Blaine athletes showed out in full force over the past week, with wrestlers standing atop podiums, bowlers setting personal records, and basketball sweeping aside its final non-conference opponents of the early season.
Girls Wrestling
Blaine girls wrestling had a great team performance at the Spartan Winter Wrestlefest tournament in Stanwood on Saturday, December 6.
Kiera O’Reilly took first place in the 105-pound division, defeating three wrestlers by fall. It was O’Reilly’s first tournament championship of the season.
Blaine’s Abigail Gonzalez and Julianne Whaley each placed fourth in their respective weight classes.
Gonzalez fought her way into the third place match with a pair of tough wins, but couldn’t defeat Sedro-Woolley’s Jailyn Serrano. Whaley won four out of five matches before finally falling in her third-place match against Lyden’s Yaretzi Gonzalez, who won via a 5-3 decision.
Rounding out the tournament for the Borderites’ varsity squad was Jasmine Delo-Santos, who earned a sixth place finish after two wins – one by fall in just 55 seconds, the other a 6-2 decision – in four matches.
It was another solid day on that mat for the Borderites, adding on to a good performance at a tournament in Mt. Baker on December 2, where the Borderites defeated Squalicum 36-18, but lost to Mt. Baker 48-30.
Blaine will travel to Anacortes for a Northwest Conference (NWC) duel against Meridian on Thursday, December 11 at 6 p.m.
Blaine will then travel to Everett for an all-day tournament on Saturday, December 13, with competitions starting at 10 a.m.
Stats provided by TrackWrestling.com
Boys Wrestling
Blaine boys wrestling had a stellar day at the Mariner Holiday Wrestling Tournament in Everett on December 6, with senior Cole Voight winning first place in the 120-pound division, winning by fall over Lincoln’s Samuel Zisman in 4:47.
Rhys Milligan made it to the final round of the 175-pound division, defeating Lincoln’s Olaf Barradas in the semi-final round by fall in 5:44.
Stats provided by TrackWrestling.com
Girls Bowling
Girls bowling defeated Everett at Mt. Baker Lanes on December 9, winning 1377-1220.
Prior to that win, Blaine took on NWC rivals Ferndale on December 8, with Della Cochran bowling a personal-best score of 192. It was the second-highest individual game score ever for a Blaine bowler, just behind senior Ainslee Ellis’ record of 202 set at the start of this season.
Girls bowling will play just one more match before the New Year, facing Mt. Vernon at Riverside Lanes on Tuesday, December 16 at 3 p.m. Blaine’s next “home” game – at Mt. Baker Lanes in Ferndale – is scheduled for Tuesday, January 6 at 3:15 p.m.
Girls Basketball
Blaine girls basketball took care of nonconference opponent Friday Harbor on December 3, winning 40-18.
Senior forward Aaliyah Bowman led the team with a double-double, scoring a game-high 17 points and collecting 14 rebounds. Senior guard Brietta Sandell was lock-down on defense, nabbing 10 steals and scoring nine points.
Juniors Kate Koreski and Marcella Bring also contributed on offense, with Koreski scoring eight points, eight rebounds, six steals and three assists, and Bring scoring six points.
The Borderites held Friday Harbor to under five points in each of the final three quarters, logging the team’s best defensive performance through three games this season.
The win was the first of the year for the Borderites, improving the team’s record to 1-2 through the non-conference early season.
The NWC schedule tips off next, with Blaine hosting Bellingham on Wednesday, December 10 (after press time) before traveling to play Sehome on Saturday, December 13 at 1 p.m. The next home game will be against Meridian on Friday, December 19 at 5:40 p.m.
Stats provided by WhatcomPreps.com
Boys Basketball
The boys basketball team played a clutch fourth quarter against Friday Harbor on December 3, securing a victory in the final nonconference game of the regular season, winning 52-39.
Trailing by one point entering the fourth quarter, the Borderites outscored Friday Harbor 18-4 in the final period, securing a 2-1 record to start the season.
The Borderites shot exceptionally well from 3-point range, finishing the night with 11 made threes and shooting over 40 percent from beyond the arc.
Junior guard Dawson Dohner went 5-of-12 from 3-point range en route to a career-high 21 points.
Senior forward Landon Melton had 18 points, along with four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Junior center Angus Dickson tallied three blocks, and senior guard Kai Kerwin collected five points, four rebounds, four assists and three steals.
The Borderites will start NWC play on the road against Bellingham on Wednesday, December 10 (after press time), then return to host Sehome on Saturday, December 13 at 7:15 p.m.
Stats provided by WhatcomPreps.com
