By Ian Ferguson
The Borderites ran their home court with lock-down defense in the first half and high energy from start to finish, earning a league win against the Mount Baker Mountaineers.
Blaine won the Northwest Conference (NWC) matchup 42–35 on January 6.
Head coach Ryan Pike said a major part of the team’s strategy was to limit the offensive production of two of Mount Baker’s star point scorers: Emily Yost and Emily Brandland.
Senior captains Mandy Hayes and Breanna Chau were up to the task, holding the Mount Baker duo that averages 40 points per game to just five points combined in the first half and 19 points overall.
Meanwhile, Hayes and Chau led the Borderites on the other end of the court, scoring 12 and eight points respectively. Kjirstin Larson scored six points, and Mikayla and Josie Deming each scored five points.
Blaine outscored Mount Baker 27–13 in the first half, and weathered a surge from the Mountaineers, who went on a 10-point scoring streak in the third quarter. Pike said he was pleased with his team’s work ethic throughout the game.
“We got after it finally, on both ends of the court,” Pike said.
Hayes and Chau led by example with their great defense and consistent scoring.
“Kudos to them, and the help-side defense was there all night,” Pike said. “The girls really worked together to get the win at home.”
The Borderites advance to a 2–1 record in the NWC, 2–8 overall. The Mountaineers are 2–1 in conference, 8–3 overall. Pike said the win at home against a team with a better record shows what the Borderites are capable of this season.
“When we play with energy on both sides of the court we’re a tough team to beat. We’ll hope to build some momentum off this win and see what we can do against Sedro-Woolley on Thursday,” Pike said.
The Borderites will take on the Sedro-Woolley Cubs (0–3 NWC, 1–10 overall) at home on Thursday, January 8. The game begins at
5:45 p.m.
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