SPORTS
By Neil Macdonald

Lady Bs undefeated over holidays
Pat Green’s Lady B basketball bunch outscored Lynden Christian 25-11 in the second half to defeat the Lyncs 46-32 in North Cascades Conference action on January 3 at the Big Orange.
The win gave Blaine a 3-0 NCC and 7-0 overall win-loss record. That made it a hearty holiday, a Happy New Year and parcels of pride for the Borderite side.
Premier post Jessica Summers paced the Green Machine in the LC encounter with 19 points, 17 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks and a partridge in a pear tree. Sophomore wing Jennifer Kramer and junior guard Kristina Francis each added 9 points to the Borderite cause.
After a 21-all first half, Gang Green broke away from the Lady Lyncs with an unanswered 8-point burst in the opening minutes of the second half. Blaine’s doyennes of defense then took over and it was a hostile takeover as LC was limited to a 3-for-23 shot success average of 13 percent in the final two Q’s.
The Lady B holiday season began on December 16 when they defeated 3A Ferndale 61-55 in non-league basketball action at home. Summers got 22 points and 13 rebounds. Shela Robertson and Linsey Taylor added 11 each.
Blaine overcame a 15-11 half-time deficit, outscoring Granite Falls 27-15 in the second half to defeat the Tigers 38-30 in NCC play at G-Falls on December 20. Summers tallied 20 points and 12 rebounds. Francis got 7 of Blaine’s 9 assists.
The Lady B’s defeated 4A Inglemoor 51-31 on December 27 and 4A Eastlake 52-36 on December 28 to win the girls’ section of the Blaine Winter Classic. Summers, the tourney MVP, and Robertson were named to the All-Tourney team.
The Lady B’s host Meridian at 7:30 p.m. on January 9.

Blaine hosts Meridian in crucial contest
Despite the basketball season only being a quarter over, the Borderite boys’ North Cascades Conference encounter against Meridian on January 9 at the Big Orange is of the crucial kind.
The game’s importance, already of serious significance after Blaine’s 66-42 loss to Nooksack Valley in December, became of critical consequence when Blaine dropped a 54-45 decision to Lynden Christian on January 4 at Lynden C.
The crucible character of the Meridian match is mathematical, pure and simple; psychological, not so pure and a lot more complex. Nooksack, LC, Meridian and Blaine are considered to be four teams in pursuit of three NCC places at State. None of the favored four can afford to falter. Losses not only cost points, but can send confidence tumbling into a cascade of catastrophe. Expect excitement, January 9.
In the LC loss, Blaine matched the Lyncs in rebounds 29-29 and, displaying an obsession with possession, committed only eight turnovers to LC’s 15. But the Borderites couldn’t turn their ball control mastery into a pile of points. What advantage Blaine received on the turnover, they gave away on missed shots. The B’s shooting percentages afield were 23.5 on treys (4-of-17) and 30.8 on deuces (12-of-39). The Lyncs hit 27.3 percent on 3-pointers (3-of-11) and 61.3 percent on 2-pointers (9-of-14).
Jake Gilmore scored 14 points; Grant Sanders, 12; and Wes Hubbard, 10 for the Borderites and Brendan Mulholland got 8 rebounds.
Gilmore scored a career-high 31 points in Blaine’s 65-54 win over Ferndale in non-league action at Blaine on December 18. Jon Freeman tallied 9 points, 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Mulholland added a game-high 12 rebounds.
The Borderites topped Granite Falls 46-43 in NCC action at home on December 20. Sanders popped in 17 points and Gilmore had 11. Mulholland and Freeman each got 10 rebounds.
Blaine was defeated 53-39 by 2A Lakeside of Nine Mile Falls in the title game of the boys’ half of the Winter Classic on December 28. Gilmore and Sanders were All-Tourney players.

Tewes, Terris earn seconds
Borderite wrestlers Richie Tewes at 130 pounds and Anthony Terris at 275 pounds grabbed seconds in the Everett Classic on January 4.
Tewes was decisioned 9-5 by Kentwood’s Ben Guier and Terris was pinned in 1:15 by Everett’s Phil Jordan in their respective finals.
Tony Rabonza was fourth at 103 pounds; Bayartsengel Khishigdorj, fifth at 152; and Calvin Moore, sixth at 135.
Blaine, the only 2A school on the mat, accumulated 69 points to finish seventh in the team standings that included 4A Oak Harbor (1st, 241.5), 4A Bothell (2nd, 213.5), 3A Everett (3rd, 210), 3A Lynnwood (4th, 136.5), 3A Monroe (5th, 111.5), 4A Kentwood (6th, 109.5) and 4A Kamiak (8th, 64).
The Borderites host Mt. Baker at 7 p.m. on January 9 and compete in the Sehome Invitational on January 10-11.

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