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Feast or famine. Such was the case for La Conner High in two key league baseball dates last week. The Braves served up a smorgasbord of offense in a 9-1 rout of NW2B rival Shoreline Christian, then found slim offerings against Orcas pitching in a tough 2-1 conference loss to the Vikings. Orcas projects as one of four favorites — along with La Conner, Friday Harbor, and Concrete — vying for the Northwest District’s lone State berth this season. La Conner and Orcas meet again on April 8. “It should be interesting,” said La Conne...
Oh, so close. Those three words best sum up the finish to a splendid 26-1 La Conner High Lady Braves hoop campaign, the best mark in program history. Coach Scott Novak’s charges traveled more than 300 miles to come within a scant few seconds of vying for a coveted State 2B title at the Spokane Arena last week. The Lady Braves fell prey to late foul trouble and turnovers in a heartbreaking 59-51 semifinal overtime loss to Wahkiakum, narrowly missing a shot the next night at eventual tourney c...
She admitted to being tired afterward, but it was Adiya Jones who in the end wore down the Adna Lady Pirates. Jones, like the La Conner High defense, never rested on Saturday — scoring a game-high 28 points to help the Lady Braves seal a 49-43 Regional Round verdict in overtime and earn a second straight State Tournament berth. “I’m pretty tired,” the 5’9” junior forward said after her dominant performance at the Mount Vernon High gym. “But more than that, I’m excited. I can’t wait to...
La Conner High won its two Bi-District games in cakewalks. Lady Braves head coach Scott Novak, however, expects first round Regional action to be more meat-and-potatoes fare. This after Novak learned the undefeated Lady Braves, 22-0, had drawn his alma mater, Adna, to open Regional play later this week, likely in Mount Vernon. Adna is a No. 4 seed out of southwest Washington. The Lady Pirates lost 42-35 to Toutle Lake on Saturday, a game Adna ought to have won. Toutle Lake closed with a 19-9 spurt in the final stanza. “Adna’s seeding is very mi...
La Conner High head coach Scott Novak knew going in that beating Friday Harbor for a Regional berth would be a tall order. And, in the end, the Braves did indeed come up short in a Bi-District loser-out clash in Sedro-Woolley on Saturday. La Conner was defeated 48-29 by the taller, more rangy Wolverines, none of whose starters stand under 6 feet tall. That length posed serious issues for the Braves, who finished the campaign 18-5 overall, including one win in three meetings with Friday Harbor....
Going in, few gave La Conner much of a shot in its rematch with undefeated NW2B leader Friday Harbor last weekend. Turns out, it wasn’t shots that mattered for the most part. It was rebounding and de-fense. And on those twin scores, the Braves were clear winners in a gritty 46-43 upset triumph before a large and enthusiastic home crowd at Landy James Gym on Friday. With the win, La Conner improved to 16-3 overall and avenged an earlier 52-37 loss to the Wolverines, and by virtue of a prior c...
It was another tailor-made triumph for the La Conner High Lady Braves when they fashioned a stylish 61-30 NW2B statement win at home over Friday Harbor last week. With the lopsided win, La Conner inched ever closer to sewing up an undefeated league hoop campaign. The Lady Braves entered the final week of regular season play sporting a 19-0 mark, with a late Tuesday visit slated at Darrington. Anna Cook and Adiya Jones scored 19 points apiece to lead La Conner in its rout of the Lady Wolverines, helping complete a two-game season series sweep of...
La Conner High School junior Nicole Henriksentook fourth place in her 140-pound weight class, while senior Frances Ziemantz, second from right, brought home the Northwest District 1 Championship by placing first in the 190-pound division during the sub-regionals tournament held in Burlington on Saturday. – Photo by Heather Henriksen...
They may have lacked drama, but the two most recent performances staged by the La Conner High Lady Braves were a big hit with head coach Scott Novak. “This team is a pleasure to watch,” Novak said of his undefeated club, which routed NW2B rivals Cedar Park Christian and Orcas in consecutive road shows last week. “They’re very unselfish and play the game the right way.” The numbers bear him out. La Conner drubbed Cedar Park 63-21 on Thursday, then raced past Orcas 78-45 the next day. With the twin wins, the Lady Braves improved to 14-0 overall a...
Erick Reinstra filled the stat sheet against Cedar Park Christian, but those numbers aren’t all that measure the impact he has on the Braves’ team this year. “What I’m probably most pleased with,” La Conner High head coach Scott Novak said after his club’s convincing 61-38 road triumph, “is Erick’s leadership. He’s vocal in a positive way, and we’ve needed that this season.” At Cedar Park, his versatile skill set spoke volumes as well. Reinstra scored 14 points — including a pair of deep treys — reeled in 11 rebounds, and recorde...
Good things come to those who wait. So it was that the La Conner High girls’ basketball team was rewarded for its patience when the Lady Braves routed Coupeville 63-31 in non-league action at Landy James Gym Friday night. With the lopsided win, La Conner remained undefeated in eight starts on the campaign. But, perhaps more important, the Lady Braves avenged a tough loss at Coupeville a year ago. In that game, which saw senior point guard Kelley McClung sustain a season-ending injury, C...
‘Twas a week past Christmas, and Coupeville came to Landy James Gym bearing gifts. But the hosts were no longer in the holiday spirit. They refused all forms of generosity Friday night. The Braves instead chose to win this latest non-league hoop matchup between the longtime rivals the old-fashioned way. With hard work on the boards and at the defensive end of the floor. La Conner could’ve wrapped up the triumph with ease, had the Braves enjoyed a better outing at the charity stripe. The Braves settled, how-ever, for a gritty 46-36 decision that...
Their record is perfect, but the La Conner High Lady Braves still look for ways to get better. “We’re always wanting to improve, to grow as a team,” veteran La Conner head coach Scott Novak said after his charges routed Auburn Adventist 60-23 last week. The focus that night was rebounding. Senior front-liner Anna Cook led all scorers with 16 points, yet surpassed that total on the glass. Cook grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds — most of those coming at the offensive end — to pace La Con...
The La Conner Braves didn’t stay down long after a tough 68-60 loss at Auburn Adventist last week. They rebounded by topping Mount Baker in a big non-league weekend test at home. And it was big on several levels. Not only did the Braves need to rebound from the Auburn setback, but La Conner knew going in it faced a tall order posed by Mount Baker’s front court tandem of Timothy Soares and T.J. Bass. The 6’8” Soares was coming off a 19-point, 18-rebound effort in Mount Baker’s 63-57 overtime...
Raymond High wasn’t Gull-ible enough to buy into talk this was a rebuilding year for the La Conner Braves. The Gulls instead spent all week prepping hard for Saturday’s first round State playoff matchup in Aberdeen with the NW2B Braves. Good thing they did. La Conner, behind senior quarterback Trey Johnson, unveiled a polished and balanced attack that produced four first half touchdowns and another score after the break while piling up nearly 450 yards in total offense. And, as events unf...
Theirs was a weekend business trip to Yakima, not one to work on tans. Yet the La Conner High Lady Braves returned home bronzed anyway. All of which made their annual stop at the Sun Dome yet another bright shining moment for one of Washington’s premier volleyball programs. La Conner, 21-4, captured the bronze medal at last week’s State 2B net trials, defeating District tourney rival Mossyrock in four sets to place third and finish in the hardware. And, in what certainly bodes well for the futur...
The third time’s a charm. The fourth, historic. At least that’s the case for the La Conner High football program, which earned a fourth straight trip to the State playoffs with a convincing 53-20 NW2B win Thursday at Orcas Island. It marks the first time in modern school history that Braves grid teams have qualified for post-season in four consecutive years, an elated La Conner head coach Johnny Lee said Sunday afternoon. “I did some research,” Lee confirmed, “and this senior class is the first one to make it to the playoffs all four years of...
If the journey of a thousand miles indeed begins with a single step, the La Conner High volleyball program has already made giant strides in its pursuit of another State net crown. The Lady Braves drove twice to Southwest Washington last week for District tourney tests against top-flight foes. They returned somewhat road weary, but geared up for another 2B title run. “We probably logged a thousand miles in a week for Districts,” said La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble, whose 18-3 club hits the road again tomorrow for Yakima. The Lady Bra...
Having already survived a rough road, the La Conner High volleyball team drives to Adna tonight for a key District net match with Napavine. Lady Braves head coach Suzanne Marble sees the long sojourn as merely another business trip for a 17-1 club looking to punch its ticket to Yakima and the State 2B Tournament next week. These Lady Braves, after all, are truly road warriors. They barely had time to savor twin NW2B league and tourney titles, plus the selection of senior captain Emma...
Conner High can once again zero in on a fourth straight post-season grid appearance. The Braves, who at one point in the campaign harbored only scant hopes of reaching the playoffs, find themselves clearly back in the mix. This by virtue of a convincing 17-0 home victory over Friday Harbor. By blanking the Wolverines, La Conner not only avenged an earlier 39-21 loss at Friday Harbor, but also improved to 5-2 in conference play going into tomorrow’s 1:30 p.m. NW2B finale on Orcas Island. S...
On a cold, gusty Saturday night in Bellingham, La Conner High head football coach Johnny Lee was blown away by his team’s ability to storm back from an early deficit. The Braves churned out nearly 250 yards on the ground and checked in with one of their best performances to date despite the blustery conditions, scoring three second half touchdowns to edge Bellingham 21-14 in non-league grid action at Civic Field. “It was a great win for us,” said Lee, whose club improved to 6-2 overall. “I re...
Game officials struggled with calls during much of La Conner High’s home soccer match against Orcas last week. Braves head coach Steve Deleon had less trouble making right calls, however. Two, in particular, were on target. The first was starting Matt Semrau in goal. Semrau let nothing past him, forcing a best-of-five shootout round after regulation play and two overtime periods ended in a scoreless deadlock. The second of Deleon’s spot-on calls was shifting senior Erick Reinstra to the net for...
It came as little surprise that the La Conner High football team hit on all cylinders Friday night. The Braves, after all, were cranked up having their Cam back. As in Cam Hansen, who had been sidelined by injury of late, a stretch that included last week’s tough loss at Concrete. Hansen returned on a limited basis to help ignite La Conner’s late season playoff drive, scoring a touchdown that lit a spark for a Braves’ attack that cruised to a 41-8 romp past league rival Darrington. With the w...
The La Conner High girls’ soccer team twice saved its best for last against NW2B rivals. And the timing couldn’t have been better. The injury-riddled Lady Braves kept their league title hopes alive and kicking with a pair of key comeback wins last week. La Conner, which improved to 5-1 in conference play, edged Mount Vernon Christian 3-2 after weathering a sluggish first half. The Lady Braves followed a similar script in their 4-1 Thursday triumph over Orcas. The twin wins set up a crucial home match with NW2B co-leader Friday Harbor tom...
La Conner High brought its ‘A’ game — and then some — to a major invitational volleyball tournament in Wenatchee on Saturday. The Lady Braves, fresh off a straight-sets win over league rival Orcas, placed fourth at Wenatchee in a field of 1A-4A net powers. “It was a great tournament for us at this point of the season,” La Conner head coach Suzanne Marble said afterward. “It really gave us a chance to see where we are.” And, for the most part, Marble liked what she saw. La Conner, the only 2B program in the tourney field, won...
