuesday, the Trojans were up by four points early in the game but couldn’t hold off the top-ranked Pioneers. Sophomore Kinsley Neal led Meridian with 12 points on four 3-pointers and freshman Maddy Swanson added 9 points. On Saturday, Meridian only managed three field goals in the fourth quarter and couldn’t hold off the Cubs. Bernardy finished with a team-high 20 points, 5 steals, and 4 rebounds; junior Brooklyn Fuller had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists; and sophomore Taya Benson added 5 rebounds.
MOUNT BAKER (No.43, 1A) fell to Blaine on Monday, 54-47, and to Nooksack Valley on Saturday, 72-24, in a game originally scheduled for Thursday. On Monday, a cold third quarter that saw the Mounties outscored 16-7 proved to be the difference against Blaine. Mount Baker was led by Fox’s 18 points. Senior Jenna Wineinger had 9 points, and senior Rhonda Madera, junior Faith Wilson, and sophomore Natalie Van Liew had 6 points each with Madera’s coming on a pair of 3-pointers. On Saturday, the Mounties struggled against the Nooksack defense and tied their lowest point total of the season. Van Liew had 9 points and Wineinger had 6 points. For the story on Monday’s game, click on Mount Baker-Blaine girls.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
Week 9
TOP GAMES
The week’s big game will be in Burlington on Monday when Northwest Conference leaders Nooksack Valley and Burlington-Edison square off. But Saturday also will be an important day in the NWC as Lynden Christian is at Ferndale and Lynden travels to Sehome.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 22: Blaine at Mount Vernon, Ferndale at Sehome, Lynden Christian at Anacortes, Nooksack Valley at Burlington-Edison
Tuesday, Jan. 23: Lakewood at Lynden Christian, Sedro-Woolley at Mount Baker, Oak Harbor at Squalicum, Shoreline Christian at Lummi Nation, Mount Vernon at Ferndale
Wednesday, Jan. 24: Bellingham at Meridian, Lynden at Anacortes
Thursday, Jan. 25: Mount Vernon at Nooksack Valley, Squalicum at Lakewood, Lummi Nation at Grace Academy
Friday, Jan. 26: Mount Baker at Bellingham, Meridian at Oak Harbor
Saturday, Jan. 27: Anacortes at Blaine, Lynden Christian at Ferndale, Lynden at Sehome, Sultan at Meridian
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Nooksack Valley | 11 | 0 | 17 | 1 |
| Burlington-Edison | 9 | 0 | 12 | 2 |
| Sehome | 9 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
| Lynden | 8 | 1 | 14 | 1 |
| Lynden Christian | 7 | 2 | 10 | 5 |
| Ferndale | 6 | 3 | 7 | 7 |
| Oak Harbor | 6 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Squalicum | 6 | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| Anacortes | 5 | 4 | 9 | 5 |
| Lakewood | 3 | 6 | 5 | 6 |
| Blaine | 3 | 7 | 7 | 8 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 3 | 8 | 7 | 8 |
| Mount Vernon | 2 | 7 | 4 | 8 |
| Meridian | 1 | 10 | 3 | 12 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 11 | 2 | 13 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 11 | 3 | 13 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 7 | 0 | 10 | 5 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 7 | 1 | 8 | 5 |
| Grace Academy | 6 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Lopez Island | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 2 | 7 | 5 | 8 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
