The Lummi Nation boys basketball team repeated as Class 1B District 1 champion with a resounding 78-43 victory over Cedar Park Christian (Mountlake Terrace) at Marysville-Getchell on Saturday night, Feb. 8.
The Lummi Nation girls weren’t able to duplicate the boys’ feat, but they came close to upsetting Mount Vernon Christian in the district semifinals before losing, 51-48, also at Marysville-Getchell on Saturday.
Keep watching WhatcomHoops.com for playoff coverage from the Class 1A, 2A and 3A district tournaments, which start this week.
Sophomore forward Tyran Lane led the top-seeded Lummi Nation boys with 19 points and 10 rebounds on Saturday. He also had 3 assists and 3 steals. But he was just one of many Blackhawks to fill up the stat sheet.
Junior forward Jaie Leighton had 14 points, 8 rebounds, 4 steals and 3 assists; senior guard Caleb Revey added 13 points and 6 rebounds; sophomore guard Duncan Toby led the team with 9 assists and added 8 points; junior guard William Hetland had 8 points, 3 rebounds and 3 assists; and freshman forward Richard Wilson came off the bench to score 13 points and grab 6 rebounds.
The Blackhawks, ranked third in the Class 1B state RPI rankings, improved to 20-3. It was the third time this season Lummi Nation had beaten Cedar Park Christian, which fell to 14-7.
The Blackhawks now advance to the Tri-District 1/2/3 quarterfinals on Feb. 18 against a team still to be determined. A win in that game would move the Blackhawks into the regional round of the 1B state tournament.
CLASS 1B BOYS DISTRICT 1
Thursday, Feb. 6
Semifinals
Cedar Park Christian (MLT) 65, Tulalip Heritage 57
Lummi Nation 68, Grace Academy 36
Loser-out games
Lopez 44, Orcas Christian 41
Mount Vernon Christian 71, Providence Christian 26
Saturday, Feb. 8
Championship
Lummi Nation 78, Cedar Park Christian (MLT) 43 (winner first, loser second)
Consolation semifinals
Tulalip Heritage 75, Lopez 51
Mount Vernon Christian 70, Grace Academy 63
Tuesday, Feb. 11
At Mount Vernon Christian
Lopez vs. Grace Academy, 3 p.m. (winner fifth, loser out)
Tulalip Heritage vs. Mount Vernon Christian, 8 p.m. (winner third, loser fourth)
(Top five advance to Tri-District)
Lummi Nation Girls’ Rally Comes Up Short
For three quarters Saturday, the Lady Blackhawks struggled to get their offense going, scoring just 18 points against heavily favored Mount Vernon Christian, the sixth-ranked 1B team in the state.
But then Lummi Nation — and especially Raven Solomon — got rolling. The freshman guard poured in 19 points, including four 3-pointers and all three of her free throws, as the Lady Blackhawks made it a fourth-quarter shootout.
Unfortunately, Lummi’s 30 fourth-quarter points weren’t enough as the Eagles scored 24 of their own to hold on for the victory. Solomon finished with a game-high 31 points. Her sister Alayla had 6 points, but they were the only Blackhawks to score more than 4 points.
With the loss, the Lady Blackhawks (13-7) move into the district’s consolation final against top-seed Grace Academy on Tuesday at Mount Vernon Christian.
That game will determine third and fourth place, but both teams have already qualified for the Tri-District 1/2/3 tournament, which opens next Saturday, Feb. 15.
Grace Academy (15-4), which beat Lummi Nation twice and shared the Northwest 1B League championship with the Blackhawks, was upset in Saturday’s semifinal by Tulalip Heritage, 40-34.
Mount Vernon Christian (16-4) will take on Tulalip Heritage in the district championship game on Tuesday.
Mount Vernon Christian 51, Lummi Nation 48
Lummi Nation 8 3 7 30—48
Mount Vernon Christian 10 9 8 24—51
Lummi Nation: Aliesha Solomon 1, Raven Solomon 31, Rian Greene 3, Shaylynn Jojola, Aiyona Morris 1, Ashtin McElderry 4, Shandeara Julius, Serena Pantalia 2, Vanessa Bearpaw, Alayla Solomon 6.
Mount Vernon Christian: Van Hofwegen, Faber 2, J. Droog 28, VanderKooy 3, K. Russell 2, Wood 9, A. Russell, E. Droog 7, DeVlieger.
CLASS 1B DISTRICT 1
Thursday, Feb. 6
Tulalip Heritage 46, Lopez 30
Lummi Nation 64, Cedar Park Christian (MLT) 29
Saturday, Feb. 8
Tulalip Heritage 40, Grace Academy 34
Mount Vernon Christian 51, Lummi Nation 48
Cedar Park Christian (MLT) 35, Lopez 31 (winner fifth, loser out)
Tuesday, Feb. 11
At Mount Vernon Christian
Lummi Nation vs. Grace Academy (winner third, loser fourth)
Mount Vernon Christian vs. Tulalip Heritage, 6:15 p.m. (winner first, loser second)
(Top five advance to Tri-District)
