Seton Catholic is probably getting sick of Whatcom County.
For the second year in a row, the Cougars from Vancouver, Wash., will be facing the Lynden Christian boys basketball team in the Class 1A state regionals, this time on Saturday at 4 p.m. at Mount Vernon High School.
The third-seeded Lyncs hosted the sixth-seeded Cougars last year at Lynden High and won easily, 71-39. LC would go on to take third at the state tournament, while Seton Catholic would place sixth, having beaten Meridian in a loser-out contest.
And speaking of Meridian, the seventh-seeded Trojans are the only one of Whatcom’s eight state teams that is playing on the road. Meridian will face second-seeded Royal on Friday at 8 p.m. at Ellensburg High School and is looking to repeat last year’s regional-round victory.
For stories, quotes, and photos from all the regional games involving Whatcom teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Saturday and Sunday morning.
The Lynden Christian-Seton Catholic game may be a rerun of last year’s regional, but don’t expect a repeat of LC’s blowout. The Lyncs graduated five seniors, including four starters, while the Cougars only lost one player.
Not that LC is devoid of talent. Quite the contrary, as the Lyncs are 21-2, using an explosive offense to finish second in the ultra-tough Northwest Conference and losing only to Class 4A Arlington by two and to three-time defending 2A state champion Lynden in their rivalry game.
And while Lynden Christian has only three seniors, the youngsters have the Lyncs legacy, which includes recent state titles in 2018, 2022, and 2023 and a runner-up finish in 2020.
Seton Catholic has little history having earned the school’s first state trophy last season. But the Cougars do have a 14-game winning streak after losing five of their first seven and figure to be a much more confident bunch when they face the Lyncs this season.
Speaking of confident, Meridian will be taking on 23-1 Royal, which may finally have a team worthy of its football squad (five straight state titles, including last fall’s championship game victory over Seton Catholic).
The Knights’ are riding an 11-game win streak. Their only loss was to defending state champion Zillah by six on Jan. 17, which Royal avenged with a 14-point win over the Leopards in the District 5 title game. Royal isn’t big, but they’ll be tough and whoever survives the guard-dominated Yakima Valley knows how to win.
Like Royal, the Trojans reached the Yakima SunDome last year but didn’t place, losing in Wednesday’s first round. Which makes this a redemption tour for Meridian’s five seniors, who have led the Trojans to their first back-to-back state appearances since 1996 and 1997.
Both Lynden Christian and Meridian, by virtue of their top-eight seeding, are guaranteed spots in the 1A state tournament in the Yakima SunDome regardless of the outcome of the regional games.
Should they win this weekend, they would advance into the quarterfinals on Thursday, March 6. Should either lose in regionals, they would have to win a loser-out game on Wednesday, March 5, to move on to Thursday’s quarterfinals and the double-elimination part of the tournament.
Here’s a look at both Whatcom teams and their 1A regional games:
Coach Stacy congratulates his Trojans on another great game.
# 7 MERIDIAN (17-7) vs. #2 ROYAL (23-1)
Friday, 8 p.m., at Ellensburg High School
If Trojans win: Play in quarterfinals on Thursday, March 6, 9 p.m.
If Trojans lose: Play winner of Overlake-Riverside regional in loser-out game on Wednesday, March 5, 5:30 pm.
Regional outlook: One of the more interesting regional games with matchup problems for both teams. Meridian will have to slow Royal’s running game and guard play, but can the Knights stop the Trojans’ one-two punch of Talon Jenkins and Jaeger Fyfe? The one-loss Knights are definitely favored, but the Trojans won’t be intimidated having faced the likes of Lynden, LC, and Lakewood. This could be one of the early-round upsets.
State preview: Annie Wright has been everyone’s favorite since losing to Zillah on a last-second shot in last year’s state final. The Gators are big, skilled, and confident with stars able to play fast or slow. If there are three teams capable of corralling the 20-2 Gators it would be the next three seeds — Royal, Lynden Christian, and Zillah — all of whom will push the tempo and press from tipoff to final buzzer. Interestingly, as Meridian coach Shane Stacy pointed out, this is a rare time when the top 11 RPI teams all avoided playoff upsets and made it to regionals.
Coach Shane Stacy: “We’re excited to be in that (sixth) spot. You know you’re going to go to Yakima, and the kids earned it. I really like where we are right now. Guys are dialed in. The younger kids are really improving. The Northwest Conference has prepared us to compete against a team like this. This is nothing we haven’t seen before. It (state) really is a fragile existence; if you don’t focus … it can go away real fast. These guys love to compete, and they want to go further (than last year).”
Coach Tim Zylstra and the Lyncs are fired up for state.
#3 LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (21-2) vs. #6 SETON CATHOLIC (18-5)
Saturday, 4 p.m., at Mount Vernon High School
If Lyncs win: Play in quarterfinals on Thursday, March 6, 7:15 p.m.
If Lyncs lose: Play winner of Fort Vancouver-Bellevue Christian regional in loser-out game on Wednesday, March 5, 3:45 p.m.
Regional outlook: The veteran Cougars surprisingly stumbled out of the gate but are hitting their stride with super shooter Brady Angelo and budding superstar Kaiden Wilson. They are a dark horse that no one wanted to face. Meanwhile, the young Lyncs never lost a stride this season despite being decimated by graduation. A big reason is the play of seniors Gannon Dykstra and Luke Van Kooten, who have been the foundation while the talented sophomores and juniors found their roles. Don’t expect another blowout, especially if LC’s 3-point marksman Gunnar Dykstra isn’t able to play because of an ongoing injury. But Seton Catholic may be hoping it has seen the last of Whatcom teams for a while.
State preview: Annie Wright is rightfully the favorite, but depending on how the regionals play out, the Gators may have to navigate past Royal, Zillah, and Lynden Christian in Yakima to win the title. If Lynden Christian is at full strength, the Lyncs could be better than last year’s team, which lost to Annie Wright by just three in the semis. Translation: It should be another wild and exciting 1A boys tournament.
Coach Tim Zylstra: “I like the way the team is playing. We’re banged up, but so is everyone else. We’ll be ready to play. In our culture, it’s the next guy up. Hopefully, we don’t skip a beat. Anybody in the top eight has a chance to get to the semis, depending on how the teams play and the matchups you get. All of us are looking up at Annie Wright, but anything can happen.”
CLASS 1A BOYS STATE REGIONALS
Friday, Feb. 28
#13 Fort Vancouver (17-6) vs. #12 Bellevue Christian (18-5) at Issaquah HS, 6 p.m. (winner to state tournament, loser out)
#7 Meridian (17-7) vs. #2 Royal (23-1) at Ellensburg HS, 8 p.m. (both to state tournament)
Saturday, March 1
#16 Tenino (10-13) vs. #9 Chelan (21-5) at Wenatchee HS, 10 a.m. (winner to state tournament, loser out)
#15 Overlake (14-9) vs. #10 Riverside (16-4) at West Valley (Spokane) HS, noon (winner to state tournament, loser out)
#5 King’s (18-4) vs. #4 Zillah at Davis HS, 2 p.m. (both to state tournament)
#14 La Center (15-8) vs. #11 Cashmere (18-8) at Wenatchee HS, 2 p.m. (winner to state tournament, loser out)
#6 Seton Catholic (18-5) vs. #3 Lynden Christian (21-2) at Mount Vernon HS, 4 p.m. (both to state tournament)
#8 Bear Creek (18-5) vs. #1 Annie Wright (20-2) at University of Puget Sound, 8 p.m. (both to state tournament)
