Girl Braves slip by Nooksack; Lynden, Anacortes fall by lots

The La Conner High School girls’ basketball defense never rested in three straight wins over non-league opponents opening the 2021-22 season last week.

The team romped past 1A Lynden 70-40 on the road Wednesday, then debuted at Landy James Gym Friday with a 41-40 squeaker over 1A Nooksack Valley before routing 2A Anacortes 64-33 at home Saturday.

“Our defense has been great,” La Conner head coach Scott Novak told the Weekly News while assessing his team’s quick start against a challenging early season schedule.

He said La Conner’s full-court pressure was particularly instrumental in the win at Lynden.

“Our press was really working,” he said afterward. “It was a real good game for us. Our defense was good and we shot over 50 per cent from the field.”

That tenacity on defense carried over.

“We held those teams, which are 2A and 1A teams, to point totals of 40, 40 and 33,” Novak said. “That’s pretty good.”

Defensive pressure led to easy transition baskets, said Novak, who also lauded the team’s balance on offense.

Against Anacortes, senior guard Juna Swanson (18), eighth grader Ellalee Wortham (10), senior guard-forward Sarah Cook (10) and junior forward Ellie Marble (10) each finished in double-figure scoring.

Swanson joined Josie Harper and Rachel Cram in drilling perimeter treys for the victors. Cook added nine rebounds and five steals while Marble dished off a team-high four assists.

The team was especially effective inside the trey line, converting 25 of 46 two-point attempts.

The game was close in the first half, then the Lady Braves closed with a flurry, outscoring Anacortes 38-14 after intermission, including a decisive 23-5 run in the third quarter.

The hosts, as was the case the previous night against Nooksack, struggled from behind the arc, however.

La Conner hit just three of 18 three-point shots in the Anacortes game after having gone four of 22 beyond the stripe in the nail-biter with Nooksack Valley.

Nooksack’s height was a factor as the visitors were able to challenge La Conner shooters and cut off passing lanes.

Even so, the home team held a comfortable 37-28 lead going into the final period. It almost wasn’t enough.

“I really thought we had a chance to pull away,” Novak said. “We got the shots. We just couldn’t knock them down.

“We made some mistakes in the fourth quarter that we usually don’t make,” he added. “But we hung in there and came away with a tough, gritty win.”

One, he stressed, that came against a quality opponent with five seniors on its roster.

Cook led La Conner with 12 points, accounting for all its scoring in the fourth period as the Lady Braves staved off Nooksack’s late rally.

Harper (10) also landed in double digits for the winners. Cram (9), Marble (7) and Swanson (3) rounded out the attack.

Marble grabbed a team-best nine rebounds. Cram and Swanson notched three assists apiece and Cook collected three steals.

La Conner (3-0) opened its NW2B schedule late Tuesday at Concrete.

The Lady Braves return home this Friday opposite Mount Vernon Christian, with a 3 p.m. junior varsity clash tipping off the action. The La Conner-MVC varsity game is set for 6 p.m.

La Conner entertains Friday Harbor Dec. 13 (4:30 p.m., junior varsity; 6 p.m. varsity) and travels Dec. 14 to Darrington, where the junior varsity contest is set for 4 p.m. followed by the varsity matchup at 5:30 p.m.