EVERSON — In a matchup between two preseason top-10 teams in their respective classifications, Class 1A Nooksack Valley girls basketball was outclassed in an 81-41 loss to Class 2A Archbishop Murphy Tuesday, Dec. 10 at Nooksack Valley High.
“We played hard and I was pleased with our effort in the first half,” Nooksack Valley coach Shane Wichers said. “We got a lot of new players and we are running a new system. There is a huge growing curve.”
The Wildcats took an early 6-0 lead with a free throw from Ava Marr, a 3-pointer from Taylor Cushing and layup from Celine Wright. Defending 1A state champ Nooksack Valley slimmed the lead to 8-6 with a couple of baskets from Kate Shintaffer and Grace DeHoog, and two free throws from Payton Bartl.
Gallery: Nooksack Valley girls fall to Archbishop Murphy
DeHoog led the Pioneers with 17 points, seven rebounds, an assist and block on the night.
“She can score in a lot of places for us,” Wichers said. “She got a little tired since they are physical but that is a part of the learning and maturation.”
Archbishop Murphy ended the first quarter on a 10-0 run to make it 18-8. In the second quarter, the Wildcats extended its lead to 29-16 until Nooksack Valley called a timeout. After the break, Pioneers’ Chayleigh Davis picked up three assists, two to DeHoog and one to Bartl. Nooksack Valley sparked a comeback to slim the lead to five points.
Yet, a couple late baskets allowed Archbishop Murphy to take a 38-29 lead at halftime.
“We talked about the intensity,” Wichers said. “The biggest thing is they’ve got to practice like that every day. We have six kids who never played varsity and four girls playing a new role so their eyes are pretty big.”
In the third quarter, Taylor dominated on both sides of the court, scoring three points, picking up two steals and two rebounds in the span of three minutes. Taylor finished the night with 19 points, seven assists, five rebounds, five steals and a block.
Archbishop’s momentum carried the Wildcats to a 54-36 after three quarters, Bartl scored three points and DeHoog scored seven in the quarter.
The Wildcats (4-0) continued to pile up points against Nooksack Valley, finishing the game with a 24-5 run.
“We used this as a good measuring stick,” Wichers said. “I told them they don’t need to be great in December, they need to be great in February.”
Nooksack Valley (1-1) will host Class 2A Lakewood at 7:15 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 11.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
