There will be no four-peat or even a trophy for the Lynden boys basketball team after Friday morning’s stunning 41-38 loss to Columbia River in the Class 2A state tournament. All that would fall were tears.
Struggling to score in the second half, Lynden couldn’t hold off the pesky Rapids from Vancouver, Wash., and saw its season come to a sudden end in the consolation game. The Lions would finish the season with a 25-3 record, tarnished only by two straight losses in the Yakima SunDome.
“It was a great season,” said Lynden coach Brian Roper outside the emotional locker room. “Because of how special it was, it makes the moment more difficult on the players and coaches.”
It definitely was a special season. With only two veterans returning from the team that won a historic third straight state title last year, the young Lions went undefeated in the regular season and came into the tournament top-ranked with a 25-1 record.
But one disastrous quarter in the quarterfinals against 10th-seeded Prosser on Thursday ended the dream of a record fourth straight state championship, and a rough second half against 11th-seeded Columbia River ended the dream of earning a state trophy for the ninth straight tournament.
The team’s youthfulness and lack of experience showed Friday, especially on offense. In addition to 13 turnovers and a technical foul, all of the team’s underclassmen combined to shoot 1 for 21 from the field.
“Our youth showed at times in key situations,” said Roper. “It felt like there was a lid on the basket in the second half. They (the Rapids) made more plays down the stretch.”
The sub-freezing shooting was particularly striking compared to the first half when the Lions used a 15-1 run to lead by 15 points. Most of that came from Lynden’s two seniors — Brant Heppner and Jack Stapleton.
Heppner would finish with a game-high 25 points in addition to his 13 rebounds, and Stapleton had 8 points. But in the second half, with Columbia River doing everything to stop Heppner, the Lions only managed 13 points.
Still, despite the chilly offense, the Lions still held a 34-33 lead with just under three minutes to go thanks to a Stapleton putback. After Columbia River scored, Heppner hit a jumper to give the Lions back the lead for the last time.
But then came the free throws — all by Columbia River. The Rapids made two, Lynden missed a shot, and the Rapids made two more to go up by three with under a minute to go.
Stapleton scored inside with 8.6 seconds to go, but two more Rapids free throws with 5.5 seconds left forced Lynden into a Hail Mary 3-pointer, and Heppner’s final shot bounced off the rim at the buzzer.
It was a disappointing end to Heppner’s brilliant career, which included being part of the three state title teams and an all-stater last season. However, his influence this season went beyond the points and rebounds.
“Brant’s one of the all-time Lynden players,” said Roper, who has coached seven state championship teams in his 20 years at Lynden. “He took a very young team and his leadership was on display all year. What you didn’t see off the court was that he was a quality leader.”
Even in defeat, the 6-foot-6 forward held his poise and showed his love for his team.
“It was such a great season,” he said. “I loved showing up every day with these guys. It didn’t end the way we wanted but to see them grow throughout the year. I’ll miss them.”
As for Friday, the senior said he was proud of the way the Lions battled all game long. “We got good looks, but the ball just didn’t go in the hoop,” he said. “But at the end of the day, you just want to say you gave it your all.”
Another one who gave his all was Stapleton, who played all season with painful heels that kept him out of games and practices. But he didn’t give in, playing every game down the stretch, including the playoffs.
“I’m so proud of Jack,” said Roper. “He played through pain all year. He had a healthy attitude about the situation.”
In his last moment on the Yakima SunDome court, Heppner was awarded the team’s sportsmanship medallion. He also was named to the all-tournament first team.
Although the WIAA does not sanction all-tournament teams, in voting by media members, Jalen Davis of Bremerton was named the tournament most valuable player. Joining Heppner on the first team were Koby McClure of Prosser, Dalton Stevens of Mark Morris, and Landon Bailey of Prosser.
On the second team were Javon Barbee of Franklin Pierce, Jackson Pepper of Selah, Ari Richardson of Columbia River, Joshua Crane and Cameron Newsome of R.A. Long, and Jaydon Turner of Bremerton.
Columbia River 41, Lynden 38
Columbia River 6 10 14 11—41
Lynden 15 10 5 8—38
Columbia River: Alex Pont, Ari Richardson 13, Kellen Clary 2, John Reeder 10, Tyler Miles, Luca Phillips 1, Aaron Hoey 15.
Lynden: Jayden Navarre, Gordy Bedlington, Brody Price, Malachi Bowman, Malachi Koenen, Jack Stapleton 8, Ty Jorgenson 3, Brant Heppner 25, Spencer Adams 2.
CLASS 2A BOYS STATE TOURNAMENT
At Yakima SunDome
Wednesday, March 5
Columbia River 60, Lakewood 56 (loser out)
Prosser 88, Foster 66 (loser out)
Franklin Pierce 59, West Valley (Spokane) 50 (loser out)
Mark Morris 69, Sequim 59 (loser out)
Thursday, March 6
Selah 74, Columbia River 49
Prosser 64, Lynden 50
Bremerton 57, Franklin Pierce 42
R.A. Long 50, Mark Morris 48
Friday, March 7
Columbia River 41, Lynden 38 (loser out)
Mark Morris 53, Franklin Pierce 51 (loser out)
#5 Selah (21-4) vs. #10 Prosser (24-7), 3:45 p.m.
#3 Bremerton (20-5) vs. #2 R.A. Long (24-1), 5:30 p.m.
Saturday, March 8
#11 Columbia River (21-6) vs. #8 Mark Morris (22-6), 8 a.m. (winner fourth, loser sixth)
Consolation final, 11:15 a.m. (winner third, loser fifth)
Championship game, 9 p.m. (winner first, loser second)
