You have to feel a little sorry for the Franklin Pierce boys basketball team. The Cardinals came all the way from Tacoma to play a Lynden squad that’s finally healthy and hitting on all cylinders in a loser-out game on the Lions’ home court.
And it wasn’t pretty as Lynden dismantled Franklin Pierce, 74-30, in the Class 2A state regional on Friday night, Feb. 27.
“It was our most complete game of the year,” said Lynden coach Brian Roper, whose ninth-seeded team improved to 18-7. “It started with defensive focus, then sharing the ball and hitting shots. It was fun to watch.”
For coverage of all of our Whatcom teams’ regional games, click on State Regionals.
Making it even more enjoyable was the result: the Lions now advance to the state tournament in the Yakima Valley SunDome. They will take on the loser of Saturday’s regional game between No.1 Bremerton and No.8 Renton on Wednesday at 9 p.m. in another loser-out game.
“It’s awesome anytime you get to the Dome,” said senior Spencer Adams of returning to Yakima. “You get the job done, and you do it with the guys you love.”
Lynden certainly got the job done on Friday night, dominating from senior Ty Jorgenson’s slam dunk seconds into the game to junior Lewis Whitney’s layup just before the final buzzer.
It was 9-0 before the Cardinals could get used to the packed gym and the county’s loudest band. It was 17-4 before their leading scorer had his first points. It was 36-13 when senior Charlie “Birthday Boy” Broersma made a layup at the halftime buzzer. And it was 57-26 when the Lions cleared their bench midway through the fourth period.
Watch for the Whatcom Hoops state preview on Sunday. For a look at each of our teams and tournament schedules, click on State Preview.
“It’s survive and advance,” said Adams, who finished with 13 points, two 3-pointers, 12 rebounds, and the team’s sportsmanship award. “We’ve got a job to do. We showed up today and played four solid quarters.”
Whitney came off the bench to lead the Lions with 14 points. Jorgenson had 12 points and 8 rebounds and along with senior Brody Price was a big reason that Franklin Pierce star Hakeen Collins was held to 13 points, eight of them coming in the second half when the game was already out of reach.
But it was indeed a complete game on both defense — Lynden held the Cardinals to their lowest point total by far this season — and on offense as 10 Lions finished in the scoring column and eight of them combined for 20 assists.
Broersma and juniors Gordy Bedlington and Malachi Koenen had 6 points each with Koenen hitting two 3-pointers and Bedlington dishing out 5 assists. Senior James Ellis and sophomores Jayden Navarre and Markus Koenen had 5 points each, and Price and the Koenen brothers each had 3 assists.
The Lions will be hoping to erase last year’s disappointing finish when they arrive in Yakima next week. After winning five of the previous six state titles and coming in as the top seed, Lynden suffered two shocking losses and failed to place last March.
Which is why the Lynden coach keeps it all in perspective and celebrates each team’s accomplishments.
“I’m happy for these boys to get that experience,” Roper of playing in the SunDome. “We’ve got a chance and a lot of teams are sitting at home wishing they had a chance. More importantly, it’s another week together. From a 6-5 start … it’s already a successful season.”
Lynden 74, Franklin Pierce 30
Franklin Pierce 6 7 11 6—30
Lynden 22 14 14 24—74
Franklin Pierce: Smith, Collins 13, Myers, Johnson 8, Oliver, DePaulo, McLean 2, Lat. Brim, Torres, Hart, Lam. Brim 2, Valentine 5.
Lynden: Navarre 5, Bedlington 6, Price, Ellis 5, Mar. Koenen 5, Mal. Koenen 6, Broersma 6, Smith 2, Whitney 14, Jorgenson 12, Adams 13, Weg.
CLASS 2A BOYS STATE REGIONALS
Friday, Feb. 27
Lynden 74, Franklin Pierce 30 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Saturday, Feb. 28
Anacortes 52, Selah 50 (both to state tournament)
West Valley (Spokane) 69, Lakewood 63 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
R.A. Long 49, Grandview 38 (both to state tournament)
Pullman 73, Tumwater 38 (both to state tournament)
Foster 72, Bainbridge 48 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Columbia River 77, Clover Park 41 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Bremerton 75, Renton 57 (both to state tournament)
