Like many others this past week, Blaine winter sports had to deal with a few cancelations due to the historic flooding across Western Washington, but kept battling as winter break draws nearer.
Boys basketball had a dramatic win over Bellingham, and the boys wrestling team had a solid team performance against a conference rival.
Blaine boys basketball went on the road for a clutch, 67-62 victory over Bellingham on December 10, earning its first Northwest Conference (NWC) win and starting off the conference schedule 1-0.
The Borderites trailed heading into the second half, but a 25-13 third quarter in Blaine’s favor allowed the Borderites to weather a comeback attempt by the Bayhawks in the waning minutes.
Senior forward Landon Melton led the team on offense, finishing as the top scorer in the game with 21 points along with eight rebounds.
Junior center Angus Dickson had 13 points and six rebounds, and senior guard Daniel Banks scored 12 points.
Unfortunately for the Borderites, the momentum stopped there as the team dropped a pair of losses at home to Sehome, 58-42 on December 13, and Burlington-Edison, 74-52 on December 15.
In the loss to Sehome, junior guard Dawson Dohner and Melton led the scoring with 12 points each, and Dickson grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds. Against Burlington-Edison, Melton again led the scoring with 13 points, but the Borderites defense couldn’t stop the Tigers from a 44-point first half.
After going 1-2 to start conference play, Blaine holds a 3-3 record with one game remaining before the winter holiday break.
The Borderites will host NWC rivals Meridian at 7:15 p.m. Friday, December 19.
Stats provided by whatcompreps.com
The Borderites lost a pair of conference games to Bellingham high schools, losing 31-24 to Bellingham at home on December 10 and then losing 56-25 on the road against Sehome on December 13.
Against Bellingham, the visiting Bayhawks made clutch free throws in the final quarter, with Bellingham’s Merrit Jensen leading the scoring with 19 points. Blaine senior Aaliyah Bowman kept up her solid season with eight points and eight rebounds, and junior guard Kate Koreski led the team with 11 points.
On the road against Sehome, the Mariners defense was stifling, forcing 24 steals over the course of the game and building up a 32-8 lead by halftime.
Despite the lopsided final score, Bowman again had another productive night with a game-high 12 points.
The losses dropped Blaine to a 1-4 record early in the season, and the team is still searching for its first home win of the season.
Blaine girls basketball will have a chance for exactly that on Friday, December 19, facing off against conference foe Meridian at 5:40 p.m. Blaine will then host Cascade at 4 p.m. Saturday, December 20, which will be its final game before the winter break.
Stats provided by whatcompreps.com
The Blaine boys wrestling team was gearing up for the annual Spud Walley Invitational set for December 13 before the event was canceled due to the historic flooding impacting the Skagit Valley over the past week, according to a social media post from the Sedro-Woolley Athletic Department.
The Sedro-Woolley school district was forced to dismiss students early on December 10, and closed all schools on December 11 and 12 due to the floods.
Prior to the not-to-be tournament, Blaine dueled Bellingham on December 11, winning 54-24.
The Borderites saw wins from Chris Zamudio by fall in 4:23, Vinnie Saia by fall in 2:36, Jacob Moncada by fall in 49 seconds, Saihou Kanagie by fall in 43 second – the fastest submission of the night – and Rhys Milligan by fall in 58 seconds.
Borderites Noxx Briner, Cooper Smith, Gerardo Garcia and Avery Hicks all won by forfeit.
Blaine boys wrestling will host its first matches of the season at Blaine High School at 6 p.m. December 17 against Nooksack Valley (after press time).
Stats provided by trackwrestling.com
