They say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades, but the Borderite boys' near victory against Squalicum was a signpost on a season-long, positive trend of improvement as a basketball team.

The Borderites battened down their defense to defeat Squalicum 47-25 in a Northwest Conference (NWC) matchup January 10.

Coming off a strong win against Bellingham, the Blaine girls basketball team got out-hustled in a physical game against conference-leading Ferndale, losing 52-33 despite keeping it close well into the third quarter.

In talking to family and coaches of Caleb Johnson, a Blaine senior wrestler with state championship hopes, one theme emerges very quickly: When he has a goal, he commits his entire being to success.

Despite posting a loss against Bellingham, Blaine boys basketball head coach Shaun Pile said it was the team's most complete game so far.