The Lynden Christian boys basketball team used a big first-quarter to win the Class 1A District 1 title, and Nooksack Valley used a big fourth quarter — make that a big final two minutes — to stay alive in the district tournament.
For the Lyncs, it was another district crown, this time at the expense of Meridian as Lynden Christian won the district championship game, 68-54, on Saturday afternoon, Feb. 15, at Lynden High School.
The victory, which improved the Lyncs to 20-2, put them in the District 1/2 crossover series next Saturday, Feb. 22, at 3 p.m. at King’s High School. They will play District 2’s fifth-place team, which won’t be decided until Thursday. The crossover winner then earns a spot in the state regionals, while the loser’s season is over.
In Saturday’s earlier game, Nooksack Valley had to rally in the final minutes to beat Mount Baker, 59-56, in the most exciting game Saturday at Jake Maberry Gym. The Pioneers, who improved to 11-10, will now face Meridian (15-7) in the consolation final on Tuesday at 7:45 p.m.
The winner of the Nooksack-Meridian game will claim the district’s second berth in the District 1/2 crossover series and will face the fourth-place finisher from District 2 next Saturday at 5 p.m. at King’s. The loser of the Meridian-Nooksack game will have its season end.
That was also the fate of the Mounties, whose 10-13 season ended Saturday with the loss to the Pioneers.
Your 2025 Class 1A District 1 champion Lynden Christian boys
Lynden Christian Slows Meridian Stars In 68-54 Win
Meridian all-star Talon Jenkins hit a 3-pointer with the game’s first shot. By the time he — and the Trojans scored again — on his jumper with 18 seconds left in the first quarter, Lynden Christian had fired in 15 straight points to take a double-digit lead.
The Lyncs would stretch the lead to as much as 19 in the second period only to have the Trojans cut it down to seven several times late in the third quarter. But that was as close as Meridian would get as LC kept the Trojans at bay, winning by 14 just as it did in the two teams’ first meeting on Jan. 16.
“Early on, we made some shots to get the lead,” said Lynden Christian coach Tim Zylstra. “I was proud of the boys and the way we fought. District games are always tight games. Those are good players (the Trojans).”
Both teams focused their defensive schemes on stopping the other’s top scorers. For Meridian, that meant trying to slow super-quick guards senior Gannon Dykstra and sophomore Dawson Hintz. The plan partially worked as Dykstra “only” had 20 points and Hintz had 9, both below their averages.
But that left others open and Luke Van Kooten made the Trojans pay. The senior guard found his favorite spot in the corner and burned Meridian for five 3-pointers, including a pair in the crucial first quarter. He would finish with 19 points.
“It was fun,” said Van Kooten. “It was a high energy game. We’re a fast-tempo team. We get it and go. They were focusing on Gannon and Dawson, and I like the 3.”
Zylstra said it was all part of the plan.
“We’ve faced a triangle-and-two and you have to have other players step up,” said the LC coach. “Luke is one of those key guys, and he knocked down shots during big stretches.”
And before you criticize Hintz for not hitting his scoring average, understand that he had the toughest assignment in the game: trying to stop Jenkins. Not only is Meridian’s 6-foot-7 senior one of the Northwest Conference’s best shooters and top scorers, but he is seven inches taller than Hintz.
Yet with help from his teammates, the hustling Hintz managed to hold Jenkins, who had been averaging 20 points a game, to 12 points and only nine after the first 15 seconds of the game. Meridian’s other big scorer, senior Jaeger Fyfe, was held to 12 points by senior Carter Ahlers and LC other guards.
The Trojans did get production from sophomore Pierce Brzozowski, who had 11 points, and from senior James Hedahl and sophomore Trey Alexander, who had 6 points apiece, but it wasn’t enough against the high-scoring Lyncs.
“It was Lyncs basketball,” said Van Kooten. “We take pride in our defense.”
Joining Dykstra and Van Kooten in double figures was sophomore Kaden Veldman, who had 12 points and three big buckets in the fourth period as LC scored 21 points to hold off Meridian. Hintz had six of his points and Dykstra had seven of his points in the final period and both had a 3-pointer in the quarter.
While the Trojans prepare for another battle with Nooksack Valley — the two have split their two games this season and played in last year’s consolation final that Meridian won at the buzzer — the Lyncs will focus on playing someone new.
“These games (against their NWC rivals) make us better,” said Zylstra, whose team placed third at state last year after winning it the previous two seasons. “Now we can look at bigger and better things ahead.”
Lynden Christian 68, Meridian 54
Meridian 5 16 16 17—54
Lynden Christian 15 18 14 21—68
Meridian: Jenkins 13, Hayes, Fyfe 12, James 3, Haugen, Blankenburg 3, Alexander 6, Brzozowski 11, Hedahl 6.
Lynden Christian: Hintz 9, Ahlers 4, Maberry 3, Robertson 1, Howell, Ga. Dykstra 20, Kamphouse, Van Kooten 19, Veldman 12, Kooiman, Vos.
The Pioneers finally get to celebrate when Baker’s last-second shot misses.
Nooksack Valley Tops Mount Baker In Thriller, 59-56
The Pioneers have depended on their seniors all year long — in fact, for the past three years — and when it looked like their high school careers would end in disappointing fashion, the seniors came through as Nooksack Valley rallied to beat the Mounties in exciting fashion.
After watching the underdog Mounties grab a 56-50 lead with two minutes left thanks to a 3-pointer by their own senior standout, Darius Gilstrap, the Pioneers faced elimination.
But junior Owen Wichers hit a free throw, Mount Baker missed two free throws, and Nooksack senior Cory Olney hit a huge 3 and then turned an offensive rebound into a three-point play to give the Pioneers a one-point lead.
When Baker missed two more free throws, Nooksack senior Caden Heutink sank both free throws with 14 seconds left. Mount Baker had one last chance to tie, but Gilstrap’s 3-pointer at the buzzer rimmed out and the Pioneers were able to breathe a sigh of relief and move on to Tuesday’s consolation final.
Olney, who finished with a team-high 15 points, realized the seriousness of those final minutes.
“I thought, ‘Is this how I want to go out?’ I didn’t want to have any second thoughts,” he said.
Once again, it was the Pioneers’ Class of 2025 the led the way. Besides Olney’s big game, Heutink had 13 points, Brady Ackerman had 9 points, and Tristan Kamphouse had 9 points, including a huge 3-pointer that stopped a Mount Baker run in the fourth quarter. Wichers also came through with 9 points for Nooksack.
“I’m happy we won, but I wasn’t pleased with how we played,” said Nooksack Valley coach Jason Heutink, whose team had beaten the Mounties by 12 earlier in the season. “But you just have to grind it out. That’s playoff basketball.”
It might have been the end of the season for Mount Baker, but the Mounties did not go out without a fight. Despite missing second-leading scorer junior Carter Hill and his 10 points a game because of an injury, they outplayed the favored Pioneers until the final 120 seconds.
“I’m proud of the team,” said Mount Baker coach Tony Clark. “They left it all on the court. The game was intense and fun to be a part of. The Baker fans were great, and our player were able to feed off their energy.”
Gilstrap continued his late-season surge with 17 points, seven of them coming in the final period. Sophomore Kell Reardon had 10 points, seniors Luke Smith and Cole Lukes had 8 points each, junior Jordan Bailey had 7 points, and junior Peyton Abitia had 6 points.
It was the last game for five Mount Baker seniors — Smith, Gilstrap, Lukes, Cameron Scott, and Chris Albright — and Clark not only praised each individually but mentioned something that made each special.
“The seniors led the team, and they have helped turn our basketball culture,” said Clark.
For Nooksack Valley, the future will depend on Tuesday’s game with Meridian — round three in the rivals’ heavyweight bouts.
“It’s the playoffs,” said Olney. “You have to flush it (a disappointing game) and come back again. Once you get into posteseason, you can’t come out flat.”
When asked how long it took to put Saturday’s game behind him and focus on Tuesday’s all-important contest, coach Heutink was succinct: “About 10 seconds. We just want to play a good game (on Tuesday) and then whatever happens.”
Nooksack Valley 59, Mount Baker 56
Mount Baker 16 11 14 15—56
Nooksack Valley 11 14 14 20—59
Mount Baker: L. Smith 8, Gilstrap 17, Bailey 7, Lukes 8, Abitia 6, Ross, Reardon 10.
Nooksack Valley: Coppinger 2, Olney 15, Heutink 13, Wichers 9, Kamphouse 9, Silves, D. Ackerman, VanBerkum 2, B. Ackerman 9.
CLASS 1A BOYS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Saturday, Feb. 15
At Lynden High
Consolation round
Nooksack Valley 59, Mount Baker 56 (loser out)
Championship game
Lynden Christian 68, Meridian 54 (winner first, to District 1/2 crossover)
Tuesday, Feb. 18
At Lynden High
Consolation final
Nooksack Valley (11-10) vs. Meridian (15-7), 7:45 p.m. (winner second, to District 1/2 crossover, loser out)
