It was a good week for Whatcom County’s Class 2A schools, but not so good for the 1A squads as the Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League finished off their next-to-last week of the regular season.
Top-ranked and two-time defending 2A state champion Lynden led the way with a pair of victories, including a big win over city rival Lynden Christian, and Sehome and Squalicum kept pace with two NWC wins each last week.
For a look back at Week 9 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Boys Recap.
Lynden Christian, which suffered its first league loss on Saturday to the Lions, defeated Oak Harbor in its only other game, but 1A rivals Blaine, Meridian, Mount Baker, and Nooksack Valley all lost two NWC games each, although the Pioneers did notch a non-league victory.
Ferndale also had a good week with two league victories, and Lummi Nation had an easy week with a 43-point win in its only game.
It was an even worse week for Mount Baker, which was forced to forfeit early-season victories over Orcas Island, Sedro-Woolley, Friday Harbor, Bellingham, and Burlington-Edison earlier in the season because of an administrative mistake that caused a player to be declared ineligible.
(NOTE: Standings are from the official Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League websites.)
Here are the girls highlights from Week 9.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In the only close game of the week, Nooksack Valley managed just two points in the second quarter to fall behind Anacortes by 12, but then rallied in the second half to tie the score in the final minute before falling on Monday, 46-44. After the Seahawks scored with 40 seconds left to break the tie, the Pioneers had one last chance with less than two seconds left but couldn’t get off a decent shot.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nooksack Valley senior Grace DeHoog had 24 points on Friday after scoring 19 on Tuesday, and senior Payton Bartl had 15 points for the Pioneers on Monday. … Senior Kayla Washington had 23 points for Ferndale on Tuesday and 17 on Thursday, while junior Brooklyn Larrabee added 20 points on Thursday. … Junior Finley Parcher had 22 points on Monday and 20 points on Saturday to lead Lynden to two victories. … Sehome sophomore Taylor Turrell had 22 points on Monday and 16 more on Thursday. … Lummi Nation junior Jemma James had 22 points, senior Ailina Rabang had 17 points, and eighth-grader Jordy Reeder had 16 points in the Lady Blackhawks’ win Friday. … Squalicum’s Colee Harper had 21 points on Tuesday and 16 on Friday, and fellow junior Tiana Thompson added 15 points on Friday. … Mount Baker junior Rebeca Soares had 19 points on Thursday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN (No.1, 2A) beat Mount Baker on Monday, 76-25, and Lynden Christian on Saturday, 55-35. On Monday, the Lions jumped to a 29-4 lead and were never threatened after. Parcher had 22 points, including 10 in the big first quarter, and 5 steals; senior Payton Mills had 13 points; senior Degitu Bowler had 9 points; junior Lexi Hermanutz and sophomore Izzie Stephan had 8 points each with Hermanutz adding 6 assists and 5 steals and Stephan hitting a pair of 3-pointers; and sophomore Charlotte Somma had 5 rebounds. In Saturday’s big rivalry game, the Lions held LC to its lowest point total of the season to secure the win. Parcher led the way with 20 points, 5 steals, and 3 assists; Hermanutz would hit two of Lynden’s four 3-pointers and finish with 13 points and 4 steals; and Mills added 7 points.For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Lynden Girls.
SEHOME (No.10, 2A) beat Sedro-Woolley on Monday, 59-40, and Bellingham on Thursday, 41-24. On Monday, the Mariners held the Cubs to 16 first-half points and stormed to a 17-point lead to easily win on senior night. Turrell hit four 3-pointers and wound up with 22 points, but it was the seniors who enjoyed the night with Keira Reeves collecting 7 points, 6 assists, and 6 steals; Aspen Barge adding 6 points and 3 assists; and Nora Kingsley sinking two 3s for 6 points. Junior Elyse Panagos also had 6 points. In Thursday’s BellingHome Battle, the Mariners outscored the Bayhawks 25-4 in the middle two periods to beat their city rivals. Turrell led Sehome with 16 points, 14 of them and both her 3-pointers coming in the second and third periods. Eight other Mariners scored with juniors Sadie Gustafson and Kate Schroeder each collecting 5 points and a 3-pointer. Schroeder added 7 rebounds and 5 steals, and Barge had 6 blocks.For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Sehome Girls.
SQUALICUM (No.7, 2A) defeated Bellingham on Tuesday, 61-25, and Nooksack Valley on Friday, 54-33. On Tuesday, the Storm jumped out to a 19-5 lead and held the Bayhawks to seven points after halftime to overwhelm their city rivals. Harper led the offensive barrage with 21 points, sophomore Kai Perez had 12 points, and Thompson, and freshman Avery Kettman had 6 points each. On Friday, the Storm only scored two points in the second quarter to fall behind by seven but then used a 23-point third quarter to take command and held the Pioneers to nine points in the second half to wrap up the big win. Harper had 16 points, Thompson had 15 points, Robbins had 9 points and 9 assists, and junior Peyton Horst sank two 3-pointers for 6 points.
LUMMI NATION (No.6, 1B) pummeled Providence Classical Christian on Friday, 76-33. James led the Lady Blackhawks with 22 points, Rabang had three 3-pointers and 17 points, Reeder had 16 points, junior Celestine James had 9 points, and sophomore Laraya Dennis had 6 points.
FERNDALE (No.42, 3A) beat Meridian on Tuesday, 62-33, and Blaine on Thursday, 66-29, before losing to Stanwood on Saturday, 67-29. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and held the Trojans to 16 points through three quarters to secure the win. Washington had 23 points; junior Kayla Lee had 14 points, 9 rebounds, 5 steals, and 3 assists; sophomore Ari Gilday had 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 9 steals; and junior Brooklyn Larrabee had 10 assists and 7 steals. On Thursday, the Golden Eagles took command with a 22-4 second quarter and cruised to the victory. Larrabee led the way with 20 points, 8 steals, and 7 assists; Washington had 17 points; freshman Mia Collins had 11 points; junior Heavens Jefferson had 7 steals; and junior Kenzie Dawson had 6 rebounds. In Saturday’s non-conference loss, senior Abbey White led the Golden Eagles with 12 points and two 3-pointers, Gilday added 10 rebounds, Larrabee had 6 assists, and Washington had 3 steals.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No.3, 1A) beat Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 68-15, but lost to Lynden on Saturday, 55-35. On Wednesday, 10 different Lyncs scored and LC’s defense held the Wildcats to their second lowest-point total of the season. Senior Ella Fritts nearly outscored Oak Harbor with 14 points in addition to 10 assists and 6 rebounds, freshman Jess DeJong had 10 points, senior Grace Russell had 9 points, senior Sara Van Loo and sophomore Tyra Dykstra had 7 points each, junior Jocelyn Eshuis and freshman Daylin Dykstra had 6 points each with Eshuis pulling down 9 rebounds, and senior Sara Van Loo had 4 steals. On Saturday, the Lyncs only managed 13 first-half points and couldn’t make up the difference against the Lions. Eshuis had 10 points; Fritts had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists; and Tyra Dykstra had 6 points. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Lynden Christian Girls.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No.17, 1A) lost to Anacortes on Monday, 46-44; beat Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) on Tuesday, 45-35; and lost to Squalicum on Friday, 54-33. On Monday, the Pioneers’ comeback came up short in the loss to the Seahawks. Bartl finished with 15 points, 13 of which and both her 3-pointers coming in the big third-quarter rally, and 8 rebounds; DeHoog had 13 points, 18 rebounds, and 5 assists; and senior Natalie Van Liew had 8 points. On Tuesday, the Pioneers used a big second quarter to take an eight-point lead that they kept the rest of the way for the non-league win. DeHoog dominated inside with 19 points and 19 rebounds, Bartl had 10 points and 5 rebounds, Van Liew had 8 points, and sophomore Natileah Harmon had 6 rebounds and 3 assists. On Friday, the Pioneers’ offense sputtered in the second half, only managing nine points in the loss to the Storm. DeHoog had 24 points and 7 rebounds but no other Pioneer managed more than five points.
BELLINGHAM (No.32, 2A) lost to Squalicum on Tuesday, 61-25 and to Sehome on Thursday, 41-24. On Tuesday, the Bayhawks couldn’t get their offense going against the Storm, only scoring more than five points in the second quarter. Sophomore Lucy Holland had 7 points and 3 rebounds to lead Bellingham, seniors Mary Lockhart and Ashley Ask had 6 points each, and junior Merritt Jensen grabbed a team-high 9 rebounds. On Thursday, the Bayhawks were stifled by the Sehome defense in the second and third quarters when they only managed four points total. Lockhart had 12 points, Jensen had 10 points, but the rest of the team combined for only two points. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Bellingham Girls.
BLAINE (No.43, 1A) lost to Lakewood on Tuesday, 68-35, and Ferndale on Thursday, 66-29. On Tuesday, the Borderites were outscored 22-4 in the second period and despite playing the Cougars even much of the game couldn’t make up any ground. Junior Kate Koreski had 11 points, senior Aaliyah Bowman had 10 points, and senior Brietta Sandell and freshman Hailey Kruse had 7 points each. On Thursday, the Borderites led by two after one quarter but could only come up with 20 points the rest of the way in losing to the Golden Eagles. Bowman had 14 points, and Kruse had 6 points, but no one else had more than three. Kruse added 11 rebounds, and Sandell had 8 rebounds and 5 steals.
MERIDIAN (No.38, 1A) fell to Ferndale on Tuesday, 62-33, and to Mount Vernon on Friday, 41-29. On Tuesday, the Trojans couldn’t get their offense going until the fourth quarter when they scored 17 points, one more than they had the first three periods. Junior Eden Bernardy had 8 points and 3 assists, senior Taya Benson had 7 points, and junior Maddy Swanson had 9 rebounds. On Friday, the Trojans only managed four points in the first quarter and despite playing the Bulldogs even the rest of the way, couldn’t close the gap. Benson had 10 points, and Bernardy had 8 points, but no other Trojans had more than five.
MOUNT BAKER (No.35, 1A) lost to Lynden on Monday, 76-25, and to Lakewood on Thursday, 76-43. On Monday, the Mounties’ offense couldn’t put together a double-digit quarter and lost to the undefeated Lions. Soares had 9 points and 8 rebounds, and senior Reace Brown added 8 points. On Thursday, the short-handed Mounties needed help from their JV roster but it wasn’t enough to upset the Cougars. Soares had 19 points and a school-record 26 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals; Brown had 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 assists; and sophomore Kalyn Abitia had 7 points and 8 rebounds.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.
WEEK 10
TOP GAME
When Squalicum travels to Sehome on Wednesday, it will not only be for the “unofficial” Bellingham city championship but it will be a key game for the District 1 tournament seeding and possibly a preview of a playoff showdown with a state berth on the line.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Feb. 2: Mount Vernon at Blaine, Ferndale at Mount Baker, Oak Harbor at Nooksack Valley
Tuesday, Feb. 3: Lakewood at Lynden Christian, Blaine at Bellingham, Sedro-Woolley at Meridian, Lynden at Anacortes, Nooksack Valley at Ferndale, Tulalip Heritage at Lummi Nation
Wednesday, Feb. 4: Squalicum at Sehome
Thursday, Feb. 5: Blaine at Sedro-Woolley, Ferndale at Lynden Christian, Mount Baker at Mount Vernon
Friday, Feb. 6: Lynden at Nooksack Valley, Meridian at Bellingham, Oak Harbor at Squalicum, Sehome at Burlington-Edison
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 11 | 0 | 18 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 11 | 1 | 17 | 3 |
| Squalicum | 11 | 2 | 15 | 3 |
| Lakewood | 10 | 3 | 13 | 6 |
| Sehome | 10 | 3 | 14 | 5 |
| Mount Vernon | 8 | 5 | 12 | 6 |
| Nooksack Valley | 6 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
| Ferndale | 5 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Anacortes | 5 | 8 | 7 | 10 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 5 | 8 | 10 | 9 |
| Bellingham | 4 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Burlington-Edison | 4 | 8 | 6 | 12 |
| Mount Baker | 4 | 9 | 5 | 12 |
| Meridian | 3 | 10 | 5 | 13 |
| Blaine | 1 | 9 | 4 | 14 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 13 | 2 | 16 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 9 | 0 | 15 | 2 |
| Grace Academy | 7 | 4 | 8 | 5 |
| Lopez Island | 7 | 4 | 11 | 6 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 5 | 4 | 7 | 11 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 4 | 8 | 5 | 9 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 3 | 9 | 3 | 11 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 9 | 3 | 13 |
