EVERSON – A three-point lead at halftime gave Blaine first-year head coach Nate Sullivan some specific talking points for his players at the mid-point mark in the locker room.
It worked.
The Borderites ripped off two quick buckets to begin the second half, forcing the Pioneers to call a quick timeout. Blaine continued to pour it on, outscoring the Pioneers 24-9 in the third quarter, and went on to beat Nooksack Valley 74-60 on Monday night.
A last second three-pointer by sophomore point guard Caden Heutink gave the Pioneers a slim 19-18 lead after one quarter, but the Borderites quickly took the momentum early in the second quarter when 6-foot-5 senior forward Mathew Russ intercepted a cross-court pass, went coast-to-coast and threw down one of his two dunks of the game.
The sharp shooting of Blaine guard Carson Lehnert also allowed the Borderites to keep the momentum going throughout the contest. The 6-foot-3 senior led with 25 points, all in the first three quarters, including a trio of three-pointers.
The Pioneers were led by the 14 points of senior guard Bennett DeLange, who also finished with seven rebounds and four assists. Sophomore center Brady Ackerman had nine points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots.
The Borderites upped their record to 8-1 on the season, while the Pioneers dropped to 5-5.
Blaine 74 Nooksack Valley 60 BLA 18 18 24 14 - 74 NV 19 14 9 18 - 60 Blaine: Smith 15, Creasey-Pulphus 7, Russ 10, Koreski 4, Dalry 2, Lehnert 25, Tavis 11. Nooksack Valley: Heutink 10, DeLange 14, Vigre 0, Lentz 7, Roper 5, Silves 9, Hickey 0, Kamphouse 0, Brown 6, Ackerman 9. 3-point shooting: BLA - 8 (Smith 3, Lehnert 3, Creasey-Pulhpus 1, Tavis 1); NV - 5 (Heutink 2, Brown 2, Silves 1). Rebounds: BLA - 33 (Smith 9); NV - 35 (Ackerman 9). Assists: BLA - 14 (Koreski 4); NV - 5 (DeLange 4). Steals: BLA - 9 (Russ 5); NV - 5 (Lentz 3). Blocks: BLA - 3 (Russ 2); NV - 6 (Ackerman 4).
