Three Whatcom teams ended the year with championships by winning holiday tournament titles on Wednesday, Dec. 31, at the Trojan Storm Winter Classic at Meridian and the Lynden Christmas Classic at Lynden Christian.
In their first year in the Meridian tournament, the Lummi Nation boys and girls took home championship trophies by defeating Whatcom rivals Meridian and Blaine, respectively, and the Lynden girls routed another foe for their third straight title at the LC tourney.
Other winners on Wednesday were the Bellingham boys and girls, the Ferndale girls, and the Lynden Christian girls. Here’s a look at all the holiday tournament games involving Whatcom teams.
Trojan Storm Winter Classic (Boys)
Lummi Nation Outlasts Meridian To Win Crown, 71-60
Lummi Nation coach Jerome Toby and Meridian coach Shane Stacy are friends going back to their days as AAU teammates 30 years ago, but on Wednesday, it was all about their two teams trying to win a holiday tournament championship.
“I have a ton of respect for Jerome and what he does,” said Stacy. “But you don’t survive (in coaching) unless you’re competitive. Today, it was a playoff basketball game.”
In the end, it was Lummi Nation that would hoist the tournament’s first-place trophy as the Blackhawks used a big third quarter to top the Trojans, 71-60, in front of a boisterous crowd.
“All the fans were into it, and they gave us the energy we needed,” said Lummi Nation junior Dyson Edwards, who finished with 15 points.
Although from a smaller classification, the Blackhawks (9-1) came in as favorites having won the Class 1B state title last season, while Meridian (3-6) was hit hard by graduation after placing fourth at last year’s 1A state tourney.
But for the first two quarters, the underdog Trojans matched the quickness and stingy defense of Lummi Nation and the teams were tied after the first quarter and at halftime. What Meridian couldn’t match, however, was the height and power of Lummi’s Chayce Waite-Kellar.
The 6-foot-8 post dominated inside, scoring 10 points in the third quarter and helping the Blackhawks get their transition game going for easy baskets. A 20-point third quarter suddenly gave Lummi Nation a 10-point lead and threatened to turn a tight game into a rout.
But as Stacy would say, this is not the same Meridian team that lost its first five games. The Trojans rallied behind junior Gabe Galbraith, whose three-point play and fastbreak bucket helped cut the deficit to 51-48 midway through the fourth quarter.
“Good teams will make runs, and they went on more runs than we’d like,” said Toby. “But we stayed composed, and our boys were able to respond. It’s nice having a group that’s been there.”
Waite-Kellar scored inside, Edwards turned a steal into a layup, and junior Deandre James put in a rebound and suddenly the lead was back to double digits. Senior Jerome Toby Jr. and junior Landon LaFontaine each made two free throws in the final two minutes to ice the game.
The Lummi big man had another big game with a game-high 23 points, Toby joined Waite-Kellar and Edwards in double figures with 14 points, and LaFontaine had 9 points. Coach Toby was also pleased with his reserves, who were forced into action by Meridian’s fast pace and deeper bench.
“I tell them to stay ready,” Toby said of his own bench. “Today they contributed.”
For Meridian, Galbraith and junior Trey Alexander had 21 points each, senior Daniel Larsen had 7 points, and junior L.D. Webster had 6 points.
“We’ve come a long way, and competed with one of the best teams in the county,” said Galbraith, who had four of Meridian’s six 3-pointers. “I think we’re progressing well. We’re undersized, but we make up for it with hustle.”
It was that hustle that pleased Stacy the most. He cited Alexander’s efforts of sticking with Toby Jr., Lummi’s all-state guard, while also putting up big offensive numbers.
“We clawed and scrapped for everything,” Stacy said of his team. “And we’ll continue to get better.”
Of course, Lummi Nation figures to get better, too, thanks to playing better competition like Meridian and Class 4A Eastlake in the holiday tournament. And there’s no question that the Blackhawks are shooting to raise a different championship trophy in March.
“Back to back … that would be fun,” said Edwards of winning another 1B state title.
Lummi Nation 71, Meridian 62
Lummi Nation 16 13 20 22—71
Meridian 16 13 10 21—60
Lummi Nation: Toby Jr. 14, LaFontaine 9, Edwards 15, Revey, Yrizarris 2, Hawk, T. James 3, Waite-Kellar 23, D. James 5, Tobey-Williams.
Meridian: Harris 2, Webster 6, Alexander 21, Galbraith 21, Ashmore, Brzozowski 3, Larsen 7, Burgess.
Bellingham, Harward Leave Bush In The Dust, 78-63
The Bellingham boys won for the third time in their last four games by beating Bush, 78-63, in Wednesday’s consolation finals of the tournament, and they did it in record fashion.
Senior Joe Harward led the Bayhawks (4-5) with 41 points, which broke the school record of 40 points in a game set by Eric Jorissen in 1996. Harward had 12 of his points in the fourth quarter, when Bellingham put up 27 points to break open a close game.
Joining Harward in double figures were junior Calvin Van Hofwegen with 14 points and a pair of 3-pointers, and senior Barrett Johnson with 12 points. Sophomore Emmett Vanhouten added 7 points for the Bayhawks.
Trojan Storm Winter Classic (Girls)
Lummi Nation Beats Blaine For Championship, 70-51
The girls championship game in Bracket 2 of the Trojan Storm Winter Classic turned out to be a shootout between the top guns of Lummi Nation and Blaine, but on Wednesday, the Lady Blackhawks had a lot more shooters and claimed the first-place trophy, 70-51.
“It was really fun with all the energy in the gym,” Lummi Nation junior Jemma James said of the Lady Blackhawks first time in the Trojan Storm Winter Classic. “The fans really motivate us. We started off slow, but once we got going, we’re hard to stop.”
On Wednesday, the fans were treated to a scoring battle between James and Blaine senior Aaliyah Bowman as the two traded basket after basket through most of the game. James would finish with 31 points and Bowman with 33.
When she heard the number after the game, a shocked Bowman said, “I never would have imagined it. That’s crazy.”
The difference, however, was that James had a lot of scoring help on a team of shooters, who routinely put up 70-plus points a game. Seniors Ailina Rabang and Bri Metteba and eighth-grader Jordy Reeder each pitched in 12 points with James making five 3-pointers, Metteba hitting three 3s, and Reeder adding two more.
Meanwhile, the only other Borderite to score more than four points was junior Kate Koreski, who had 11 points. And Blaine only managed two 3-pointers for the contest.
“I was a little nervous coming in,” said assistant coach Ashley Dickerson, who took over Wednesday for injured head coach Sean Miller. “But the girls really showed up. It’s like this tournament flipped a switch for them. They are doing things we haven’t done before. It’s been unbelievable.”
Considering that Blaine almost didn’t have enough players to field a team two years ago, winning two games in the tournament and reaching the championship game was indeed a holiday miracle. Blaine is now 3-7 on the season.
“After we lost to Everett, we recharged,” said Bowman of a five-point defeat to Cascade on Dec. 20. “I’m really proud of us. We’re starting to blend together.”
The Blackhawks, however, have been blending for several years and are looking to make their third straight trip to the Class 1B state tournament. On Wednesday, they stretched a nine-point halftime lead to 15 going into the fourth period and never let the Borderites get the margin under 10.
“We wanted to get some good competition (in the tournament) and play better teams,” said Lummi Nation coach David James, whose squad is now 9-1. “But we’re not satisfied yet. I figured they (the Borderites) would put up a fight. But I liked how we fought through the adversity.”
(NOTE: Because there were 17 girls teams entered, the tournament was divided into Brackets 1 and 2.)
Lummi Nation 70, Blaine 51
Lummi Nation 19 14 23 14—70
Blaine 6 18 16 11—51
Lummi Nation: J. James 31, Rabang 12, B. Metteba 12, Reeder 12, Morris, Phair, Dennis 2, M. Metteba, C. James 1.
Blaine: Bring 3, Tanjuaquio, Puls, Bowman 33, Sandell 4, Kruse, Hill, Dickson, Koreski 11.
Sehome Comes Up Short In Title Game, 45-43
Coaches always say little things add up to big things and on Wednesday, not doing the little things cost the Sehome girls the big Bracket 2 championship as the Mariners fell to Bellevue Christian, 45-43.
“The last few games, we’ve struggled offensively,” said Sehome coach Kim Stensgar, whose squad fell to 7-3 after winning their first two games in the tournament. “But win or lose, this has been a great experience for us.”
When they fell behind, 10-1, after the first five minutes on Wednesday and couldn’t buy a basket even if it had been on sale in the Meridian concession stand, the Mariners’ New Year’s Eve experience looked like it would be anything but great.
But after they came alive and tied the game at 13 with a minute left in the first quarter, they found themselves in a frustrating loop that had them close to within a point or two only to miss opportunities to go ahead. And every time it was the little things.
They missed 11 free throws in the first half, missed several layups that would have given them the lead, couldn’t get a defensive rebound, missed an open shot, or fouled with the shot clock running down, and every time Bellevue Christian responded by stretching the lead back to three or four.
It seemed to happen all game long, but in the critical final three minutes it happened three times.
The Mariners closed to within one, but fouled and, after BC hit two free throws, Sehome had an inbounds violation. The Mariners then closed to within one again, but fouled and BC hit two more free throws. And with 1:21 left, the Mariners closed to within a point one more time, and once again fouled, and the Vikings hit another free throw.
Still, despite all of the offensive struggles and frustrating miscues, Sehome still had the ball and a chance to tie or win it with 25 seconds left. But the coaches’ designed play didn’t pan out, and junior Kate Schroeder was forced to drive into traffic with the clock running down and couldn’t get it to fall with three seconds left.
You can’t blame Schroeder, however, since she provided the only consistent offense with 17 points. Senior Lily Jude came off the bench to provide an emotional spark and 10 points, and sophomore Taylor Turrell had 9 points, but no other Mariner had more than three points.
Stensgar, however, wasn’t too concerned about the non-league loss to the defending Class 1A state champions who are now 8-1 — not with the challenging Northwest Conference schedule coming up.
“The girls are hard on themselves,” she said. “I tell them failure is not fatal. It’s just January. We have to be ready to go on Friday at Anacortes and Tuesday against Nooksack Valley and …”
And maybe beyond the conference schedule and even the district playoffs.
“We want a shot, on opportunity to push this season,” Stensgar said of extending the season to the state tournament.
Bellevue Christian 45, Sehome 43
Bellevue Christian 18 10 6 11—45
Sehome 14 10 8 11—43
Bellevue Christian: Arnold, R. Reynolds, Skogstad 16, Lingerfelt, Hoffman 9, O. Reynolds 18, Hodo 2.
Sehome: Gates 3, Gustafson 1, Turrell 9, Panagos 2, Barge 1, Schroeder 17, Jude 10, Reeves.
Bellingham Clobbers La Center, 59-32
The Bellingham girls finished off a successful tournament by finishing off La Center on Wednesday, 59-32. By winning two of three at the Trojan Storm Winter Classic, the Bayhawks are now 6–4, tying their best win mark in the past five seasons.
On Wednesday, the Bayhawks tamed the Wildcats (4-5) right away, using a big 25-point second quarter to easily leave La Center in too deep a hole.
Leading the charge was senior Mary Lockhart, who had 14 points and sophomore Ayasha Ferrier, who had 12 points on four 3-pointers, all in the big second period. Sophomore Lucy Holland added 11 points, and junior Merritt Jensen had 10 points as the Bayhawks put up their highest scoring total of the season.
Ferndale Demolishes South Whidbey, 68-22
The Ferndale girls only had a two-day stay in the three-day Trojan Storm Winter Classic, but after winning by 48 on Tuesday, they crushed South Whidbey, 68-22, on Wednesday.
Ten of 11 Golden Eagles scored with the starters sitting most of the second half and the reserves shutting out the Falcons in the fourth quarter.
Junior Brooklyn Larrabee led the Ferndale barrage with 18 points. Freshman Mia Collins had 9 points on three 3-pointers, senior Kayla Washington had a pair of 3s and 8 points, senior Jilly Fox had 7 points, and senior Abbey White had 6 points.
The victory was Ferndale third in its last four games and evened the Golden Eagles’ record at 3-3. South Whidbey fell to 3-5 with the loss.
Meridian Loses Rough One To Roughriders, 41-31
The Meridian girls couldn’t find any offense in the second half and lost to Port Angeles, 41-31, in the final day of their tournament.
After leading by three at the half, the Trojans (3-5) went ice cold, scoring only six points after intermission. The only Trojan immune to the freezing was sophomore Madyn Cline-Malarz, who had 16 points, including all six of Meridian’s second-half points.
Senior Kinsley Neal sank a pair of 3-pointers for 6 points, but no other Trojan had more than three points. The Class 3A Roughrider (4-4) only had 19 points after halftime but that was enough to pull out the victory.
Lynden Christmas Classic
Lynden Girls Chop Down Napavine For Championship, 50-20
The Lynden girls added another championship trophy to their trophy case by beating Napavine to win their third straight Lynden Christmas Classic title, 50-20. And the Lions did it in historic fashion, setting the tournament record for least points allowed in a game.
Lynden closed the book on Napavine’s Cinderella story that saw the Tigers upset Lynden Christian and Snohomish on the way to the finals. But the Lions (9-0) ended the fairy tale by shutting out the 2B school in the second quarter to build up a 19-point halftime lead.
Junior Finley Parcher wasn’t bothered by the defensive battle, scoring a game-high 20 points to match Napavine’s team total and sinking a pair of 3-pointers. Senior Rian Stephan added 9 points, and senior Payton Mills and junior Lexi Hermanutz had 8 points each.
With the loss, Napavine fell to 7-3.
LC Girls Take Down Rogers (Puyallup), 61-52
Lynden Christian started another winning streak at the expense of a big school by beating Rogers of Puyallup, 61-52, in the consolation play at home.
The Lyncs (9-1) lost to Napavine on Monday but knocked off River Ridge, a class 3A team, on Tuesday. On Wednesday, Lynden Christian held a 14-point lead in the third quarter and was up by eight with three minutes left before the Rams (7-4) closed it to within three with 1:30 left.
But senior Ella Fritts sank a 3-pointer with a minute to go and junior Ella Pierce and sophomore Tyra Dykstra made two free throws each in the final 45 seconds to end the Rogers rally.
T-Town Throwdown
Nooksack Girls Lose To Inglemoor In Final Seconds, 48-46
The Nooksack Valley girls lost their second straight game to a 3A school when Inglemoor sank a long jumper with four seconds left to win, 48-46, in the final day of the T-Town Throwdown in Tacoma.
The Pioneers tied the back-and-forth battle on senior Payton Bartl’s drive with 15 seconds left, but gave up the game-winner and were unable to get off a final shot. The loss dropped Nooksack to 4-2 on the season, while Inglemoor improved to 8-5.
Senior Grace DeHoog led the Pioneers with 20 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 blocks, but it was Bartl who fueled the comeback with 10 of her 17 points coming in the fourth period. She also would finish with four 3-pointers and 6 rebounds. Junior Raegan Burke added 6 points.
Nooksack Boys Upset Franklin Pierce, 57-53
In what coach Jason Heutink called their most complete game of the year so far, the Nooksack Valley boys shocked Franklin Pierce in the final day of the T-Town Throwdown in Tacoma, 57-53.
The Pioneers (4-4) took the lead early in the second quarter and never relinquished it against the 2A Cardinals, who came into the game with a 7-1 record.
After leading by as much as seven, Nooksack still clung to a two-point lead with two minutes to go when senior Cole Coppinger hit a 3-pointer and a putback, and junior Dane Ackerman sank a turnaround jumper at the shot clock buzzer with a minute to go, which proved just enough to hold off Franklin Pierce.
Senior Owen Wichers capped an outstanding tournament with 19 points and a pair of 3-pointers, senior Crew Bauman had 11 points and two more 3s, Coppinger had 10 points, including eight in the final period, and senior Jayden Anderson had 6 points.
