LYNDEN – Ferndale was held to a season-low scoring effort in a 56-38 non-league loss to Eastlake in the opening round of the Lynden Christmas Classic tournament on Wednesday night.
The Golden Eagles came into the game averaging 56 points per game while allowing just under 41. That script was flipped completely against the Class 4A Wolves.
Ferndale coach Terri Yost said the loss was a good learning experience for her team, and playing larger, state-contending teams will help them come postseason.
“We see what we need to work on,” Yost said. “That team prepared us for what we’re going to see in districts, what we’re going to see come state time. We want to be playing our best basketball in February and March.”
Ferndale was shaken early by the aggressive full-court press of the Wolves. The Golden Eagles struggled to escape consistent double teams in its backcourt, resulting in frequent errant passes and disrupting their best efforts to set up an offensive rhythm.
Despite that, Ferndale kept it interesting and trailed by six at the end of the first quarter.
Eastlake extended its lead in the second quarter behind that same brand of suffocating defense. Ferndale could not muster any good looks at the basket with Eastlake contesting every shot.
Holding the Golden Eagles to just six points in the period, the Wolves raced out to a 31-17 halftime lead.
The third quarter began with more balance. Eastlake and Ferndale each scored eight points in the first four minutes of the period. The Golden Eagles, however, needed to be gaining ground, not maintaining it.
Eastlake’s defense eventually tired out Ferndale’s group, and the lead ballooned to 46-28 by the end of the third quarter. A 10-point effort by both teams in the final period kept the point differential the same.
Breaking through Eastlake’s aggressive defense was a difficult task, but one she compliments her team’s effort on, Yost said.
“I thought they battled with it,” she added. “At first they were shocked, and then over the period of the game I felt like it picked up.”
Senior forward Madisyn Butenschoen led Ferndale with 13 points. Juniors Maleah Singson, Mallory Butenschoen and Naomi Stanley each added five.
Eastlake was led by 20 points from senior post Ava Schmidt. Junior post Krista Kostoff contributed 14 while junior guard Sofia Aluas dropped in 10.
Ferndale fell to 5-2 overall on the season (4-0 Northwest Conference) and will face Prosser (4-2, 1-0 Central Washington Athletic Conference) on Thursday, Dec. 29, at 3 p.m. in the tournament’s consolation bracket.
