Two Whatcom County schools handed the Oak Harbor High School girls basketball team a pair of losses over the past three days.
The Wildcats got off to slow starts in both games and fell at Bellingham 48-36 Saturday, Dec. 2, and to visiting Ferndale 67-20 Monday, Dec. 4.
Beside the sluggish starts, turnovers were a problem, according to coach Jon Atkins.
“We just have got to take care of the ball,” he said. “We have to focus on that, take pride in handling pressure.”
Oak Harbor (1-3) will try to get back on the winning track when it hosts Sedro-Woolley (1-1) at 7:15 p.m. Friday, Dec. 8.
Bellingham 48, Oak Harbor 36
Oak Harbor outscored Bellingham in the second half but could not overcome the healthy lead the Raiders built in the first.
The Wildcats scored only 4 points in the first period and 5 in the second and trailed 12-4 and 25-9 at the end of the opening two quarters.
Oak Harbor erupted for 16 points in the third quarter, half scored by Mikhaela Cortez, but failed to trim much of the deficit as Bellingham (2-0) tallied 14.
Jasmine Ford pumped in 8 of the Wildcats’ 10 fourth-quarter points, but again the Raiders kept pace.
Ford finished with 19 points, 12 rebounds and four blocks.
Cortez collected 11 points, Mia Littlejohn 4 and Sam Hines 1.
Four Bellingham players scored 9 or more points as the Raiders hit seven three-pointers.
Ferndale 67, Oak Harbor 20
Oak Harbor had an even rougher start in this one, getting blanked in the first period 15-0.
The Wildcats finally got on the board with a bucket by Cortez two and a half minutes into the second quarter.
Delija Cammon added a three pointer with 1:44 left in the half and Oak Harbor trailed 31-5 at the break.
Baskets by Mia Littlejohn and Emily Gouge and two free throws by Jordan Wood-Pina helped Oak Harbor more than double its score in the third quarter, but Ferndale (1-2) increased its lead to 48-11.
Ford scored all 7 of her team-high points in the fourth quarter. Cammon finished with 5, and Cortez, Littlejohn, Gouge and Wood-Pina all had 2.
Atkins lauded the steady improvement of Ford, a sophomore post.
“She just keeps getting rebounds, and she is blocking well,” he said.
Eleven Golden Eagles scored, led by Kylie Honrud with 13.
It should be noted that Hines tied a school record for the most rebounds in a game with 26 in Oak Harbor’s win over Mountlake Terrace Nov. 29.
Delija Cammon (13) shields the ball from Ferndale’s Carmelita Rodriguez. (Photo by John Fisken)
Olivia Waite handles the point for Oak Harbor. (Photo by John Fisken)
Jordan Wood-Pina tosses a three-point attempt for Oak Harbor. (Photo by John Fisken)
