Squalicum girls basketball overcame a sluggish start to hand Bellingham a 52-34 defeat in Northwest Conference play Tuesday, Jan. 28 at Bellingham High.
Both teams ramped up the intensity within the first few minutes and the chaos led to turnovers. Once both teams slowed down, Bellingham’s Mary Lockhart scored a layup underneath the basket. She finished with six points while her teammate Malia Hanks led the Bayhawks with a team-high 11 points and four rebounds.
The Bayhawks took a 13-11 lead after the first quarter with four straight points from Merritt Jensen. In the early second quarter, both teams traded the lead five times until Squalicum went on an 11-0 run to take a 26-16 lead.
Gallery: Squalicum girls hold off Bellingham
“We are going hard at practice and working hard as a team,” Squalicum’s Lexi Robbins said. “We are focused on our stuff and getting the team bond because we are going to be here for a few years.”
During Squalicum’s run, Robbins scored four points, Kailana Perez had three and Addison Kettman and Colee Harper each scored two. Robbins led with a game-high 17 points, seven assists, four steals and three rebounds.
“Communicating with my teammates and finding them helps a lot,” Robbins said. “The bond we have helps me find them on the court.”
Squalicum’s defense began to step up in the third quarter and the Storm finished with 17 steals and seven blocks.
“I was really proud of them,” Squalicum coach Jenalyn Brown said. “We have been working hard to not get pinned underneath. It was nice to see Loretta Murphy-Kangas have that beautiful wall at the end.”
The Storm extended their lead to 39-29 after three quarters. Storm’s Tiana Thompson scored three late points on free throws while Hanks answered with five points and Jensen had four.
In the fourth quarter, the Storm showcased their athleticism and began running around the Bayhawks. Robbins finished the fourth quarter with five points and had support from Perez and Thompson scoring four each in the quarter.
Squalicum (10-6) will host Nooksack Valley at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Jan. 31. Bellingham (5-10) hosts Sehome at 6 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 30.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
