Lions might be kings of the jungle, but the Lynden girls are once again queens of the Lynden Christmas Classic.
The Lions used a second-half surge to defeat White River, 72-51, on Saturday, Dec. 28, and win the Classic championship for the second year in a row.
Whatcom County’s other two teams in holiday tournament finals — the Meridian boys and girls — did not fare as well, losing the championship games in their own Trojan Storm Winter Classic on Saturday.
Although a fun time might have been had by all, it was not a victorious day for Whatcom squads as only five of the 11 teams playing in tourneys won on Saturday.
Besides the Lynden girls, our winners were the Lynden, Lynden Christian, Sehome, and Squalicum boys.
Here’s a look at Saturday’s tournament games:
Lynden Christmas Classic
Lynden girls surge past White River, 72-51
It took awhile for the Electric Company to get charged up, but when it did, Lynden (11-0) turned a tight contest into another big win, this time over White River (7-2) in the championship game.
“We call our bench the Electric Company because they bring the juice,” said Lynden coach Rob Adams, who seems to have a nickname for everybody. “They put in a lot of work. It was nice to see the ball go in the hoop for them.”
The Hornets, who figure to be among the top Class 3A teams in the state, used a rugged defense that double-teamed Lynden star Finley Parcher and crashed the boards with abandon. The Lions took a 7-0 lead, but White River quickly closed the gap, and only trailed by three at the half.
“We had to regroup at halftime,” said Adams, whose team is also looking to defend its Class 2A state title. “They did a nice job on us defensively. We needed our bench. We tell them, ‘be patient, your time will come.’”
It came in the second half. After White River tied it with a 3-pointer to start the third quarter, the Lions went to work. After quickly taking back the lead it would never relinquish, Lynden closed the third period on a 10-point run.
Senior Kiki York made two buckets, junior Degitu Bowler hit a 3-pointer, and junior Payton Mills turned a driving layup into a three-point play, which turned a tight contest into a 12-point Lions lead going into the final period.
Two minutes later, Finley put in a rebound and subsequent foul shot for another three-point play and junior Reese Nyhoff hit a 3-pointer and suddenly the lead was 18. With the Lions defense limiting the Hornets to mostly free throws, it was soon time for both teams to empty their benches.
“I never thought we would get away from them at the end,” said Adams. “This (tournament) was significant for us. We played three exceptionally talented teams with three different styles. It’s just like state.”
For York, a three-year varsity veteran, the victory was a reminder that the Lions are not dependent on just their two all-staters — Parcher and Mills.
“Today was the best any team has done taking away Finley,” said the three-year varsity veteran. “That means the rest of the players have to step up and play their roles. We just had to be confident.”
The Electric Company did step up. Bowler and Nyhoff had 6 points each, junior Jules Slayton had 5 points, and junior Rihanna Newcomb had 3 points with the four reserves combining for six of Lynden’s nine 3-pointers.
But just to be clear, although the Hornets did their best to stop Parcher, they still couldn’t. After scoring 60 points the first two games of the tournament, she was “held” to 19 points despite being shadowed by two and sometimes three players.
Mills also came up big with 16 points. York, who is known more for her relentless defense, had 9 points, six of them in the 23-point third quarter that turned the game in Lynden’s favor. And starting guard sophomore Lexi Hermanutz added 6 points to the balanced attack.
White River was led by sophomore sensation Maggee Schmitz, who had a game-high 20 points. But with York and Nyhoff chasing her all game long, the Hornets guard had no field goals in the second half and got most of her points with a 12 of 15 performance from the line.
And now, having also beaten Meadowdale on Thursday, 69-51, and Issaquah on Friday, 65-49, the Lions turn to the Northwest Conference schedule, which will have its own challenges. But York said the Lions are ready.
“It’s been fun,” she said of the season so far. “We have a lot of chemistry and are super close. We’re a good team, but we can still get better.”
Lynden 72, White River 51
Lynden 16 13 23 20—72
White River 8 18 14 11—51
Lynden: Bowler 6, Hermanutz 6, Nyhoff 6, Newcomb 3, Slayton 5, R. Stephan 2, I. Stephan, York 9, Anderson, Parcher 19, Basart, Mills 16.
White River: Froemke 3, Hewlett 1, Banks 2, Schmitz 20, Turgeon 2, M.Olson, Young 2, Sprouse 11, J. Olson, Kingston 10.
LC girls can’t keep up with Issaquah, 68-58
When you take pride in your defense and the other team still can’t seem to miss, there’s not much you can do as the Lynden Christian girls found out in losing to Issaquah in Saturday’s third-place game.
The Eagles (9-2) unleashed a 23-point first quarter that included five 3-pointers to take a 13-point lead, and while the Lyncs actually outscored their Class 4A opponent the rest of the way, they were never able to get closer than three points.
“We knew they were a good shooting team,” said LC coach Brady Bomber, whose squad beat Brookswood Secondary on Thursday, 47-42, and lost to White River on Friday, 56-53.
“We did a better job later contesting their shots, but we were trading 2s for 3s. We battled back and made a run. Our goal was just the next possession. Unfortunately, there are no 16-point shots when you’re behind.”
Give the Lyncs credit. Against another talented bigger school — seven of their nine games this season have been against strong Class 4A or 3A teams — Lynden Christian fought back in the third quarter and even had a chance to tie the game.
But the physical Eagles used their quickness to force LC into shooting mostly from the outside, where LC could only hit six 3-pointers. Meanwhile, Issaquah would finish with 10 made shots from beyond the arc by seven different shooters.
LC found the most success going inside to post Allison Shumate, who delivered with a team-high 19 points, eight of them in the third quarter when the Lyncs tried to rally.
“You just have to keep going,” the senior said of trying to rally from so far behind. “They can’t hit (3-pointers) forever. But adversity strengthens and provides a good teaching moment.”
Junior guard Ella Fritts had 16 points despite being the center of Issaquah’s trapping and pressing defense. And senior Danya Dykstra continued her sharpshooting with three more 3-pointers and 11 points.
While Bomber and the Lyncs weren’t happy with suffering their first two losses of the season, they still got what they wanted out of the tournament they hosted.
“We wanted to see high-level teams that are great challenges for us,” said Bomber, whose squad will be among the state favorites at the Class 1A level. “We’re disappointed when you fall short, but we’ll go in (Northwest Conference play) with some optimism.”
Shumate agreed: “Every game is a way for us to get better. This is what we signed up for.” As for the purpose of good competition against bigger schools, she was direct. “The reason is March.”
As in state tournament month.
Issaquah 68, Lynden Christian 58
Lynden Christian 11 15 17 15—58
Issaquah 23 13 16 16—68
Lynden Christian: D. Dykstra 11, T. Dykstra 2, Hernandez 4, Fritts 16, Scott 3, Shumate 19, Yun 2, Van Loo, Pierce 1, Eshuis.
Issaquah: Chan 3, Day, Tsuchikawa 5, Gibbons 19, Hung 6, Hanson 12, Smith-Sletten 6, Akerkar 10, Knipp 4.
Trojan Storm Classic
Meridian girls fall in tourney final, 72-40
The Trojans (7-2) couldn’t keep up with the veteran and bigger Tigers (7-0), losing to their Northwest Conference rivals in the tournament championship game.
Freshman Melanie Short came off the bench to produce another outstanding game, leading the Trojans with 13 points and making 7 of 8 free throws. Sophomore Maddy Swanson had 7 points and Meridian’s only 3-pointer, and senior Brooklyn Fuller and sophomore Eden Bernardy had 6 points each.
But the Trojans only managed 15 points in the second half against the Class 2A power and lost for only the second time all season.
Meridian reached the championship game by beating Sultan on Thursday, 45-35, and Lakewood on Friday, 50-39.
Meridian boys can’t keep up with Kamiak, 66-54
The Trojans (7-2) had one rough quarter, giving up 23 points to Class 4A Kamiak (7-4), and couldn’t make up the difference in losing the tournament championship game.
Seniors James Hedahl and Talon Jenkins had 17 points each for the Trojans. Jenkins also had 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and senior Jaeger Fyfe added 7 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Meridian made it to the finals by beating Seattle Christian on Thursday, 67-44, and Tonasket on Friday, 70-60.
Bellingham boys drop final game to BC, 63-60
The Bayhawks (5-4) rallied in the fourth quarter but fell just short and lost in the fourth-place game to Bellevue Christian (6-1).
Senior Kincade VanHouten had seven of his team-high 24 points in the final period, but Bellingham couldn’t overcome the seven-point deficit. Although he made 5 of 6 free throws, the difference in the game was at the line where the Vikings made 9 of 10 and the Bayhawks were just 15 of 28.
Senior Gabe Van Hofwegen and junior Joe Harward had 14 points each for Bellingham with Van Hofwegen hitting two 3-pointers and Harward grabbing 12 rebounds and 5 steals. VanHouten also had 8 rebounds.
Bellingham lost to Overlake on Thursday, 57-53, and beat Seattle Christian on Friday, 87-80.
Mountlake Terrace Holiday Tournament
Lynden Christian boys cut down Woodinville, 76-53
The Dykstra brothers helped the Lyncs (10-1) cap a successful tournament by knocking off 4A Woodinville (6-3).
Senior Gannon Dykstra led Lynden Christian with 25 points, sinking four 3-pointers, going 5 of 5 from the line, and dishing out 6 assists. Sophomore Gunnar had 19 points and tossing in three 3-pointers.
LC sophomore Kaden Veldman made 6 of 7 from the field and finished with 14 points and a team-high 9 rebounds. Another sophomore, Dawson Hintz, had 7 points and 5 rebounds, and senior Luke VanKooten added 6 points and 7 rebounds.
Lynden Christian opened the tournament Friday by beating host Mountlake Terrace, 59-39.
Squalicum boys top Inglemoor in the fourth, 48-44
The Storm (3-5) won their second game in as many nights by winning the fourth quarter and upsetting the 3A Vikings (5-4) in a game that was tight throughout. Squalicum did it despite missing five players due to family obligations or sickness.
Tied at 36 going into the final period, Squalicum held the Kenmore school to eight points while scoring 12, seven of them by sophomore Hunter Calloway.
Calloway led the Storm with 17 points, including three 3-pointers, and senior Marcus Nixon added 10 points. Ezra Nichols had 9 points and along with fellow senior Ty Hoffman shined on defense and battled the bigger Vikings on the boards.
It was a successful weekend for the Storm, which beat Jackson on Friday, 63-46.
CWU Tournament
Sehome boys shut down Eastmont, 51-36
The Mariners (4-5) showed Eastmont some serious Whatcom County defense by limiting the Class 4A Wildcats (1-6) to 11 first-half points in taking a 15-point lead at halftime . It was a lead that Sehome would never relinquish.
Junior Xavier Kelley led the Mariners’ balanced attack with 16 points and a pair of 3-pointers.
Junior Nolan Wright and sophomore Quincy Tanovan had 10 points each for the Mariners, junior Klay Jackson had 8 points, and senior Cooper McAtee had 7 points with Tanovan, Jackson, and McAtee tossing in two 3-pointers each.
Sehome split its two games at the Central Washington University tournament, losing to Ellensburg on Friday, 56-39.
Sehome girls can’t stop Ellensburg express, 62-23
The young and inexperienced Mariners (4-5) were no match for the veteran Bulldogs (8-0), who have now won 83 of their last 84 games. Their only loss in the past three-plus seasons was to Lynden in the Class 2A state final last March.
Freshman Taylor Turrell led the Mariners with 10 points, sophomore Sadie Gustafson added 5 points, and Turrell and junior Nora Kingsley had Sehome’s two 3-pointers.
The Mariners lost their other game in the tournament to Eastmont on Friday, 70-40.
Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout
Lynden boys use defense to beat Bonney Lake, 46-31
For the second game in a row, the three-time defending Class 2A state champion Lions (8-0) were held to their lowest point total of the season, and for the second game in a row Lynden shut down its opponent and walked away with a big win.
On Saturday, it was 4A Bonney Lake (4-5) that couldn’t crack the Lions D as the Panthers were held to their lowest score of the season.
Offense was hard to come by in the defensive struggle, but Lynden senior Brant Heppner found a way, scoring 22 points and sinking a pair of 3-pointers. He also had 12 rebounds and 5 assists to lead the Lions.
Sophomore Malachi Koenen added 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers and had 4 rebounds, junior Spencer Adams had 5 points and 9 rebounds, and junior Ty Jorgenson and sophomore Gordy Bedlington had 5 rebounds each.
On Friday, Lynden beat Grandview in a rematch of their state championship game last March, 46-41. Saturday’s opponent, Bonney Lake, was a substitute for Annie Wright, which skipped the Yakima tournament to play elsewhere.
T-Town Throwdown
Nooksack Valley girls lose to Juanita, 42-37
The Pioneers’ defense kept them in the game, but their offense never got untracked as they dropped their tournament finale to the 4A Rebels (5-6) in the third-place game.
Senior Kate Shintaffer and junior Payton Bartl had 12 points each and combined for the Pioneers’ three 3-pointers.
Junior Grace DeHoog finished with 9 points and 8 rebounds, but only one other Pioneer got in the scoring column. Junior Chayleigh Davis had 5 rebounds, 2 blocks, and 2 steals.
Nooksack Valley (6-3) lost its tournament opener to River Ridge on Thursday, 50-42, and beat host Silas on Friday, 42-26.
