They might call it “consistent” or “connected,” but make no mistake — the Lynden girls basketball team is definitely relentless.
The two-time defending state champion Lions were unrelenting in their 67-45 victory over Selah in the Class 2A state regionals on Friday night, Feb. 27, at Lynden High School.
With the triumph, top-seeded Lynden not only won its 24th game of the season and stretched its winning streak to 72 games, but more importantly advanced to Thursday’s quarterfinals in the Yakima Valley SunDome. The Lions will play at 10:30 a.m. but their opponent won’t be decided until after Wednesday’s loser-out games.
“I’m super excited,” said senior Payton Mills of spending state week in Yakima for the third year in a row. “It’s my last ride with these girls.”
For coverage of all of our Whatcom teams’ regional games, click on State Regionals.
Mills and her girls are the tournament favorites to three-peat, but Selah showed it won’t come easily. The Vikings, who took third in their district and came in with a 19-7 record and the tournament’s eighth seed, were just as stubborn, firing up 3-pointers and matching Lynden’s physical play.
“The CWAC (Central Washington Athletic Conference) is probably the best league in the state top to bottom,” said Lynden coach Rob Adams. “We knew nothing would scare these guys (the Vikings). Give credit to Selah. They played with high energy and physicality. They rose to the occasion. But once we settled in…”
It took a while but the Lions finally did settle in. Selah even held a brief 19-18 lead before Lynden used a 16-2 run to take a double-digit lead just before halftime. But the Vikings cut the lead to five twice in third quarter, the last time with just over four minutes left in the 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.
But didn’t we say the Lions were relentless? They went on another 11-2 run to finish the quarter and when junior Lexi Hermanutz hit a 3-pointer from the top of the key with five minutes left in the game, the margin was 19. After that, it was up to the reserves to finish off the 22-point victory.
“We stayed connected,” Adams said of weathering Selah’s rallies. “Funny things happen in postseason. But nothing unraveled. When they cut it to five, we called a time out, then go on an 11-0 run. That speaks volumes of the kind of kids we have. That’s how we’ve been playing the last couple of games.”
Mills agreed. “It was an up-and-down game, but we try to stay consistent and stay together,” said the all-state post, who finished with 16 points, half coming in the decisive third quarter.
When it comes to consistency, however, nobody does it better than junior Finley Parcher, who had a game-high 31 points. Last year’s 2A player of the year let the game come to her with a quiet five points in the first quarter, then took command with 10 points in the second quarter, and eight points in both the third and fourth quarters.
She also keyed the Lynden defense both with steals and rebounds as the Lions held Selah to only six points in the fourth period and its second-lowest point total of the season. Oh, and she made all eight of her free throws as the Lions hit 18 of 22 from the line and was given the game’s sportsmanship award.
Despite the loss, Selah also moves on to Yakima, but will have to play a loser-out game on Wednesday. Should the Vikings win, they would advance to the state quarterfinals and the double-elimination portion of the tournament.
Lynden 67, Selah 45
Selah 13 12 14 6—45
Lynden 16 18 19 14—67
Selah: Webster, Pepper 8, Hall 2, Tilley, Phinney, Pendleton 7, Bettis 10, Kingston 8, St. Mary, Durbin, Jamieson 10.
Lynden: Bowler 2, Hermanutz 12, Nyhoff 1, Newcomb, Slayton, R. Stephan, I. Stephan 5, Parcher 31, Mills 16.
CLASS 2A GIRLS STATE REGIONALS
Friday, Feb. 27
Lynden 67, Selah 45 (both to state tournament)
Prosser 71, W.F. West 54 (both to state tournament)
Saturday, Feb. 28
Fife 52, Ridgefield 40 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Clarkston 58, Archbishop Murphy 51 (both to state tournament)
Nathan Hale 54, Sequim 36 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Mark Morris 68, Kingston 42 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Port Angeles 52, Renton 39 (winner to state tournament, loser out)
Ellensburg 58, Deer Park 49 (both to state tournament)
