Sultan, Baker hoopsters defeat Borderite boys
Blaine lost a pair of North Cascade Conference boys basketball games this past week, a 61-55 decision to Sultan on Feb. 2 at the Big Orange and a 57-46 contest to Mt. Baker on Jan. 30 at MB.

Sultan’s Bryan Nelson led the Turk attack with 29 points, including a pair of treys and a deuce that gave Sultan an 8-0 lead before Blaine found the hoop. Down 34-27 at the half, Blaine came back to out-score the Turks 15-5 in the third quarter and go into the final quarter ahead 42-39.

The Borderites extended their lead to 50-43 before catastrophe came calling in the form of a couple of technical fouls that put Nelson on the line and opened the door for a Turkish turn-around.

The comeback included a remarkable skein of foul-shot successes by the visitors. Nelson and Terry Webster each sank 6-of-8 free throws and Matt Cotterill pumped in 2-of-2. That’s 14-for-18 (78 percent). Nelson added a couple of deuces as Sultan out-scored Blaine 18-5 in the final three-and-a-half minutes of the game.

Blaine scoring went: Charlie Franklin 20, Keith Williams 11, Andrew Martin 10, Cory Crews 5, Kekoa Davidson 4, Ryan Pike 3 and L.J.Cunningham 2.

The Borderites were not at full strength for the Baker bash. Davidson was out with illness, Williams hobbled by an ankle injury and Franklin, slowed by sickness.

Mt. Baker took a four-point edge in Q1 and extended it to 13 points in Q2 to lead Blaine 34-21 at the half. The Borderites clawed back to within three points of Baker before the Mountaineers surged back to lead by 12 after three Qs.

Blaine’s Martin tallied a game-high 14 points and corralled 7 rebounds. Cunningham got 11 points, including nine from a triad of treys. Franklin added 7, Crews 5, Pike 5, Williams 2 and Skyler Anderson 2.

Blaine out-rebounded Baker 29-24, and came close to the Mountaineers on treys, hitting 5 to MB’s 6, and assists, garnering 6 to Baker’s 8. But the gap in total turnovers and fouls was decidedly in MB’s favor as the Borderites gave up 11 turnovers to MB’s 5 and committed 19 fouls to Baker’s 12.

Blaine play at Lakewood on Feb. 9 and at Lynden Christian on Feb. 10 before returning home to host Meridian on Feb. 13. All games start at 7:30 p.m.

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Lady Bs edged by Sultan after booting Baker
Blaine upset Mt. Baker 60-47 on Jan. 30 at the Big Orange in North Cascades Conference basketball action, but were edged 50-49 by Sultan on Feb. 2 in Turktown.

The Lady B’s led at the quarters by 15-7, 25-23 and 39-35, but the Lady T’s enjoyed a 15-10 margin in the final Q to win. Sultan switched from zone to m-to-m defense in the third quarter, which disturbed, disrupted and disassembled Blaine’s offense and led to 14 Lady B’s turnovers in the second half.

Blaine committed 21 fouls to Sultan’s 11, not a good idea considering Sultan went 15-for-18 on freebies.

Anna Sticklin led the Lady B’s in point production with 15. Lynsey Taylor and Jessica Summers added 9 each. Becky Riddle tallied 8 points, 9 rebounds and 3 assists. Kristina Francis got 4, Shela Robertson 2 and Krista Walter 2 to round out Blaine’s scoring.

Four Lady B’s scored in double-digit numbers in Blaine’s 60-47 win over Mt. Baker. Summers led with 16 points. Walter added 12, Robertson 11 and Sticklin 10. Taylor 6, Francis 3 and Riddle 2 completed the Double B’s number crunching.

Sticklin, Summers and Francis kept MB’s scoring down by establishing crowd control in the over-peopled patch of flooring immediately adjacent to Blaine’s hoop. Sticklin garnered nine defensive and three offensive rebounds for a game-high 12. Seven of Summers’ eight and six of Francis’ seven rebounds were defensive recoveries.

Blaine’s floor shooting proficiency was over-whelming as Robertson hit 5-of-6, Walter 6-of-8 and Summers 7-of-13. Overall the Lady B’s out-shot MB by a 51.2 to 26.4 percentage. Both team’s shooting from the foul line was cool, calm and correct as Baker hit 16-of-19 (84 percent) and Blaine, 14-of-19 (74 percent) free throws. That’s a combined 30-for-38 (79 percent).

Blaine hosts Lakewood on Feb. 9 and Lynden Christian on Feb. 10 at the Big Orange and travel to Meridian for the regular season’s closer on Feb. 13. All games begin at 7:30 p.m.

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Burden knocks down top honors
Blaine’s Steve Burden and Mt. Baker’s Justin Compton were named North Cascades Conference Wrestlers of the Year as Blaine finished sixth at the District I wrestling championships at South Whidbey high school in Langley on Feb. 3-4.

Burden scored a 15-0 technical fall over MB’s Dan Horsmon to win the NCC 152-lb. title and qualified for the 2A Northwest Region I tournament on Feb. 10 at Edmond’s Mountlake Terrace high school.

Three other Borderites – Zac Waters, Joe Button and Tyler Glahn – finished in their respective bracket’s top four and also qualified for Regionals.

Waters defeated Sultan’s Alan Root 14-6 to take the 275lb. crown. Glahn finished second, dropping a 7-1 decision to Nooksack Valley’s Craig Jackson at 125lb. Button decisioned Nooksack’s Andrew Larson 3-2 to finish third in the 140-lb. category.

Mt. Baker won the district I title, with 372.5 points. Other scores were: Nooksack Valley 226, Lakewood 191, South Whidbey 167, Sultan 131, Blaine 103, Meridian 96 and Granite Falls 71.5.