FERNDALE - When senior point guard Taylor Reid was a sophomore, she would try to keep up with quicker older cousin Haley Locker in Ferndale's basketball practice. Now everyone in the Northwest Conference is trying to keep up with Reid's rapid pace.

For that matter, everyone is trying to keep up with Reid's many multi-talented teammates, too.

Reid's four second-half steals set up most of her 10 second-half points in conference leader Ferndale's 43-25 victory over Sehome on Friday, Jan. 4, in a matchup of teams that came in with 3-0 NWC records.

For the first time she could remember, Reid topped the Golden Eagles (10-2 overall, 4-0) with 14 points in her most productive game while making 5 of 6 shots from the field and 4 of 4 from the line, plus playing her typically piranha-like defense.

Even though Reid enjoyed a rare turn in the scoring spotlight, she couldn't have asked for better defensive help as other Golden Eagles made four steals and shot to a 17-2 first-quarter lead as Ferndale made 8 of 13 field-goal attempts.

"That was our best quarter of the season," said Ferndale coach Mike Ivy, whose team came off tournament losses to Juanita and Ballard in Kirkland.

And what was Ferndale's reward for all-out hustle and making 16 steals?

"An 8 a.m. practice (on Saturday, Jan. 5)," Ivy said with a smile. "I'm trying to keep our team focused and ready."

Ready, that is, for a vital visit to Class 1A state tournament hopeful Blaine on Monday, Jan. 7.

"Normally, I'm distributing the ball and I don't take a lot of shots," said Reid, who still didn't take a lot of shots - she just made all but one.

Reid is not only intent on doing well at Class 3A Northwest District with a team that lost only one senior, but also on winning the NWC title.

"We all know we can do it," she said.

The Golden Eagles certainly played like title contenders as 5-foot-10 sophomore post Linsey Honeycutt, 6-0 senior post Kendra Bodger and 5-10 junior Hannah Carlson played superbly on the back line of Ferndale's fluid 2-3 zone.

That forest of arms held Sehome standout Rachel Albert to two shots in the first half as the Golden Eagles built a 27-14 halftime lead. The 5-11 Albert was active, as always, with six rebounds and four assists in the first two quarters. She finished with 14 rebounds and five assists, but Ferndale held her to six points and 10 total field-goal tries as the Mariners (6-6, 3-1) endured 11 for 44 shooting miseries.

"The highlight for us was (5-11 junior) Danielle Strasser's play off the bench," said Sehome coach Kim Kirk.

"Danielle (who had a career-high 7 points on 3 for 6 shooting) played her best game," Kirk said. "That will be a huge confidence-booster for her, and we're really going to need her (to get to Class 2A district)."

Honeycutt, continuing to emerge as an outstanding pivot, finished with 10 points, 11 rebounds and two steals.

Carlson shot only seven times but scored six points. The quick Knutson sisters, senior Taylor and junior Taryn, combined for nine points, five steals, eight rebounds and three assists as the first two players off the bench among the 10 girls Ivy rotated.

Seconds after checking into the game in the second quarter, Ferndale senior Kelli Bannerman scored from the side, typifying her team's depth. The best play of the game finished at the first-quarter buzzer, when Taryn Knutson made a steal and passed to sister Taylor, who flipped to Honeycutt for a layup.

Sehome's Maddy Bryan, a 5-9 sophomore, scored all of her five points in the second quarter as the Mariners displayed spunk by outscoring Ferndale 12-10 in the second quarter after falling behind by 15 points.

FERNDALE 43, SEHOME 25

Sehome 2 12 4 7 - 25

Ferndale 17 10 12 4 - 43

Sehome: Rachel Albert 6, Megan Bayless 3, Meagan McIntyre 2, Maddy Bryan 5, Hallie Messenger 2, Danielle Strasser 7, Mackenzie Caldwell 0, Alia Jones 0, Sarah Swan 0. Totals 11-44 2-8 25.

Ferndale: Taylor Reid 14, Linsey Honeycutt 10, Kendra Bodger 2, Koral Headlamp 0, Hannah Carlson 6, Taylor Knutson 4, Taryn Knutson 5, Kelli Bannerman 2, Kodie Euper 0, Brooke Benson 0, Dasia Washington 0, Abby Reid 0. Totals 17-47 8-12 43.

3-pointers: Sehome 1 (Bayless), Ferndale 1 (Taryn Knutson). Rebounds: Sehome 32 (Albert 14); Ferndale 35 (Honeycutt 11). Assists: Sehome 10 (Albert 5), Ferndale 10 (Reid, Taylor Knutson, Weidkamp 2). Fouls: Ferndale 15, Sehome 7.