A small girls basketball team starts season with a 48–38 win

By Oliver Lazenby

Blaine High School’s girls varsity basketball won its first game of the season on November 27, a fast-paced game of breakaway lay-ins and scrappy defense, by a score of 48–38.

It was a non-conference game against Friday Harbor, a class 2B school (less than 214 students, much smaller than schools in Blaine’s class 2A conference). Friday Harbor was in the top half of its league last season.

Blaine led 25–10 at half-time thanks to crisp passes and fast offense. Blaine had just two spare players on the bench though, and looked tired by the fourth quarter. Fewer passes hit their targets and Friday Harbor outscored Blaine 17–8 in the quarter.

“This is a good gauge of where we’re at. I think we need to condition a little more,” said Blaine head coach Ryan Pike.

Senior captains Ashley Dickerson and Brynn Hallberg led the Borderites, but two freshmen – Krystin Kamrath and Hailey Pike – we’re also important to the team’s win over Friday Harbor. Hailey Pike, along with Dickerson, led the team in scoring with 15 points and Kamrath was a major component of Blaine’s defense and scored 8 points herself.

“Those older girls have really brought the freshmen in,” Ryan Pike said. “I think everyone has kind of gelled together.”

Junior Taylyn DePauw led the team in rebounds with 8, and Hallberg had 7. Hailey Pike had 5 steals.

With a small team, Blaine will need to stay out of foul trouble to be successful this year. Hallberg fouled out of the game in the fourth quarter and Hailey Pike came close with 4 fouls (it takes five to foul out). Coach Ryan Pike expects his team to be in the middle of the pack and fighting for a playoff spot in the 2A Northwest Conference, a league with tough competition at the top end.

“A big thing we’ve been focusing on is just being coachable, playing hard and having a good time while we do it,” he said. “If we can do that, I think we’ll be successful.”

Last year, Blaine finished the season 6–15 overall and 2–11 in league games. It’s missing just two seniors from that team – former captains Josie Deming and Alexis Hallberg. Other returning starters from last year’s team include juniors DePauw and Emma Mulryan, and senior Lilyana Hockstedler.

Next, the Borderites host Everett at 7:15 p.m. on Saturday, December 1.