While the Blaine wrestling program rests before next week’s state championships and girls bowling enjoys the spoils of a hard-fought season, Borderite basketball was gutting it out in the District 1 1A playoffs.
Girls basketball’s postseason was cut short after an opening-round loss to Meridian, but the boys team is still alive, fighting through a tough postseason with a win over Mt. Baker and loss to Lynden Christian.
In a rematch of last season’s opening round of the District 1 1A playoffs, where the Borderites lost by a single point to end their season, Blaine got its revenge and defeated Mt. Baker 60-43 on Feb. 11.
Blaine snapped into a full-court press defense in the second quarter, suffocating Mt. Baker’s offense and helping the team enter the locker room at halftime with a commanding, 18-point lead. In front of the home crowd at Blaine High School, the Borderites cruised to a 17-point victory.
Two Borderite forwards led the way on offense, with senior Landon Melton and junior Peyton Bouma each scoring a team-high of 15 points. Bouma was especially efficient, shooting 5-of-6 from the field and 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.
Senior guard Kai Kerwin added a few clutch three pointers and led the team with eight rebounds to go along with his nine points.
The win ended the Mountaineers season, but the Borderites then had the unenviable task of taking on first-ranked Lynden Christian, which finished the regular season undefeated in Northwest Conference play.
Despite a valiant effort, Blaine couldn’t overcome such a tough opponent, losing 66-54 on Feb. 13. Still, the final score was a huge improvement over the first matchup between these two teams in the regular season, where Lynden Christian won 71-30 on Jan. 9.
Melton recorded a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds, both a team-high. Senior guard Daniel Banks scored 11 points, and junior center Gus Dickson tallied 10 points on a clean 5-of-7 shooting performance.
By defeating Mt. Baker in the opening round, the Borderites made it to the double-elimination portion of the bracket, meaning that despite the loss to Lynden Christian, Blaine is still fighting for a chance at a state berth.
To do that, the Borderites need to defeat Meridian, which lost to Nooksack Valley Feb. 13. Win against Meridian at 7:15 p.m. Feb. 20, and the Borderites will go on to face Nooksack Valley at 2:50 p.m. Feb. 21 at Lynden High School.
To put it simply: Two more wins, and your Borderites are in the 1A state tournament.
Stats provided by whatcompreps.com
Borderite girls basketball couldn’t keep its season alive through the opening round of the District 1 1A girls basketball tournament, losing 44-34 to Meridian Feb. 11.
Blaine senior forward Aaliyah Bowman made a monumental individual effort to try and get the Borderites past its conference foe, scoring 24 of the team’s 34 points, but it wasn’t enough.
As one of Blaine’s leading scorers, Bowman made eight of the team’s 11-made field goals, and added six rebounds to finish her high school basketball career on a high note, despite the loss.
Over the course of the season, Bowman averaged a stellar 15 points, 9.5 rebounds, two steals and 1.5 assists per game.
Senior guard Brietta Sandell led the team with six rebounds, and junior guard Kate Koreski tallied five assists and four steals.
The Borderites season ends with a 4-18 record and hope for a better season come next winter.
Stats provided by whatcompreps.com
