Lions Return To State The Lynden Lady Lions handled the AnacortesSeahawks with ease in a 52-33 win Wednesday night. The Lions locked up another state tournament birth while the Hawks season ended in Mt. Vernon High School. After allowing an Amanda Bessler put back to open the game, the Lions never trailed again after reeling off eight of the next nine points to take an early 8-3 lead which they never relinquished. Hannah Shine scored 10 points and teammate Kellie Flouit chipped in eight as the Lions built an early lead an never looked back. Anacortes pulled with in eight points at half time but a dominant third quarter allowed the Lions to take a 19 point lead into the 4th quarter. Bessler, KendleSmithee, and Arie Boyd led the Hawks in scoring with 11, 8, and 7 points respectively.

Archbishop Looks Like A Champion The Archbishop Murphy Wildcats reached the 2A state championship game in 2009, this year they're looking for more then an appearance. With a 65-32 win over Anacortes last night, the Lady Wildcats proved that they're a force to be reckoned with. Savannah Fletcher scored 12 points in the first half as the Wildcats led by 18 at the break and never looked back. Archbishop has now won 19 games in a row after dropping their first two games of the year. The Seahawks have lost two in a row after winning four straight. Anacortes' Amanda Bessler and Arie Boyd both scored nine points in last nights loss for the 10-11 Seahawks. Anacortes will look to starve off elimination tomorrow afternoon at 1:00. You can listen to Anacortes and Cedarcrest at 1:00 PM on AM 1340 and 1340thewhale.com

The Evan Coulter Legend Grows The Burlington-Edison Boys Basketball team wallopedAnacortes 79-38 to end the 2010 regular season with a 17-3 record, 11-2 in NWC play. The Tigers locked up the number two seed in the district playoffs as Evan Coulter continued a stretch of games that needs to be applauded. 43 points against Ferndale, 26 against Sehome, 28 against Squalicum and 32 at Anacortes. For the season the senior averaged 22.6 points a game which was good enough to break a fifty year record previously held by Burlington's Marv Hendrickson. Anacortes concluded the season with a 9-11 record, 6-7 in conference play. The Seahawks were eliminated for playoff contention on Thursday night when Mt. Baker & Sehome both picked up wins to knock the Seahawks out. Chris Stoneham scored six first quarter points and finished with 10 in the game as the senior earned a start in his final game in a Seahawks uniform while Jackson Kirkpatrick led the Hawks in scoring with 13.

Welliver's Six Three's Not Enough The Anacortes Boys Basketball team missed out on a chance to clinch a district post season birth Tuesday night when Mt. Baker pulled away in overtime to pick up a 62-53 win. The Seahawks were playing in front of their home town fans for the second to last time this season but after taking their first lead of the game since early in the first half, Anacortes watched as the Mountaineers scored the games final 10 points to gain a nine point win. Sophomore Matt Welliver scored 24 points on six three pointers including the go ahead basket in over time. Welliver's three pointer to make it 53-52 would be the last points of the evening of Anacortes. The Seahawks now have to hinge their post season hopes on a win over Burlington-Edison on senior night this Friday. The game will be broadcast on 'Whale TV' at 7:00. Even if Anacortes can upset BEHS, they'll need help from Bellingham or Blaine to starve off elimination from the post season tournaments.

With The Playoffs In Site, Seahawks Roll The Anacortes girls basketball team destroyed Sedro-Woolley 68-33 in Williams Gym Tuesday night. The Hawks were on top 23-9 after the first quarter. Anacortes didn't feel the need to allow the Cubs to get close at any point in this game as they took a 22 point lead into the half. Amanda Bessler scored 14 points and picked up 9 rebounds while freshman Melanie Martin filled up the stat sheet scoring five points, dishing out six assists, and fighting for five rebounds. Arie Boyd hit a couple of big three's to open the game up as Boyd continued her hot shooting one game removed from a 25 point performance. The Seahawks are now in sole posession of 4th place among 2A teams in the NWC. With three games remaining in the regular season, the Hawks can clinch a playoff birth with two wins or two Sehome losses. Mt. Baker is still in the fold too but if the Seahawks continue to take care of business, Ken Welk will have his team back in Mt. Vernon for districts at the end of the month.

Welliver's 5 Three's Carry The Hawks To Victory Matt Welliver& Jackson Kirkpatrick accounted for 43 of Anacortes' 68 points in Friday nights 68-58 win at Bellingham. The victory ensures the Seahawks of a one game lead over the Red Raiders for the final play off position in the Northwest Conference with four games remaining. The game was won in the first quarter as the Seahawks took a 23-8 lead heading into the second. Cory Geffe stroked home a three pointer for the first points of the night and the Seahawks never looked back. Welliver couldn't be contained in the first half and finished with 25 points in the game while a steady dose of Kirkpatrick and Geffe was no much for the Red Raiders. Andrew Troutman and Myles Ayers worked tirelessly for the struggled Raiders who've now dropped five straight to fall to 4-5 in conference play. Troutman finished with eight points and 12 rebounds while Ayers put up a double double with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

Hawks Win Sets Up Game Of The Season On Friday The Anacortes boys basketball team refuses to walk the plank just yet. Faced with a defining and deciding game against Ferndale Tuesday night, the Seahawks played like a team that still has their sites set on the playoffs. The Seahawks demolished the Golden Eagles 56-43 last night. The Hawks led by more then 20 points through out the 4th quarter before Jeff Frost went on a scoring spree to close the gap to 13 in the final seconds. Frost finished with 20 points but it wasn't nearly enough to Ferndale. The Golden Eagles kept the game close in the first seven minutes of play. In fact, they had a one point lead before the Seahawks hit back to back three's to take an 18-13 lead into the 2nd quarter. Anacortes finished with eight three's in the game as Matt Welliver hit four, Cory Geffe added three, and Tyler Hayes knocked home one. The Seahawk lead grew to 11 at half time and 16 after the 3rd quarter. The win boosts the Seahawks post season chances and sets up a duel Friday night. Anacortes is now 4-4 in NWC play. Their opponents Friday, the Bellingham Red Raiders, have dropped four straight conference games and sit at 4-4 in the league. Bellinghamtentativelyoccupies the final play off spot but whoever comes out on top on Friday will have the inside track to the district play in game. We'll have the pre game show for you this Friday night at 7:00 PM with tip off from Bellingham High School at 7:30!

Geffe's Three's Not Enough For AHS Cory Geffe tied an Anacortes school record with seven three pointers in defeat Thursday night. The Sehome Mariners improved to 6-2 in NWC play with a 59-54 win over the Seahawks. Anacortes fell 1.5 behind Bellingham for the final playoff spot in 2A play with their third straight loss. After the first quarter the Seahawks were on top 16-14. The lead was short lived. Colin Peterson's 18 points and constant defensive pressure changed the course of the game as the Mariner's entered half time with a 31-25 lead. Sehome never looked back. Anacortes fought back to tie things up at 42 before a stunning call was made to change the entire outlook of the game. Sehome's John Albert was preparing to attempt a free throw as the Mariner's had just entered the bonus. He missed the shot, but a lane violation was called on Anacortes' Matt Welliver. Albert proceeded to hit both free throws and watch as his Mariner's reeled off six straight points to take an eight point lead. They would never look back. Even with Geffe's heroic shooting night, the Seahawks dropped their third straight and will have to search for answers before Ferndale comes to town next Tuesday. You can listen to the Golden Eagles and Seahawks right here on KWLE 1340 on Tuesday the 2nd at 7:00 PM.

LC Cruises On The Road The 3rd ranked Lynden Christian Lady Lyncs used a game changed 2nd quarter to blow by Anacortes 56-31 inside Williams Gym last night. Anacortes scored the final five points of the first quarter to make it a 6-5 game after quarter number one, but LC quickly jumped out to an 18-6 lead in the 2nd quarter. The Seahawks were led by freshman Melanie Martin's 11 points in defeat.

Player's Holiday For Jones, Whatcom CC Paul Jones saved his best for last. Saturday night the Whatcom Community College guard sank a three pointer as time expired to lift the Orcas to a 70-67 win against Skagit Valley. The game played out with the intensity and rage that typically is on display when the two rivals meet. The Cardinals held a 35-30 half time lead before the Orca's stormed back to pick up the victory in the second half. In fact, Skagit was lucky to be in a position to send the game into over time. The Orca's were on top 67-64 before Cardinal guard Andrew Beatty hit a huge three pointer to tie things up at 67. After calling time out with nine seconds remaining, Jones caught the ball on the left wing before firing up the game winner. Jones was a late addition to the Orca team. He was unavailable to play during the non conference schedule but since league play began, he's been one of the teams best players. Whatcom improved to 4-3 in NWAACC play with the victory while the Cardinal's slipped to 3-4.

Dickerson's Shooting Stops The Hawks Derek Dickerson connected on six three pointers as the #1 ranked Squalicum Storm picked up a 74-59 win inside the 'House Of Thunder' Thursday night. The lefty finished with 28 points as he stroked home 6-14 three's. Anacortes gave the Storm a scare though. Jackson Kirkpatrick's 14 first half points kept the Seahawks in the game as Anacortes trailed by just one heading into half time. In fact, Anacortes led 29-25 before Patrick Voeut scored seven straight for Squalicum to grant the Storm a 32-31 half time lead. Voeut went ballistic on Hawks from inside and out side en route to a 21 point performance. The Seahawks were out scored 27-17 in the 3rd quarter as Dickerson connected on three of his six three pointers in the 3rd quarter. Dickerson & Voeut were the difference in the 4th quarter after Michael Greene picked up his 4th foul early in the final frame. Even with Greene on the bench, Squalicumcontinued to pound Anacortes on the glass grabbing 35 of the total 53 rebounds on the night. Even with Dickerson's six three pointers, the Hawks still out shot Squalicum from beyond the arc. Anacortes finished with seven three's as Dickerson ended up with all of Squalicum's three pointers at the end of the night. The loss drops Anacortes to 6-6 overall and 3-2 in NWC play, the Storm picked up their 11th win of the season and remain undefeated in the conference.

Frightening 1st Half Dooms Mt. Vernon The Anacortes Boys Basketball team has their first winning streak of the season. The Seahawks led for the final 29 minutes in a 60-53 win at Mt. Vernon on Tuesday. Early this season, Anacortes fell into a troubling pattern of following up big victories with a loss. The result was a rather bland 5-5 record that featured several big wins but also a host of frustrating losses. After Anacortes took down Nooksack Valley last Thursday, the challenge was clear. Beat Mt Vernon. In December the Bulldogs held on to pick up a 71-68 win at Anacortes but the Seahawks were still able to connect on 13 three pointers. It didn't get any easier for Mt. Vernon's defense last night. In the first half Anacortes averaged a three pointer every 90 seconds as they connected on 10 first half three's. Jackson Kirkpatrick scored 12 straight points for Anacortes in a dominating 2nd quarter that allowed the Hawks to jump out to a 42-21 half time lead. Kirkpatrick finished with 21 points as the Hawks were lulled into some offensive struggles in the 2nd half. The Bulldogs switched to an aggressive 1-2-2 zone that looked to trap the Hawk guards whenever an opportunity presented it self. Anacortes avoided the temptation to panic and decided to milk the clock in the final few minutes. The Bulldog's never threatened in the final quarter as Anacortes with stood the defensive pressure and prevailed for the second straight season inside Mt. Vernon's own gym. Anacortes won't have the chance to gloat. Today is their only opportunity to practice and prepare for Squalicum, the number one ranked team in 2A play who will host the Seahawks Thursday night. You can listen to the game on AM 1340 and watch it online at 1340thewhale.com

Welliver's Shooting Carries The Hawks Anacortes improved to 2-1 in NWC play with a 70-61 win over Nooksack Valley Thursday night. The Seahawks put together a dominant display of offensive fire power en route to a nine point win as the 'Hawks hit 23-38 shots from the floor. Matt Welliver provided plenty of spark as he hit six three pointers on the night. The Sophomore finished with 20 points. Anacortes' scoring slumped only once last night as the Hawks were held to two points during a brutal four minute stretch in the third quarter. After taking a 32-31 lead into half time, Anacortes scored eight straight to open the 2nd Half before going cold. The Pioneers fought back into the game and eventually tied things up at 43. It was short lived as Anacortes opened the 4th Quarter on a mission as the pushed their lead was pushed to 10. Welliever wasn't the only Seahawk stroking it from the perimeter as Cory Geffe added 17 points on a string of long jumpers while Ty Hayes & Thomas Kassa both finished in double figures. Nooksack was led by Nick Westergreen's 15 points as the Pioneer's fell to 6-5 on the season. Anacortes improved to 5-5 and 2-1 in conference play with the victory. The Seahawks are at Mt. Vernon on Tuesday with tip off on KWLE 1340 at 7:30.

Anacortes Hangs On In OT The Seahawk boys basketball team nabbed their first conference win of the season Friday night. Anacortes picked up a 50-45 victory as Blaine tied the game up in the final seconds of regulation before ultimately falling in the extra frame. Anacortes' Shane Hardesty hit a huge three pointer on the Hawks second possession in OT which gave the Seahawks a 45-40 lead that they never relinquished. Mark Medalia's free throw shooting and post play also boosted the Hawks as Medalia went 4-4 from the line in addition to his two fourth quarter field goals. Medalia was our Rock Fish Grill Player Of The Game as both teams struggled to locate consistent offense all night until Anacortes ran away with the game in the final four minutes. The Seahawks unveiled a 1-3-1 zone for the first time this season after allowing 14 first quarter points. Blaine responded to the zone sluggishly and could muster up only six points in the seconds quarter. Anacortes led 22-20 at the midway point but the pace remained in neutral as both teams were unable to increase the tempo in the second half. Eventually the Seahawks pulled away in over time to improve to 4-4 on the year but more importantly 1-0 in the NWC. Blaine fell back to .500 and dropped to 4-4 overall, 0-1 in the conference. The Seahawks next game may be their biggest of the season. They head to Lynden to take on the Lions at 7:30 Tuesday night.

SKVC Win's Again! The Skagit Valley College Men's Basketball team picked up their second straight conference victory inside the Cardinal's Nest last night. Skagit ran away with the game in the second half to defeat Edmound's 78-57. Five players scored in double figures as a balanced attack slowed the terrific Triton tandem of Tyler Monroe& Jamil Goodwin. Tyler & Jamil are both division one prospects but with Monroe in foul trouble all night and with Goodwin unable to carry the load without Monroe on the floor Skagit was able to wear the Tritons down. Edmounds trailed by only four points at the half time break but Andrew Beatty and Adrien Moffet made sure that the Cardinal's lead would only grow. The two stars were held to just four points in the first half but a couple quick three pointers by Moffet and a steady stream of jumpers by Beatty increased their point total and the lead for Skagit. The Cardinal's now stand at 8-3 overall with a 2-0 record in conference play.

Seahawks No Match Against The Tigers Anacortes was with out a scorer in double figures as the Burlington Boy's basketball team ran away with a 71-34 win last night. In year two of the 'Tiger/Hawk Challenge' it was all Burlington once again. Even Coulter's 16 points paced the Tiger's to their first conference win of the season. The lefty sat our the games final seven minutes as BE had this one in the bag by half time. The Seahawk's cut the Tiger's lead to 22-15 after a Cory Geffe three pointer but that was as close as the Hawks would get. Coach Rick Skeen's team went on an 18 to three run to close out the first half as they took a 40-18 lead into half time. Burlington never looked back as the held the Seahawks under 20 points for the second straight half. Anacortes returns home for a game against Blaine on Friday night. You can watch it on 'Whale TV' by logging into 1340thewhale.com on Friday at 7:30.

Tiger/Hawk Tomorrow! We'll have a double header of high school basketball tomorrow! It's Anacortes & Burlington starting at six PM as the girls play first while the guys tip off at 8:00 PM. You can listen to the game on AM 1340 or listen to it online at 1340thewhale.com.

Bellevue Finally Ends Squalicum's Winning Streak Led by future Stanford point guard Aaron Bright, the Bellevue Wolverines edged Squalicum 57-50 to take home the Bellevue College Christmas Classic last night. The Storm had an early six point lead but Bright's 31 points over powered Squalicum and ended their 27 game winning streak. The 2009 2A State Champions last lost a game in December of 2008 against perennial California power Mater Dei.

Tiger/Hawk Trophy Next Week! We'll have year number two of the Tiger/Hawk Challenge next Tuesday at 6:00 PM. The Anacortes Girls & Guys basketball teams are in Burlington for back to back games next week. You can listen at AM 1340 or online at 1340thewhale.com

Card's Clip The Titans In the first game of the NWAACC Crossover Tournament, the Skagit Valley College Women's Basketball team fended off the Tacoma Titans for a 60-48 win. The Card's never trailed as Keri Arendse's 19 points paced the Cardinals to a 12 point win which advances them to tonight's semi final game against Lenn-Binton at 7:00 PM. Skagit improved to 3-3 on the year and will have a chance to advance to Sunday's championship game with a win against the Roadrunner's. You can listen to tonight's game on AM 1340 or online at 1340thewhale.com

Red Raiders Fight Back To .500 The Bellingham boys basketball team worked their way back to 3 -3 on the year with a 51 - 44 win in Anacortes last night. The Red Raiders turned the ball over on their first three possessions and gift wrapped 23 turnovers in the game against the Seahawks. Bellingham's offensive inadequacy didn't effect the Red Raiders stout defensive effort as Mark Wright's team hounded the Hawks all night. After limping to a 22 - 15 half time lead, Elijah Christie & Andrew Troutman paced the Raiders in a 3rd quarter that completely changed the complexion of the game. With Christie taking care of the offense and Troutman controlling the interior defense, Bellingham built a 12 point lead. Anacortes head coach Brett Senff was visibly irritated by his teams effort through out the game and decided to make a statement. He inserted several freshman players for the first time this season including Justin Hanson & AJYost. Hanson & Yost did more then provide warm bodies for the sluggish Seahawks, they scored four and two points respectively. Anacortes cut the deficit to eight points at the end conclusion of the quarter but Bellingham immediately jumped out to a 12 point lead in the 4th. The Hawks were unable to make a run in the final eight minutes as Bellingham comfortably held on to the lead through out the final period. Elijah Christie and EthenMcKell led the Red Raiders with 10 points apiece while Shane Hardesty, Dan Codd, and Thomas Kassa all chipped in eight points for the Seahawks. Anacortes slipped to 1 -2 with the loss, they'll travel to Langley for their first road game of the season against South Whidbey tonight.

'Whale TV' Tonight! Hey everyone! We've got Bellingham & Anacortes at 7:00 PM tonight! The Seahawk guys are 1-1 on the year while the Red Raiders 2 -3.

Hawks Prevail In A Close Contest Against Sedro Anacortes snatched their first win of the season by edging out Sedro-Woolley 43-39 in a non-league game at Williams Gym Friday night. Thomas Kassa's 12 rebounds and six blocks defined the type of effort Anacortes displayed defensively last night. The Seahawks struggled to score all evening as the Cub's weren't deterred by the Hawks impressive outside shooting in Tuesday's loss to Mt. Vernon as the Cub's challenged Anacortes to all evening to make their out side shots. With the Seahawks lacking any inside scoring threats, the Hawk's turned to Ty Hayes & Matt Welliver to increase the tempo of the game by knocking down open jumpers. Unfortunately both players had difficulty locating their shots which allowed the Cubs to remain in the game. Sedro fell to 0-4 with the loss while the Hawks bounced back from Tuesdays 71-68 defeat against Mt Vernon to improve to 1-1. The Seahawks are back at home Tuesday against Bellingham, you can watch the game on 'Whale TV' at 7:30 on 1340thewhale.com.

Anacortes & Sedro-Woolley Tonight! It's Anacortes High School boys basketball at 7:30 tonight! Luke Taylor & I will broadcast tonights game against the Cubs on AM 1340 & 1340thewhale.com starting at 7:00 PM.

Seahawks Fall 68-71 Against Mt. Vernon Mt. Vernon's senior experience was too much for Anacortes' youthful exuberance in the final minutes of Tuesday nights home opener for the Seahawks. The Bulldog's erased a 10 point deficit to earn a hard fought 71-68 victory in a non league game at Williams Gym last night. With the Hawks leading 50-40 mid way through the 3rd quarter, Mt Vernon head coach Torrey Swanson scrapped his hall mark 1-3-1 zone defense and went man to man against an Anacortes team that had hit 10 three pointers in the first half. The Bulldog's risk paid immediate dividends as Anacorte struggled to find points inside the three point line. To make matters worse, junior point guard Jackson Kirkpatrick went down with an ankle injury and was unavailable for the remainder of the game. Kirkpatrick is expected to miss at least three games. With Kirkpatrick out and the man to man defense leading to turn overs and missed shots, the Bulldog's fought their way back in to the game and eventually re-took the lead at the culmination of the quarter. Heading into the 4th quarter with a 53-51 lead, the Bulldog's continued their interior assault of Cory Geffe and Mark Medalia. Geffe is a post player only in name and couldn't avoid foul trouble. With the Bulldog's attacking Geffe inside with the tandem of Chris Chaplin and Dan Barnet, the Seahwaks recognized that their time with Cory on the floor might be limited. The senior was the go to guy through out the game, but with Kirkpatrick out and urgency setting in during the 4th quarter, Geffe decided to take matters into his own hands. Geffe finished with six three points and 20 points in the game as he continued to put on a show from the perimeter to keep the Seahawk's in the game. With Geffe's hot shooting and Matt Welliver's consistent play, the Hawks were in possession of a 68-67 lead with a minute to play. However back to back turnovers followed by Mt Vernon buckets forced the Hawks to fire up a desperation three pointer as time expired. The shot by Welliver fell just short. Mt Vernon escaped with a 71-68 win and improved to 3-0 on the year while the Seahawk's dropped their first game of the season. Anacortes finished with 13 three pointers including nine in the first half. We'll have more Anacortes Boy's Basketball this Friday night at 7:00 when the Hawks host Sedro-Woolley on AM 1340 and 1340thewhale.com.