It was that moment when you show what you’re made of, and the Lynden Christian girls basketball team showed it has the toughness of a champion when it knocked off defending state champion Bellevue Christian, 45-36, in a Class 1A state regional Saturday night, Feb. 28.
The victory sent the third-seeded Lyncs back to the Yakima Valley SunDome for a Thursday 7:15 p.m. quarterfinal against the winner of Wednesday’s loser-out contest between No.4 Annie Wright and No.13 Montesano.
“Every year is special,” said Lynden Christian coach Brady Bomber, whose Lyncs are going to state for the 21st straight time, the past 11 under Bomber. “We want to make sure we leave our tank empty.”
For coverage of all of our Whatcom teams’ regional games, click on State Regionals.
On Saturday, in the final game of the quadruple-header at Lynden High School, LC’s tank was tested by the Vikings, who came in as the sixth seed but who still have the state championship gold ball in their trophy case.
After using their man-to-man defense to shut down the BC offense, the Lyncs looked in command with a 28-16 lead at halftime. But when the LC offense went cold in the second half, the Vikings began chopping the lead down until all that remained was a one-point, 37-36 lead, with 4:10 left in the game.
That’s when Bomber called a time out. And in the pressure-packed moment when his young team was facing perhaps its biggest test of the season, what did the coach tell them?
“I told them, ‘this is the fun stuff,’” he said. “We’d love for it to be all smooth and clear. But it’s supposed to be challenging.”
“He says that a lot,” junior Ellie Pierce revealed. Well, Ellie, that’s because it seems to work.
The Lyncs enjoyed a fun final four minutes as they shut out the Vikings and scored the game’s final eight points.
Senior Ella Fritts started it off with a block that led to a fastbreak that led to her making a free throw. Then Pierce — the smallest Lync at 5-foot-5 — drove the lane for two points. Then sophomore Tyra Dykstra sank a huge 3-pointer and, with 28 seconds left, iced the game with two free throws.
“There’s a toughness — a mental and physical toughness — and they stuck together,” Bomber said when asked to describe his team.
Watch for the Whatcom Hoops state preview on Sunday. For a look at each of our teams and tournament schedules, click on State Preview.
While Fritts, the all-state guard and one of only three seniors, is the heart of the team, no one embodies the cool head of the team better than Pierce. The young point guard runs the efficient LC offense despite other teams’ pressure all the while defending one of their opponent’s best guards.
“We ask a lot of her,” said Bomber, himself a cool-headed all-state point guard before becoming a cool-headed coach. “Ellie made a lot of big plays down the stretch.”
So how would Pierce describe her responsibility? “I’m the face of the team, what the others see when I have the ball, so I have to keep my composure,” she said. “I’m like the head of the snake.”
For someone who looks nothing like a snake, she certainly had a steely-eyed fearlessness on Saturday. She finished with 8 points and along with Fritts and Dykstra helped corral Bellevue Christian’s fiesta point guard, Kiana Skogstad.
“You have to not play scared,” said Pierce, who also earned the team’s sportsmanship award for the game. “We didn’t back down.”
Fritts would lead the Lyncs with 13 points and two 3-pointers, junior post Jocelyn Eshuis had 12 points and helped hold down BC’s formidable two 6-footers, and Dykstra finished with 7 key points. Although LC only made four field goals in the second half, the Lyncs showed their composure by making seven of eight free throws.
The victory raised Lynden Christian’s record to 22-3 and the Lyncs will now try to add on to their streak of 20 straight years with a state trophy. During the two-decade stretch, they’ve reached the championship game 10 times and won six state titles.
Despite the loss, Bellevue Christian is still in the title hunt. The Vikings have to win a loser-out contest on Wednesday against 11th-seeded Wapato to advance to the quarterfinals.
Lynden Christian 45, Bellevue Christian 36
Bellevue Christian 8 8 16 4—36
Lynden Christian 13 15 9 8—45
Bellevue Christian: G. Reynolds 9, Skogstad 12, Lingerfelt, Hoffman 9, O. Reynolds 4, Hodo 2.
Lynden Christian: Fritts 13, T. Dykstra 7, Eshuis 12, D. Dykstra 3, Van Loo, Pierce 8, DeJong 2.
CLASS 1A GIRLS STATE REGIONALS
Friday, Feb. 27
King’s 61, Lakeside 38 (both to state tournament)
Royal 57, Annie Wright 45 (both to state tournament)
Cascade Christian 47, Hoquiam 37 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Wapato 69, Bear Creek 46 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 28
Montesano 40, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 27 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
King’s Way Christian 43, Nooksack Valley 36 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Zillah 49, Seton Catholic 27 (both to state tournament)
Lynden Christian 45, Bellevue Christian 36 (both to state tournament)
