Whatcom Hoops: Girls Week 9 Recap (Jan. 27-Feb. 1)

The Lummi Nation and Lynden girls won huge rivalry games as the Northwest 1B League wrapped up its regular season and the Northwest Conference heads into its final week.

The Lady Blackhawks downed Tulalip Heritage on Friday to finish off an undefeated league season and earn the top seed heading into next week’s Class 1B district tournament, which will be hosted by Lummi Nation.

The undefeated Lions, meanwhile, continued their quest to repeat as Class 2A state champions by dismantling Lynden Christian on Saturday in a battle between the top two NWC teams.

The other big winners were Nooksack Valley and Sehome, which like Lummi Nation and Lynden won both their games last week.

For a look back at Week 9 for our Whatcom boys teams, check out Whatcom Hoops boys recap.

Here are the girls highlights from Week 9.

GAME OF THE WEEK

Among the rivalry games, Thursday’s Bellingham-Sehome game — or the girls version of the BellingHome Battle, as they like to call it — was the most exciting. The Mariners built a commanding 19-10 halftime lead only to see the Bayhawks tie the game with 2:35 left. But Sehome held Bellingham to only two more points and in the final 65 seconds got a bucket from sophomore reserve Sadie Gustafson and three clutch free throws from sophomore Stella Hogan, freshman Taylor Turrell, and junior Aspen Barge to give Sehome a 34-31 victory.

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Sophomore Finley Parcher had 26 points for Lynden on Monday. … Lummi Nation junior Ailina Rabang had 23 points on Monday and 17 points on Friday. … Senior Allison Shumate had 21 points for Lynden Christian on Wednesday. … Sehome sophomore Kate Schroeder and freshman Taylor Turrell had 19 and 16 points, respectively, on Monday … Freshman Melanie Short had 19 points for Meridian on Tuesday. … Senior Kate Shintaffer had 18 points for Nooksack Valley on Monday, and junior Grace DeHoog had 19 points on Friday. … Blaine junior Aaliyah Bowman had 17 points for Blaine on Tuesday … Sophomore Lexi Robbins had 17 points for Squalicum on Tuesday. … Junior Jilly Fox had 17 points for Ferndale on Tuesday.

HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK

LUMMI NATION (RPI ranking: No. 6, 1B): defeated Providence Classical Christian on Monday, 57-21, and Tulalip Heritage on Friday, 62-16. On Monday, the Lady Blackhawks scored the first 15 points of the game and easily swept away the Highlanders. Rabang had 10 of her game-high 23 points in the first period; sophomore Jemma James had 13 points; and junior Brianna Metteba added 6 points. On Friday, the Blackhawks scored the first 28 points and went on to easily beat tribal rival Tulalip Heritage. Rabang led Lummi with 17 points but it was James who was in the spotlight when she hit a 3-pointer just before halftime to give her 14 points for the game and 1,000 points for her career. Metteba added 12 points, and freshman Celestine James had 6 points as eight of the nine Blackhawks scored. Lummi Nation’s Tuesday game against Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) was canceled. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Lummi Nation girls.

LYNDEN (No. 1, 2A): beat Mount Baker on Monday, 78-20, and Lynden Christian on Saturday, 60-35. On Monday, the Lions leaped out to a 31-2 lead and steamrolled the short-handed Mounties, who by game’s end were down to seven players because of injuries and illness. Twelve Lions scored with Parcher leading the way with 26 points and 7 rebounds. Junior Payton Mills had 12 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals; juniors Rian Stephan and Degitu Bowler had 6 points each; and sophomore Lexi Hermanutz had 6 steals. On Saturday, Lynden’s defense held the Lyncs to two fourth-quarter points and their lowest point total of the season. The Lions unleashed a balanced attack led by Stephan with 14 points, senior Kiki York with 13, Parcher with 12, Mills with 9, and Hermanutz with 6.For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Lynden girls.

NOOKSACK VALLEY (No. 8, 1A): beat Anacortes on Monday, 57-52, and Squalicum on Friday, 46-35. On Monday, the Pioneers trailed most of the game before outscoring the Seahawks, 16-10, in the fourth quarter to pull off the victory. Shintaffer finished with 18 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals; juniors Charleigh Davis and Grace DeHoog had 15 points each with Davis grabbing 5 steals and dishing out 4 assists and DeHoog collecting 12 rebounds, 5 blocks, and 3 steals; and junior Payton Bartl added 8 points. On Friday, the Pioneers had a big 20-point first quarter and held the Storm to two points in the second quarter to build a double-digit lead that they wouldn’t relinquish. DeHoog had 19 points thanks to an outstanding 10-for-12 performance from the line and pulled down 10 rebounds. Shintaffer added 12 points, a pair of 3-pointers, and 4 rebounds; Bartl had 9 points, two more 3s, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 5 assists; Davis had 4 assists; and sophomore Kaitlyn Biondolillo had 4 rebounds. 

SEHOME (No. 29, 2A): beat Sedro-Woolley on Monday, 48-42, and Bellingham on Thursday, 34-31. On Monday, the Mariners were down by 10 after one quarter, but rallied to tie the score after three quarters and complete the comeback in the fourth period. Schroeder and Turrell were the only Mariners with more than four points but they had great all-around games. Schroeder had 19 points, 5 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 blocks, and Turrell had 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists. On Thursday, the Mariners overcame a concussion to leading scorer Schroeder as well as a valiant Bellingham comeback to score five of the final seven points and pull out the win. Schroeder had 15 points, 5 rebounds, 5 steals, and 4 assists; Aspen anchored the Mariners’ defense with an incredible 13 blocks and 9 rebounds. She also scored 6 points as did Turrell.For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Sehome girls.

FERNDALE (No. 34, 3A): lost to Meridian on Tuesday, 51-44, but bounced back to beat Blaine on Thursday, 57-26. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles rallied after a cold first half to close within one going into the fourth quarter but couldn’t stay with the Trojans. Fox had 17 points and sophomore Brooklyn Larrabee had 12 points but no other Golden Eagle had more than five points. On Thursday, the Golden Eagles didn’t allow the Borderites to hit double figures in any quarter and broke open a close game with a 23-point third period. Junior Abbey White had a game-high 19 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists; Larrabee had a great all-around game with 15 points, 14 steals, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists; and Fox had 12 points and 14 rebounds.

LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No. 2, 1A): overpowered Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 70-17, but lost to Lynden on Saturday, 60-35. On Wednesday, the Lyncs shut out the Wildcats in the first quarter and went up 44-8 at the half before coasting to the lopsided win. Nine of 11 Lyncs score with Shumate’s 21 points leading the way. Freshman Tyra Dykstra  had 13 points, senior Alisa Scott had 7 points, and senior Danya Dykstra and sophomore Jocelyn Eshuis had 6 points each. In Saturday’s crosstown rivalry game, the Lyncs struggled against Lynden’s defense and after cutting the margin to six in the third quarter were outscored 25-6 the rest of the way. Shumate battled inside for 14 points and junior Ella Fritts had 8 points but no other Lync managed more than four points.For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Lynden Christian girls.

MERIDIAN (No. 10, 1A): defeated Ferndale on Tuesday, 51-44, but lost to Mount Vernon on Friday, 43-36. On Tuesday, the Trojans held the Golden Eagles to 16 first-half points, but needed an 18-point fourth quarter to hold off Ferndale. Short came off the bench to score 19 points, junior Kinsley Neal sank four 3-pointers for 13 points, and senior Sofia Brooks had 9 points. On Friday, the Trojans fought back to take a brief lead in the fourth quarter, but only managed to score four points over the final six minutes in falling to the Bulldogs. Brooks had 13 points, Short had 12, and Neal had two more 3s for 6 points, but no other Trojan managed more than two points.  

SQUALICUM (No. 17, 2A): beat Bellingham on Tuesday, 42-34, but lost to Nooksack Valley on Friday, 46-35. On Monday, the Storm outscored the Bayhawks 28-8 in the second and fourth quarters to take the game from their city rivals. Robbins made 6 of 8 free throws and had a team-high 17 points, sophomore Tiana Thompson and freshman Kai Perez had 10 points each, and senior Loretta Murphy-Kangas had 6 points. On Friday, the Storm were missing two players involved in a car accident and only managed 22 points after the first quarter. Perez had 11 points to lead the Storm, and Thompson and Robbins had 9 points each

BLAINE (No. 45, 1A): lost to Lakewood on Tuesday, 53-46, and to Ferndale on Thursday, 57-26. On Tuesday, the Borderites were within one heading into the final quarter but couldn’t hold off the Cougars. Bowman had 17 points, sophomore Kate Koreski had 14 points, sophomore Marcella Bring had 7 points, and junior Brietta Sandell had two 3-pointers for 6 points. On Thursday, the Borderites couldn’t crack the Golden Eagles’ pressure defense and while they kept the game close in the first half, were outscored 37-14 after intermission. Koreski led the offense with 12 points, but she was the only Borderite to score more than five points. Bowman and Bring had 8 rebounds each with Bowman adding 5 steals. 

MOUNT BAKER (No. 30, 1A): lost to Lynden on Monday, 78-20, and to Lakewood on Thursday, 65-39. On Monday, the Mounties were without three starters and down to seven players by the end of the first quarter because of injuries and sickness. Junior Reace Brown had 8 points and junior Izabel Johnson had 6 points. On Thursday, the short-handed Mounties had trouble stopping the Cougars on the road. Brown and senior Faith Wilson had 11 points each with Brown adding 8 rebounds and Wilson collecting 5 assists and 4 steals. 

BELLINGHAM (No. 47, 2A): lost to Squalicum on Tuesday, 52-34; to Sehome on Thursday, 34-31; and to La Conner on Saturday, 42-36. On Monday, the Bayhawks took a first-quarter lead but only managed three points in the second quarter and couldn’t recover from the double-digit deficit. Senior Malia Hanks had 11 points, sophomore Merritt Jensen had 8 points, and senior Jennifer Ruano had 7 points as only four Bayhawks scored. In Thursday’s city rivalry game, the Bayhawks only scored 10 first-half points and were down by nine at intermission, but fought back to tie the game with two and a half minutes left before falling to the Mariners. Jensen led Bellingham with 9 points and 10 rebounds; junior Mary Lockhart had 7 points and was 4 for 4 from the line during the fourth-quarter comeback; and Hanks had 11 rebounds, 4 assists, and 5 steals. On Saturday, the Bayhawks came out as cold as the weather, scoring only two points in the first quarter, and even though they outscored the Braves the rest of the way couldn’t make up the 12-point deficit. Lockhart had 10 points, and the Holland twins combined for 14 points with Elise scoring 9 and Lucy 5. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Bellingham girls.

NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics.

WEEK 10

TOP GAME

With all the seeding for the district tournaments pretty much decided for our Whatcom teams, the only drama may be Friday at Lynden when the defending Class 2A state champion Lions host two-time defending 1A state champion Nooksack Valley, the only team to defeat Lynden last season. Meanwhile, top-seeded Lummi Nation will begin district play at home on Thursday against the winner of Tuesday’s Shoreline Christian-Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) game.

SCHEDULE

Monday, Feb. 3: Blaine at Mount Vernon, Mount Baker at Ferndale, Nooksack at Oak Harbor

Tuesday, Feb. 4: Lynden Christian at Lakewood, Anacortes at Lynden, Meridian at Sedro-Woolley, King’s at Nooksack Valley

Wednesday, Feb. 5: Bellingham at Blaine, Sehome at Squalicum

Thursday, Feb. 6: Lynden Christian at Ferndale, Mount Vernon at Mount Baker, Shoreline Christian or Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) at Lummi Nation in 1B district tournament

Friday, Feb. 7: Nooksack Valley at Lynden, Bellingham at Meridian, Squalicum at Oak Harbor

Saturday, Feb. 8: Blaine at Sedro-Woolley, Burlington-Edison at Sehome, Lummi Nation in 1B district tournament

NORTHWEST CONFERENCE

  League  Overall
 WLWL
Lynden110190
Lynden Christian111163
Burlington-Edison102163
Nooksack Valley93126
Meridian85126
Squalicum85107
Anacortes76116
Ferndale7699
Mount Vernon76116
Lakewood67910
Sehome58711
Sedro-Woolley49810
Bellingham29512
Mount Baker211611
Blaine19412
Oak Harbor112414

NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE (final standings)

  League  Overall
 WLWL
Lummi Nation100173
Lopez Island8294
Providence Classical Christian7587
Grace Academy5466
Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood)28313
Tulalip Heritage28511
Shoreline Christian07014
Jim Carberry of Whatcom Hoops

Author
Jim Carberry is a former Bellingham Herald sports editor and author of several books on Whatcom County prep basketball. Follow him on Twitter @whatcomhoops and visit the Whatcom Hoops Facebook page.