Overtime loss sends Borderites home

After a promising ride into the postseason, the Blaine boys basketball team was eliminated from the Class 2A Northwest District Tournament with a loss to Lynden and a heartbreaking loss in overtime to Cedarcrest.

Lynden is a 2A power that was expected to roll over Blaine, but the Borderites held their own in the February 13 matchup at Lynden for a final score of 75–56. Of the four games in the first round of the district tournament, the Blaine/Lynden game had the narrowest margin of victory.

The loss to Lynden sent the Borderites into a loser-out round against Cedarcrest at Skagit Valley College February 16. The Cedarcrest game was expected to be close, and for the Borderites it was a heartbreaker that came down to one basket in overtime. Cedarcrest won the game 69–67.

Blaine mounted an impressive comeback in the fourth quarter. After trailing by 11 points, the Borderites managed to tie the game with seconds left on the clock, wending it to overtime. Cedarcrest outscored Blaine 9–7 in overtime.

Point-scorers for Blaine were Shaq Woods (23), Kier Munzanreder (21), Ben Adams (16), Anthony Ball (4), Carson Knutzen (2) and Marcus Potts (1).

Blaine had a 5–5 Northwest Conference record going into the postseason, achieving the first non-losing record since the 2011/12 season. Including the two district tournament losses, the Borderites went 5–7 in conference and 10–13 overall.