Whatcom County Girls & Boys High School Basketball
Lynden, Nooksack, LC Girls Add More All-State Honors
The end-of-the-year awards and accolades continue to pour in for Whatcom’s best boys and girls basketball players and coaches. The Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association announced the rosters for its annual Senior All-State Games, which will be played this Saturday, March 22, at King’s High School in Seattle. Named to the Class 1A team were Danya Dykstra and Allison Shumate of Lynden Christian and Kate Shintaffer of Nooksack Valley. Named to the Class 2A … Read More »
Whatcom’s Best Earning All-State Honors
The end-of-the-year awards and accolades have begun to pour in for Whatcom’s best boys and girls basketball players and coaches. The Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association announced its boys basketball awards and Brant Heppner of Lynden was named the Class 2A player of year and Jerome Toby Sr. of state champion Lummi Nation was named the Class 1B coach of the year. Jaylen Petty of Rainier Beach was chosen as the state’s Mr. Basketball. The … Read More »
Senior Classic: County Teams Win As Smiles Abound
The one thing that was more prevalent than 3-pointers and slam dunks at the John Clark Whatcom County Seniors Classic was smiles. Grins and laughter filled the court and benches as the county’s top high school seniors wore their team jerseys for the final time before family, friends, and fans at Lynden’s Jake Maberry Gymnasium on Friday night, March 14. For the record, the County Girls defeated the City Girls, 69-51, and the County Boys … Read More »
Reflections On State: Whatcom Fans Should Be Proud
After watching eight teams play 20 games over four days in two venues — all on about 12 hours of sleep — let me reflect on the 2025 state basketball tournaments. Although there was a ton of emotions, the word I heard used most was “proud.” Every coach, regardless if they won a state title or got knocked out in the first round, said they were proud of their players and the effort they gave. … Read More »
Senior Classic To Feature Boys, Girls All-Stars This Friday
The annual John Clark Whatcom County Senior Classic featuring the senior boys and girls basketball players from Whatcom County — and some from Skagit County — will be held on Friday, March 14, in Lynden High School’s Jake Maberry Gymnasium. The girls events begin at 6 p.m. with a 3-point contest followed by the girls game. Then around 7:15 p.m., the boys will have their 3-point contest and a dunk contest with their game following. … Read More »
Whatcom Boys, Girls Dominate NWC, NW1B All-League Teams
As usual, Whatcom boys and girls dominated the all-Northwest Conference all-star teams announced by the league’s head coaches. It’s also no surprise that after going unbeaten and largely untested in league play, the Lummi Nation boys and girls dominated their Northwest 1B League all-star squads. Be sure to check out Whatcom Hoops later this week for a preview of Friday night’s John Clark Whatcom County Seniors Classic featuring the top seniors in boys and girls … Read More »
1A Boys State: LC Can’t Stop Annie Wright, Settles For Second
The Lynden Christian boys basketball team got its chance to play No.1 Annie Wright and found out why the Gators are considered the best team in Washington state as the Lyncs lost their Class 1A state tournament final, 59-46, on Saturday, March 8. While the loss stung the proud Lyncs, it didn’t diminish their accomplishment of finishing second in the state with a 24-3 record and reaching the state finals for the 15th time in … Read More »
1B Boys State: Lummi Upsets No.1 To Win State Title
The Lummi Nation boys basketball team shocked No.1-ranked Almira-Coulee-Hartline in thrilling fashion, 53-50, to win the Class 1B state championship Saturday night at the Spokane Arena. It was the second state title for the Blackhawks and coach Jerome Toby Sr. And please don’t force him to compare the two. “Our title in 2015 was the school’s first, so that was history,” said Toby. “To win the school’s second title with my son Jerome on the … Read More »
2A Girls State: Lynden Tops Ellensburg Again For Second Straight Title
And then there was one. Make that two. In what may have been the most competitive state tournament in, well, ever with three undefeated squads, it was the Lynden girls basketball team that was the last one standing after the Lions crushed Ellensburg, 54-37, to win the Class 2A state championship Saturday night, March 8. Make that two — as in beating the Bulldogs in the championship game for the second year in a row … Read More »
1A Girls State: LC Ends With Win, Third-Place Trophy
The tears of disappointment were replaced by tears of sadness as the Lynden Christian girls basketball team ended its season on a winning note at the Class 1A state tournament in the Yakima SunDome. The Lyncs earned their 20th straight trophy by taking third place with a 50-36 victory over Annie Wright on Saturday, March 8. The win came less than 24 hours after a heart-breaking, last-second loss in the semifinals that kept them out … Read More »
1A Boys State: Meridian Beats Chelan, Take Fourth In State
When they were shooting baskets during fifth-grade recess, Talon Jenkins and Jaeger Fyfe would talk about playing on Saturday at the Class 1A state tournament in the Yakima SunDome. Seven years later, their dream became a reality — and they have a trophy to prove it. Jenkins, Fyfe, and their Meridian boys basketball teammates defeated Chelan, 59-48, on Saturday, March 8, to wrap up a 20-9 season and place fourth in the state. It was … Read More »
1B Boys State: Lummi Downs Neah Bay, Headed To State Finals
The Lummi Nation boys basketball team is headed back to the Class 1B state championship game for the first time since 2017 and the third time in school history. The Blackhawks earned their spot in history by rallying to defeat Neah Bay, 49-45, in the semifinals on Friday, March 7, in the Spokane Arena. They will take on top-seed Almira-Coulee-Hartline on Saturday at 5 p.m. The only time Lummi Nation won a state title was … Read More »
1A Boys State: LC To Play For Title After Beating Royal
After riding what he called a rollercoaster, Lynden Christian boys basketball coach Tim Zylstra had one thing to say to all the fans who watched the Lyncs battle Royal in a Class 1A state semifinal Friday night in the Yakima SunDome. “We gave the fans their money’s worth,” he said after LC defeated the Knights, 56-49, in a wild, back-and-forth affair. With the win, Lynden Christian punched its ticket for an even more exciting ride: … Read More »
2A Girls State: Lynden Stomps Prosser, Returns To Finals
Lynden girls basketball coach Rob Adams likes to preach “be where your feet are” as a reminder for his team to be in the moment. Well, his Lions’ feet will soon be exactly where he hoped and everybody else thought they’d be — on center court in the Yakima SunDome for the Class 2A state championship game. Lynden used a dominating first half to pound Prosser, 62-44, in their semifinal Friday evening, March 7, advancing … Read More »