Borderites team effort topples Sedro-Woolley in 75–64 conference win

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By Oliver Lazenby

The entire Blaine boys varsity basketball team looked full of confidence and energy in a 75–64 win at home against the Sedro-Woolley Cubs on January 15, the team’s second conference win.

The Borderites now have a 7–8 record overall (2–6 in conference games); Sedro-Woolley’s record is 7–8 overall and 3–5 in conference games.

The game started as an intense back-and-forth showdown between two teams in a similar spot in league standings. When the Borderites pulled ahead after sinking back-to-back three-pointers, the Cubs replied with scrappy rebounding and quick baskets from its tall forwards.

Blaine led 22–19 after the first quarter; at half time the score was tied at 37. Blaine broke away in the third quarter, outscoring Sedro-Woolley 21–7.

“We made a couple of adjustments defensively at half-time and I thought our kids did a really nice job with those adjustments,” said Blaine head coach Brett Farrar. The Borderites defense overwhelmed the Cubs’ tall forwards, taking away the team’s height advantage.

Sedro-Woolley couldn’t recover from the third quarter, and Blaine continued its well-rounded offense. The Borderites racked up 23 assists and 10 players scored. Hudson Reid led with 13 points, and Ben Wallen, Zane Rector, Josh Russ and Adam Vega all scored 12. Colby Knutzen sunk two three-pointers, as did Wallen and Rector.

“Everyone did a great job. We had five guys go into double figures. We had kids come off the bench and do a great job defensively,” Farrar said. “We did a bunch of little things that it takes to win basketball games in our league. It’s no exaggeration when I say it was a great team effort.”

It was also a symbolic win for Farrar, who coached at Sedro-Woolley from 2013 to 2018. That wasn’t lost on the players.

“We really wanted to give him that win,” Vega said.

Vega has played on Blaine’s varsity team for three years, and said winning conference games for the first time since 2016 has energized the team.

“We’re all excited. It’s a whole new outlook,” he said.

Blaine plays next at 7:15 p.m. on Thursday, January 17 at Mount Baker.

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