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La Conner High School alum Dean Swanson has been around long enough to know about the school’s basketball history.

He also keeps tabs on current holidays.

The two intersected last Tuesday when the Lady Braves basketball team posted a 63-42 statement win at 2A Burlington-Edison before a large and masked crowd that packed the gym just days after a two-week COVID-19-related spectator pause was lifted.

“Today starts the Chinese New Year of the Tiger,” Swanson said immediately afterward. “But not tonight.”

La Conner, the No. 2 ranked 2B team in Washington state, was never challenged by the B-EHS squad, whose student enrollment is more than five times greater.

The team has made a habit this year of defeating larger school foes, from 1A Nooksack Valley to 4A Skyline, enroute to winning 18 of its first 19 games.

That happened again in Burlington.

“Our girls played with great intensity,” head coach Scott Novak told the Weekly News. “Our defense was outstanding against a very good, well-coached Burlington team. Our girls were able to keep the ball in front of them, defend the three-point line and rebound.”

They set the tone early, jumping out to a 17-10 first period edge. The Lady Braves extended their lead to 33-17 at the break.

From that point, there was little suspense. The only real suspense, in fact, was whether La Conner senior Sarah Cook would reach the 1,000-point career scoring mark or wait until the Feb. 7 tipoff at Klahowya.

Cook put all that to rest with a bucket in the fourth quarter. She later added a pair of free throws for 1,002 points and counting, to finish with 13 points, one of three teammates scoring in double figures.

Josie Harper, the reigning Skagit County scoring leader, led the victors with 24 points, 13 in the decisive first half.

Junior post Ellie Marble recorded an impressive double-double – tallying 16 points and grabbing 17.

Rachel Cram (6) and Juna Swanson (4) rounded out the attack. Cram drained two three-pointers in the final stanza, while Swanson did all her scoring in the first quarter. Swanson also dished off six assists.

“It was a great team win for us,” stressed Novak, whose club is next scheduled to host Coupeville in a much-anticipated Feb. 10 (6 p.m.) Senior Night matchup.

Sydney Reisner paced Burlington-Edison (13-5 overall; 9-2 in NW1A/2A/3A play) with 10 points, including a pair of treys. No other Lady Tiger landed in double-digits.