The Lynden Christian boys and girls, the Meridian boys, and the Nooksack Valley girls are headed to the state regionals after easily dispatching their opponents in the District 1/2 crossover series on Saturday, Feb. 22, at King’s High School.
The District 1 champion Lyncs took care of business with the LC boys defeating Cedar Park Christian (Bothell), 71-31, and the LC girls crushing Granite Falls, 77-6.
District 1 runners-up Meridian and Nooksack Valley also won going away, the Trojan boys beating Bush School, 83-46, and the Nooksack girls overwhelming Bear Creek, 65-16.
All four games were loser-out contests, with the winners earning spots in the regionals on either Friday, Feb. 28, or Saturday, March 1. The opponents, times, and locations will be determined by the WIAA seeding committee on Sunday.
Depending on their seeding, the four 1A teams and the other Whatcom teams that have qualified for regionals — the Lummi Nation boys and girls, and the Lynden boys and girls — may have to win next weekend before advancing to their state tournaments in Spokane (Class 1B), and Yakima (1A and 2A).
Here are the Saturday’s games in chronological order:
Grace DeHoog (left) and Kate Shintaffer led Nooksack back to state. (File photo)
CLASS 1A GIRLS
Nooksack Valley Takes Down Bear Creek, 65-16
After a slow start, the two-time defending state champion Pioneers used their pressure defense to hold the Grizzlies to their lowest point total of the year and end the District 2 fourth-place finisher’s season.
“We did a real good job of limiting Bear Creek from running their offense,” said Nooksack Valley coach Shane Wichers, whose tenth-ranked squad improved to 16-8. “We also had 23 assists, which is a testament to them finding the most open player.”
Junior post Grace DeHoog led the Nooksack offense with 19 points, junior Payton Bartl had 14 points and a pair of 3-pointers, senior Kate Shintaffer had 12 points, junior Chayleigh Davis had 8 points, sophomore Raegan Burke had 7 points, and sophomore Peyton Duque had 6 points.
Bartl also led the Pioneers with 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. DeHoog added 5 rebounds, Duque also had 4 steals, and Shintaffer and Davis had 3 steals each, and the two combined for 7 assists.
“Payton Bartl had a very good all-around game with points, rebounds, and assists,” said Wichers.
To be fair, the Pioneers actually were behind for about 30 seconds after the Grizzlies hit their first shot, a 3-pointer, 35 seconds into the game. But Nooksack Valley scored the next 10 points, and the rout was on.
DeHoog took command in the second quarter, scoring 11 points as Nooksack used an 18-2 run to go up by 23 at the half, and by the end of the third quarter, the running clock was going and Pioneer fans were double-checking their hotel reservations for Yakima.
This will be the 25th state appearance for the Pioneers, who have been in the 1A finals the past three years.
Bear Creek, which had only been to state four times — all as a 2B school and most recently in 2014 — finished its season with a 15-9 record.
Nooksack Valley 65, Bear Creek 16
Bear Creek 6 2 6 2—16
Nooksack Valley 13 18 20 14—65
Bear Creek: Prock, Gilchrist, Pannell 4, Gergen, Tang, Hyssop, Vinkemulder 5, Keith 2, Bennetsen, Bennett, Parker 5.
Nooksack Valley: Flores, Shintaffer 12, Bartl 14, Davis 8, Duque 6, Biondolillo 2, Harmon, Burke 7, DeHoog 19.
Allison Shumate had a big game in LC’s big win. (File photo)
Lynden Christian Demolishes Granite Falls, 77-6
How dominant was Lynden Christian? It was 10-0 before Granite Falls scored its first point. It was 48-1 before the Tigers scored another point.
“We came out and played together on both ends,” said LC coach Brady Bomber, whose team improved to 20-3. “We shared the ball on offense, and everyone competed on defense.”
The result wasn’t surprising considering Lynden Christian is ranked No. 2 among 1A schools — and should be the top seed heading into state — while Granite Falls was fifth in the Emerald Sound League tournament and ranked No. 27 in the state.
The Tigers suited up 12 player, but only one of them — Addison Haverfield — managed to score against the stingy LC defense.
Meanwhile, 10 different Lyncs scored with seven of them each getting as many points as the entire Granite Falls team.
Senior post Allison Shumate was unstoppable inside, scoring a game-high 17 points, all in the first half since she didn’t play the second half. Freshman Tyra Dykstra had 14 points, senior Alisa Scott had 10 points, sophomore Jocelyn Eshuis had 8 points, and sophomore Ellie Pierce, junior Estela Hernandez, and senior Danya Dykstra had 6 points each.
The game was pretty much over after LC unleashed its bomb squad two minutes into the first quarter. Danya Dykstra hit a 3-pointer, and a minute later cousin Tyra Dykstra hit another 3. Thirty seconds after that, Hernandez hit another 3, and a minute later Tyra Dykstra added one more 3.
That’s four 3-pointers in two and a half minutes and twice as many points as Granite Falls would score the entire game. The Lyncs would finish with 11 3s, with the two Dykstras, Hernandez, and Pierce making two each.
With the victory, Lynden Christian qualified for state for the 39th time, having won state 14 times.
“We don’t take for granted the opportunity to participate in the state tournament,” said Bomber, whose teams have claimed four of the state titles. “Our coaching staff is proud of our players for their hard work this year to earn this.”
Granite Falls ended its season with a 13-11 record. The Tigers have been to state only once in school history, losing both games at the 2A tournament in 2003.
Lynden Christian 77, Granite Falls 6
Granite Falls 1 2 2 1— 6
Lynden Christian 29 21 18 9—77
Granite Falls: Weatherby, McGarr, Boisen, Van Winkle, Johnson, Toland, Thelen, Rohn, Vonnoten, Gill, Simons, Haverfield 6.
Lynden Christian: D. Dykstra 6, T. Dykstra 14, Tolsma 3, Hernandez 6, Fritts 4, Scott 10, Shumate 17, Van Loo, Yun 3, Pierce 6, Eshuis 8.
CLASS 1A GIRLS DISTRICT 1/2 CROSSOVER
Saturday, Feb. 22
Lynden Christian 77, Granite Falls 6 (winner to state regionals, loser out)
Nooksack Valley 65, Bear Creek 16 (winner to state regionals, loser out)
Dawson Hintz gave the Lyncs a big lift Saturday. (File photo)
CLASS 1A BOYS
Lynden Christian Shoots Down Eagles, 73-31
Even short-handed, the Lyncs made short work of Cedar Park Christian (Bothell), only allowing three Eagles to score and holding the District 2 fifth-place finisher to single digits in all four quarters.
“We had balanced scoring with 22 assists,” said a pleased Lynden Christian coach Tim Zylstra, whose team is now 21-2 on the season.
The Lyncs leaped out to an 11-0 lead in the first three minutes and led, 18-6, after one period thanks to the nine points of sophomore Dawson Hintz. The Eagles scored the first bucket of the second quarter to cut the margin to 10, but that was as close as it would get.
When Hintz hit a driving shot at the halftime buzzer, the Lyncs led by 25 and it was time to let LC’s bench have some fun.
Even without starters Gannon Dykstra and Gunnar Dykstra — both nursing injuries — Lynden Christian had no trouble on offense. Eight of the nine Lyncs who suited up scored, with Hintz leading the way with 17 points, 6 assists, and a pair of breakaway slam dunks.
Junior Boyce Robertson added 13 points for Lynden Christian, senior Luke Van Kooten had 12 points and a pair of 3s, junior Eli Maberry and sophomore Kaden Veldman had 10 points each, and senior Carter Ahlers had 6 points. Maberry and Ahlers contributing two 3-pointers each, and Ahlers had 5 assists.
The Lyncs also dominated the boards with Van Kooten, Veldman, and sophomore Chris Kooiman pulling down 8 rebounds each, and Maberry grabbing 6.
“It’s the next-guy-up mentality,” Zylstra said of his reserves’ strong showing.
This will be Lynden Christian’s 40th state appearance. The Lyncs have eight state championships, including two in a row in 2022 and 2023.
The Eagles finished their season with a 9-13 record.
Lynden Christian 73, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 31
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 6 9 9 7—31
Lynden Christian 18 22 14 19—73
Cedar Park Christian (Bothell): Oppenheimer 5, Nagel 17, Aguiar, Beget 9, Irish, Larkin, Matabaro, Delgaodillo, Hutchinson.
Lynden Christian: Hintz 17, Ahlers 6, Maberry 10, Robertson 13, Kamphouse 2, Van Kooten 12, Veldman 10, Kooiman 3, Vos.
Jaeger Fyfe (5) and Talon Jenkins (1) combined for 46 points. (File photo)
Meridian On Fire, Leaves Burning Bush Behind, 83-46
The Trojans exploded for a season-high in points on the way to razing Bush School and completing a Whatcom sweep over their District 2 foes.
Leading the attack were Meridian’s two big guns, who got the Trojans off to a hot start.
Senior Jaeger Fyfe had 11 of his game-high 24 points and three of his five 3-pointers in the first quarter as Meridian burst to a 23-12 lead. Then it was senior Talon Jenkins’s turn. He had 15 of his 22 points and three of his four 3s in the second quarter as the Trojans went into the break with a 47-27 lead.
“Big-time players make big-time plays, and these two were ready to go tonight,” said Meridian coach Shane Stacy, whose team improved to 17-7. “They didn’t set foot on the court in the fourth quarter and combined for 46 points.”
Senior James Hedahl added 11 points and sophomore Trey Alexander had 9 points as 10 different Trojans got in the scoring column.
Meridian’s defense was led by its three-headed backcourt monster — senior Canyon James and sophomores Pierce Brzozowski and Alexander — which never let the Blazers get going.
“Pierce, Trey, and Canyon were elite defenders,” said Stacy. “And I was very proud of the way James Hedahl stepped up tonight and gave us an inside presence.”
The Trojans will be making their 11th state appearance and second in a row for only the second time in school history.
Bush ended its season 9-10.
Meridian 83, Bush 46
Bush 12 15 14 5—46
Meridian 23 24 18 18—83
Meridian: Jenkins 22, Hayes 3, Fyfe 24, James, Haugen 2, Blankenburg, Larsen 2, Alexander 9, Galbraith 2, Brzozowski 2, Hedahl 11, Harris 4.
Bush: Wodaje 4, O’Kelley 1, Kelly, Glaser 6, Fernandez, Johnston, Cisse, Daniel, Hutchinson 9, Ederer 6, Zilliax 18.
CLASS 1A BOYS DISTRICT 1/2 CROSSOVER
Saturday, Feb. 22
Lynden Christian 73, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) 31 (winner to state regionals, loser out)
Meridian 83, Bush 46 (winner to state regionals, loser out)
