SPORTS
By Neil Macdonald

Blaine’s win streak reaches nine
Blaine’s Lady B’s extended their 2002-03 winning streak to nine straight, defeating Mt. Baker’s Lady Mountaineers 51-45 in overtime on January 7 and Meridian’s Lady Trojans 34-20 at Laurel on January 10.
The Blaine-Baker get-together was the sneaker-squeaker of the two games. Blaine led 14-11 after Q1, but were behind 22-20 at the half and 37-31 after Q3 as the Lady M’s out-scored the Lady B’s 26-17 in the mid-quarters. With the possibility of their first defeat becoming reality, Blaine spent Q4 out-pointing Mt. Baker 12-6 to end regulation time knotted at 43-43. Overtime was all Blaine with the Lady B’s out-scoring the Lady M’s 8-2.
Data-wise or data-dumb, the stats suggest Blaine’s win stemmed from MB’s 20-6 disparity in turnovers; the Lady B’s 18-7 edge in foul shot tries (stemming from MB out-fouling Blaine 17-11 and Gang Green’s ability to get off 55 field shots to MB’s 47.) If MB had gotten as many foul and field shots as Blaine and had continued to shoot at their game point-per-shot percentages, they’d have won. Then again, if wishes were horses, we’d all clean up on daily doubles.
The Lady B’s were all D in the Meridian match, rationing the Lady T’s point production to two points in each of the first two quarters. With Blaine scoring a point-a-minute in the first half to lead 16-4 at the break, the second half was somewhat academic.
The Lady B’s were paced by Linsey Taylor, 7 points, 4 first-half steals; Jessica Summers, 7 points, 11 rebounds; and Kristina Francis, 6 points, 7 assists. Kimberly Harmening added 5 points; Jennifer Kramer, 4; Shela Robertson, 4; and Phillina Cain, 1 to the Blaine total.
Summers got 14 points in the MB game; Francis, 10; Harmening, 10; Robertson, 6; Taylor, 6; Kramer, 4; and Ainsley Nix, 1.
The Lady B’s play Lakewood down south on January 17
and host Sultan at 7 p.m. on January 21.

Neil's Notes
K points for Ridnour
Borderite grad and Oregon junior point guard Luke Ridnour surged past the 1,000 point mark in his collegiate basketball career on January 11. Ridnour tucked in 19 in a UO loss to Stanford to bring his total to 1,014, which put him 24th on UO’s all-time career scoring list. Ridnour also got his 367th and 368th assists in the game, which move him into third place on the UO all-time assist list.
Montgomery Honored
Blaine resident and St. Cloud State University goaltender Jason Montgomery was named WCHA defensive player of the week on January 6.
Montgomery tallied 84 saves for the Huskies as SCSU got a win and a tie against defending NCAA champion University of Minnesota. The 6-1, 185-pound
Montgomery made 38 saves and blanked the Gophers on four power-play chances in St. Cloud State’s 4-3 home-and-home opener at UM’s Mariucci Arena in the Twin Cities on January 3. He made 46 saves as the two teams played a 3-3 overtime tie at the National Hockey Center in St. Cloud, which is 60 miles northwest of Minneapolis-St. Paul, on January 4.
Montgomery stopped 84 of 90 shots in the two games for a .933 saves percentage.

Borderite boys take two
Like contests of the close kind? Welcome to Borderite Court, boys basketball, and the North Cascade Conference, where aside from games involving Nooksack Valley, suspense appears to be the speciality.
First case in point. January 7, Borderite Court. Blaine defeated Mt. Baker 72-64, but the 8-point spread is not indicative of howclose the game really was. The score was tied six times during the game and three times in the final five minutes of play.
Blaine leads 63-62 with 1:31 left to play. MB have spent the previous two minutes tying things back up every time the Borderites take a lead. No one will score from the field for the next minute and a half. Blaine will take 14 foul shots, sink nine (eight in the final minute), picking up two steals and keeping MB scoreless until the game’s final seconds.
That’s entertainment!
Second case. January 9, Borderite Court. Blaine defeat Meridian 49-46. The Trojans tie the score at 42-all with 2:39 left. Borderite Ryan Alexander hits a long, long 3-pointer to put Blaine up, 45-42, with 1:23 left. The T’s Cameron Gilmore closes the gap to a point, sinking an underhand scoop lay-up, that is a beaut of a basket, with 37.3 seconds left.
Jake Gilmore leads the B’s in the MB game, scoring 27 points, nine coming on treys. Sanders adds 19; Alexander, 10; Freeman, 8; and Brendan Mulholland, 8.
Sanders gets 12 points and 5 assists against Meridian. Mulholland pops in 10; Freeman, 9; Gilmore, 8, Wes Hubbard, 6 and Alexander 4. Mulholland leads Blaine in boards, getting 6 rebounds (5 defensive) against MB and a season’s high 7 in the Meridian match. Gilmore has 5 of Blaine’s 12 deflections.
The Borderites (3-2, NCC; 6-3 overall) host Lakewood at 7:30 p.m. on January 17 and travel to Sultan on January 21 for a tussle with the Turks

BK wins title at Joe Beam.
Borderite Bayartsengel Khishigdorj defeated Squalicum’s Jesse Jameson by injury default to win the 152-pound wrestling final in the Joe Beam (King of the County) Invitational at Sehome on January 11.
Khishigdorj defeated Ryan Nielson of Squalicum in the semi-finals on January 10 to get to the final.
Blaine’s Richie Tewes and Sam Abrams were eliminated in semi-final action, Tewes losing to Squalicum’s Brett O’Brien at 130 pounds and Abrams being defeated by the Storm’s Jace Cutrer at 125.
Blaine tallied 147.5 points to finish sixth in the nine-team event.
Grappling powerhouse Mt. Baker defeated Blaine 64-17 to win their 46th consecutive North Cascades Conference wrestling meet in a dual duel on January 9 at Ken Waters Gym.
Mountaineer Anthony Zender, second at State in 2002, pinned Blaine’s Nate Deal in 1:06 at 140 to improve his season’s record to 18-0 and pace MB.
Three Borderites – Tewes, Khishigdorj and Anthony Terris – got points for Craig Foster’s team.
Tewes, Borderite captain and Blaine’s December Les Schwab Athlete of the Month, took an 18-2 technical fall decision over Tim Myers at 130 pounds. Khishigdorj pinned Michael McCracken in 3:33 at 152 and Terris won by forfeit at 275.

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