Lummi Teams Claim District Titles; Sehome Boys Advance

The Lummi Nation trophy case got some additions as the boys and girls basketball teams claimed Class 1B District 1 championships in impressive — and very different — fashion in front of their home fans on Tuesday night, Feb. 11.

The Blackhawk boys used a familiar script to once again knock off rival Tulalip Heritage in a thriller, 52-48, to claim their fifth title in the last six district tournaments.

The Lady Blackhawks also used a familiar script by clobbering Concrete, 59-24, to hoist the first-place trophy for the first time since 2008.

“It was a good night for Lummi Nation,” said boys coach and athletic director Jerome Toby Sr. “I was so proud of our girls getting a district championship. They’ve worked so hard.”

The Lummi Nation boys and girls now advance to the District 1/2/3 tournaments, which begin Saturday with loser-out games. Both Lummi teams are expected to get top-four seeds, however, which send them directly to the quarterfinals next Tuesday, Feb. 18, and leave them one win away from return trips to the 1B state regionals.

In the Class 2A boys district play-in game on Tuesday, Sehome took an early lead and rode it to a 69-53 victory over Marysville-Pilchuck.

The Mariners now move on to the double-elimination portion of the tournament and will play in a quarterfinal at top-seeded and undefeated Lynden on Thursday at 7 p.m.

Your 2025 Class 1B District 1 champion Lummi Nation boys

CLASS 1B

Lummi Boys Take Big Lead, Hold On To Beat Tulalip, 52-48

Like their first two meetings this season, the Blackhawks (19-3) took the biggest lead only to watch the Hawks (19-2) rally in the fourth quarter. The first time, Tulalip won by five. The second time, Lummi won by six. This time, it was the Blackhawks’ turn again.

Through three quarters, it was the Lummi defense that shined, holding the high-flying Hawks to just four points in the second period and 32 heading into the fourth. The Blackhawks led by as much as 14 and were still up by 10 going into the final period.

But Tulalip was ranked second in the state for a reason, and they cut the margin to three with two and a half minutes remaining. Sophomore Dyson Edwards then hit the biggest shot of the game, a 3-pointer to stop Tulalip’s run, and sophomore Deandre James put in a layup to give Lummi a 49-41 lead with 1:30 to go.

Yet, it still wasn’t over. Tulalip hit a layup and got a steal and another layup with 20 seconds to go. With the packed Lummi Nation gym going crazy, the Hawks were forced to foul and, unfortunately for them, fouled the wrong guy — Lummi junior Jerome Toby Jr., who made three foul shots in the final 18 seconds to seal the win.

“We eked out a close game against a tough team,” said coach Toby. “We told them, ‘We’re in the game for 32 minutes. We have to fight to the end because they would,’ and they did. They thrive in the fourth quarter. We had to slam the door shut.”

Despite the pressure and with a district title on the line, the younger Toby wasn’t worried when he got to the line.

“That’s what I practice,” the point guard said of the all-important free throws. “We really should have won by more. But we closed it out.”

Toby would finish with a game-high 19 points, making 7 of 10 free throws and two 3-pointers. But the normally high-scoring Blackhawks also were grounded for much of the of the game.

Edwards had 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers, James had 10 points inside, and sophomore Landon LaFontaine added 7 points for Lummi Nation.

With their sixth straight victory, the Blackhawks move on to the tri-district tournament needing only a win next Tuesday to reach the state regionals.

Young Toby didn’t want to linger in the past, whether it was Tuesday night’s victory or last year’s disappointing sixth-place finish at state after being ranked No.1 most of the season.

“I feel like we’re rolling now,” he said. “We’re pretty confident. We want to prove we’re real (at state) this year.”

Joining Lummi Nation in the tri-district tournament will be district runner-up Tulalip, third-place finisher Providence Classical Christian, fourth-place Lopez Island, and fifth-place Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood).

Lummi Nation 52, Tulalip Heritage 48

Tulalip Heritage 15 4 13 16—48

Lummi Nation 14 15 13 10—52

Tulalip Heritage: Myles-Gilford 8, A. Hatch 8, Gray 12, Parks 11, Bachand 6, Black Tomahawk, P. Hatch 3.

Lummi Nation: Toby 19, LaFontaine 7, Edwards 10, Abrams 2, Lee 4, Revey, James 10.

CLASS 1B BOYS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT

Tuesday, Feb. 4

Play-in games

#8 Concrete 67, #9 Shoreline Christian 27 (loser out)

First round

Thursday, Feb. 6

#3 Providence Classical Christian 63, #6 Darrington 41

#5 Lopez Island 63, #4 Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 41

Friday, Feb. 7

#1 Lummi Nation 81, Concrete 18

#2 Tulalip Heritage 69, #7 Grace Academy 27

Saturday, Feb. 8

Consolation round

Darrington 54, Grace Academy 47 (loser out)

Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 59, Concrete 53 (loser out)

Semifinals

Lummi Nation 69, Lopez Island 29

Tulalip Heritage 73, Providence Classical Christian 28

Tuesday, Feb. 11

Consolation finals

Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 63, Darrington 55 (winner fifth to tri-district, loser out)

Providence Classical Christian 79, Lopez Island 60 (winner third, loser fourth, both to tri-district)

Championship game

Lummi Nation 52, Tulalip Heritage 48 (winner first, loser second, both to tri-district)

Your 2025 Class 1B District 1 champion Lummi Nation girls

Lummi Nation Girls Smash Concrete Again, 59-24

Even though Lummi Nation (20-3) had beaten Concrete (16-7) in their season-opener by 29 points, the district championship game figured to be closer — but it wasn’t.

After winning their first two district games by 71 and 39 points, the Lady Blackhawks gave up a layup off the opening tip and then stormed back on a 23-3 run to go up by 18 after one period. They stretched it to 32 by halftime and the only suspense was if the running clock would come into play. (It didn’t, at least not officially.)

“We knew it was a bigger game,” said Lummi Nation junior Brianna Metteba, who finished with 11 points. “We knew we had to up our game, and everyone did.”

Especially on defense. The Lady Blackhawks held Concrete to its lowest point total of the season and actually called off their aggressive full courtpress in the second half. The Lions didn’t help themselves by missing 21 free throws.

“That’s what this group is all about,” said interim Lummi Nation coach David James, who played his bench much of the second half. “They are all quick and have good hands, and they like to play defense.”

As for offense, Lummi Nation had more than enough thanks to junior Ailina Rabang. The 5-foot-5 guard scored on drives, sank three 3-pointers, and finished with as many points as Concrete — 24.

In addition to Metteba’s 11 points, sophomore point guard Jemma James again controlled the game and had 9 points, and freshman Celestine James provided the inside offense with 7 points.

As for taking the district title for the first time in 17 years, coach James was surprised.

“I didn’t realize its been so long,” he said. “It’s a big thing to bring it back to Lummi.”

Next up is the ti-district tournament, where the heavy favorite will be two-time defending state champion Neah Bay. Fortunately, the top six teams in the 12-team tournament advance to the state regionals.

“This feels amazing,” Rabang said of the district title. “I always wanted to win a trophy in school. Now we want to play Neah Bay, go to state, and take the (champion)ship.”

Lummi Nation 59, Concrete 24

Concrete 5 7 4 8—24

Lummi Nation 23 21 7 8—59

Concrete: K. Selin 13, Dalton 2, L. Selin, Damian 8, Nick, Law, Johnson, Edwards 1.

Lummi Nation: Morris, J. James 9, Rabang 24, B. Metteba 11, Jones, Mack 4, Lopez, Dennis 4, Williams, M. Metteba, C. James 7.

CLASS 1B GIRLS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT

Tuesday, Feb. 4

Play-in game

#8 Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 47, #9 Shoreline Christian 39 (loser out)

First round

Thursday, Feb. 6

#1 Lummi Nation 88, Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 17

#4 Grace Academy 44, #5 Darrington 25

Friday, Feb. 7

#2 Concrete 59, #7 Tulalip Heritage 29

#3 Lopez Island 39, #6 Providence Classical Christian 24

Saturday, Feb. 8

Consolation round

Providence Classical Christian 31, Tulalip Heritage 14 (loser out)

Darrington 62, Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) 41 (loser out)

Semifinals

Lummi Nation 66, Grace Academy 24

Concrete 55, Lopez Island 39

Tuesday, Feb. 11

At Lummi Nation

Consolation finals

Providence Classical Christian 45, Darrington 34 (winner fifth to tri-district, loser out)

Grace Academy 2, Lopez Island 0 (forfeit) (winner third, loser fourth, both to tri-district)

Championship game

Lummi Nation 59, Concrete 24 (winner first, loser second, both to tri-district)

Xavier Kelley led Sehome with a double-double Tuesday. (File photo)

CLASS 2A

Sehome Boys Jump All Over Marysville-Pilchuck, 69-53

The eighth-seeded Mariners (6-15) jumped out to a 20-point lead at halftime and never let ninth seed Marysville-Pilchuck get closer than 14 points after that in taking the district play-in game and eliminating the Tomahawks (1-20).

“We got out early and had a very good start tonight,” said Sehome coach Brad Jackson, whose squad bested Marysville-Pilchuck by 18 on Dec. 3. “It was encouragement for us to play that well and to be able to play from ahead for once.”

Leading the way was junior Xavier Kelley. The 6-foot-2 forward had 13 points in Sehome’s 40-point first half and would finish with team-highs of 26 points and 15 rebounds as the Mariners outrebounded the Tomahawks, 41-21.

Sophomore guard Quincy Tanovan added 15 points for Sehome; junior point guard Nolan Wright had 9 points and 11 assists; sophomore post Bane Mitchell had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocks; and junior post Cole Turrell had 5 points and 5 rebounds.

“Xavier Kelley had an outstanding game as did Quincy Tanovan, and Nolan Wright did a great job as floor leader,” said Jackson. “Now, we’re looking forward to moving into the double-elimination and excited about coming out and playing at Lynden on Thursday.”

The Mariners lost to the Lions, 63-36, in Northwest Conference play on Jan. 15.

Sehome 69, Marysville-Pilchuck 53

Marysville-Pilchuck: Doren, Rangel-Smathers 30, Rodriguez 3, Sisk 6, Restemayer, Taylor, T. Hayward, S. Hayward 6, Anthony Victor, Bohling, Sahi 2, Broers 6.

Sehome: Wright 9, Jackson 3, Tanovan 15, McAtee 2, Miller, Kelley 26, Mitchell 9, Rusk, Watson, Turrell 5.

CLASS 2A BOYS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT

Tuesday, Feb. 11

Play-in game

#8 Sehome 69, #9 Marysville-Pilchuck 53 (loser out)

Thursday, Feb. 13

Quarterfinals

Sehome (6-15) at #1 Lynden (21-0), 7 p.m.

#7 Archbishop Murphy (8-12) at #2 Lakewood (15-6), 7 p.m.

#6 Bellingham (8-12) at #3 Burlington-Edison (14-6), 7 p.m.

#5 Squalicum (11-9) at #4 Anacortes (12-8), 7 p.m.

Saturday, Feb. 15