In a back and forth game that saw momentum swing non-stop throughout the night, visiting Whatcom ended up defeating Bellevue 78-75 tonight at Courter Family Athletic Pavilion. The Bulldogs had a chance with fifteen seconds left but Rokki Brown’s attempt to penetrate for a layup was stopped giving the Orcas control until time expired.
Kate Rutledge, who paced Bellevue with 19 points, got things going for the ‘dogs in the first quarter going 3-for-3 from the field including a pair of three=pointers as BC took an early 25-19 lead after one quarter. While Rutledge was still owning a relatively hot hand in the second quarter, Whatcom caught fire shooting 56% from the field which was good enough to take a 43-39 lead at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Bulldogs managed to fight back despite shooting even worse than the first half by cashing in at the free throw line, as BC made up 7 points at the line. With seven lead changes, the game came down to the wire in the fourth as Whatcom converted on enough free throws when Bellevue was forced to go into foul mode to preserve the win.
The Bulldogs fell to second place as Whatcom takes over first as BC sits at 10-3. The ‘dogs have four games coming up in the next week starting with Skagit Valley this Friday at 4:00 at Courter Family Athletic Pavilion. The two teams will face off again the next night in Mount Vernon.
Last Updated May 26, 2021
