1/18/25

Bellevue Christian Vikings  15/7/12/9 – 43
Cascade Christian Cougars  17/5/1/10 – 33

(Puyallup, WA) Last year, the Bellevue Christian Vikings and Cascade Christian Cougars met three times, including in the District Championship Game, where Bellevue Christian won all three meetings. The Nisqually League rivals met in a non-league matchup on Friday in the first game of a doubleheader, with the boys following them. The gym was packed, and everyone was excited for another Bellevue Christian vs Cascade Christian contest.

In the first quarter, the offenses shined, with Cascade Christian’s Liesl Nordling scoring 10 points in the opening frame, including a pair of threes for the Cougars. Addi Taylor for Bellevue Christian nearly matched that with nine first-quarter points as she got off to a great start to the game. In the last few minutes of the quarter, the teams were trading baskets and at the buzzer, Cascade Christian’s Josie Bingham hit a three to give Cascade Christian a 17-15 lead after the first.

In the second quarter, the defenses took over, allowing a combined 12 points. Points were hard to come by, and even shots without at least one defender in the face of the shooter were rare. Addi Taylor for Bellevue Christian had a couple of baskets for the Vikings in the quarter, while the reigning league MVP, Olivia Reynolds, cashed in on a three as well. All five of Cascade Christian’s points came from Abby Shelton, as the freshman was double-teamed and occasionally triple-teamed all night. Shelton had the respect of the Vikings and was still able to get a pair of baskets in the quarter. The game was tied at 22 apiece at the halftime break.

In the third quarter, Bellevue Christian’s defense turned it up another notch as they held Cascade Christian to just one point. They used smothering defense to force turnovers and difficult shots. Lili Meissner was one of the defensive stars for Bellevue Christian, and on the offensive end, Addi Taylor continued to score, getting five more points in the quarter to give her 18. Bellevue Christian took a 34-23 lead going into the fourth quarter.

In the fourth quarter, Cascade Christian was able to get their offense going again as Abby Shelton connected on a couple of baskets, as was Brooklyn Whittington. Bellevue Christian’s Kiana Skogstad drained a three and hit a pair of free throws for the Vikings, as the 2023 league MVP had a good quarter. Rocklyn Osborn for Bellevue Christian was tremendous on the offensive glass and hustling for the Vikings, and was rewarded with a pair of fourth-quarter baskets to help them secure the victory. Bellevue Christian would get the road win 43-33 over Cascade Christian.

Bellevue Christian improves to 11-2 on the season and will host Klahowya on Thursday.

Cascade Christian drops to 6-4 on the year and will face Life Christian Academy in a league game on Tuesday.

Our elisportsnetwork.com Game MVP went to Addi Taylor for Bellevue Christian. Taylor led all scorers with 18 points and also had big contributions on the defensive side too. She was the difference in the game and led the Vikings to a big win over Cascade Christian.

Bellevue Christian also had Olivia Reynolds with 10 points, Kiana Skogstad had seven points, Rocklyn Osborn had five points and Lili Meissner had three points.

Cascade Christian’s Abby Shelton led the Cougars with 14 points, Liesl Nordling had 10 points, Brooklyn Whittington finished with six points, and Josie Bingham had three points.

Click here to watch the full game replay.

Game Highlights

Cascade Christian’s Josie Bingham Beats The First Quarter Buzzer 

Game MVP Addi Taylor Gets Transition Bucket For The Vikings

Kiana Skogstad Drains Clutch Three

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