It’s officially Jake Maberry Gymnasium but even the legendary Lynden boys basketball coach wouldn’t mind it being referred to as the Den of Defense after the Lynden boys and girls shut down Sehome in a doubleheader sweep Wednesday night, Jan. 14.
The undefeated and No.1-ranked Lynden girls were relentless on defense — and on offense — in putting away the upstart Mariners, 70-19, in the evening’s first game. The victory raised the Lions’ record to 14-0 overall and 7-0 in Northwest Conference play, while Sehome dropped to 10-4 overall and 6-2 in the NWC.
In the second game, the Lynden boys started slow but held the Mariners to their second lowest point total of the season in a 51-39 victory that improved the Lions to 9-5 overall and 6-2 in the conference. Sehome fell to 8-5 and 5-3.
Two Lynden coaches also were honored Wednesday night. Long-time boys assistant Rod TenKley was given the Elmer Clarkson Award, named after the school’s former principal and coach and awarded to the District 1 coach who exemplifies Clarkson’s outstanding service to a school and community.
And head coach Rob Adams was honored by the national high school organization as the Section 8 girls basketball coach of the year for 2025, the first time a Lynden coach has been recognized in any sport as the best among the six states in the Northwest region.
Girls: Lynden Streaks Past Mariners, 70-19
As if the two-time defending Class 2A state champions needed any more incentive, Lynden was coming off its closest game of the season — and second closest in its 60-game winning streak coming into Wednesday — a five-point win over King’s.
But Adams insisted Saturday’s game was behind them, and the Lions were focusing on what was ahead … starting with the Mariners: “I told them, ‘Let’s not look behind, let’s look forward.’ It’s a challenge to find every opportunity to sharpen our axe for chopping wood.”
And on Wednesday, the Lions’ sharp axe sliced up the Mariners, 70-19.
And it started right from the opening tip. With just over a minute left in the first quarter, Lynden had forced at least nine turnovers, allowed less than a half-dozen shots, and was ahead 20-0.
That would turn out to be enough points to win, but the Lions kept rolling, leading by 30 at halftime, 42 after three quarters, and 51 at the end.
“We had to prove we could bounce back,” junior Finley Parcher said of Saturday’s disappointment. “It didn’t matter who we faced (next). I expected our defense to improve, and we did really well.”
The Lions’ defense did so well that it held Sehome, a team that came into the game ranked 10th among the 2As after winning five of its past six games, to nearly 30 points below its average. The Mariners’ two all-stars, junior Kate Schroeder and sophomore Taylor Turrell, again led the team in scoring but only managed four points each.
Meanwhile, Parcher once again showed why she is one of the best in the state, scoring 31 points mostly on fastbreak layups and driving inside with a couple of 3-pointers tossed in for good measure. Oh, and she had a game-high 8 rebounds and 8 steals.
Lynden’s other all-stater, senior Payton Mills, had a quiet — for her — 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists, and senior Rian Stephan and junior Lexi Hermanutz had 8 points each before the Lynden reserves took over.
“Lynden had a point to prove (after the King’s game),” said Sehome coach Kim Stensgar. “We’re still creating a culture. We have to do things we’ve never done before. But they (the Mariners) will bring it for Lakewood (Sehome’s next opponent). The season’s far from over.”
While Sehome will be focusing on Friday’s game at home against the Cougars, the Lions will be looking at Friday’s home contest with Burlington-Edison as another stepping stone to their ultimate goal.
“We’re getting better every game,” said Parcher. “We still need to reach another level. There’s more that we’re capable of.”
Lynden 70, Sehome 19
Sehome 2 6 9 2—19
Lynden 24 14 21 11—70
Sehome: Gates, Gustafson, Turrell 4, Panagos 2, Barge 3, Hogan 2, Schroeder 4, Jude 2, Ke. Reeves 2.
Lynden: Bowler 5, Hermanutz 8, Nyhoff, Newcomb, Slayton , R. Stephan 8, I. Stephan 5, Somma 3, Basart, Parcher 31, Mills 10, Dykstra.
Boys: Lynden Puts Clamps On Mariners, 51-39
It’s been an usual season for Lynden only being ranked 20th after winning three straight state championships and then being ranked No.1 most of last season. But despite injuries that are still affecting the team, the Lions can count on one thing — their defense.
“We’re starting to see the type of team we can be,” said Lynden coach Brian Roper after the 51-39 victory. “Through all the changes and injuries, our guys have stayed positive. We want to be playing our best basketball in February.”
The Lions were certainly playing their best defense Wednesday night. Their physical man-to-man only allowed three 3-pointers — one of Sehome’s strengths — and held the Mariners to 24 points below their average.
“We had a hard time on the offensive end,” said Sehome coach Brad Jackson. “We had a lot of good shots that didn’t drop. But we played against a really good team. Our guys battled and you can’t complain about that. We just have to make a few more shots.”
While the Mariners were struggling to hit even their open shots, the Lions warmed up after scoring only nine points in the first quarter and began to find the range. They scored the first eight points of the third period to turn a four-point halftime lead into a double-digit margin that they kept most of the rest of the way.
Senior Spencer Adams got the hottest, scoring 14 of his game-high 18 points after intermission to go along with his 6 rebounds. Things were going so well that even when he missed a free throw and there weren’t any other Lions lined up in the lane, he rebounded his shot over three Mariners and put it back in.
Lynden also was hotter from outside the arc, hitting eight 3-pointers. Sophomore Jayden Navarre and junior Malachi Koenen had three 3s each with Navarre finishing with 10 points and Koenen with 9. Junior Gordy Bedlington added 5 rebounds and 5 assists.
The Lions have won three in a row thanks mainly to the return of injured seniors Adams and Ty Jorgenson, who was only playing in his fourth game after breaking his leg.
The 6-foot-7 forward finished with 6 points and a team-high 8 rebounds and along with hustling senior Brody Price was a big reason Sehome’s bruising post, senior Cole Turrell, was held to 6 points, all in the first period. Price, at just 6-foot, also pulled down 6 rebounds.
“We started off slow, but once we decrypted their zone, Jayden and Malachi hit some big shots,” said Jorgenson. “Every win is important. We want to make it back to the Dome (Yakima’s SunDome, where the state tournament is held), but we’re taking it game by game, day by day.”
For Sehome, senior Xavier Kelley had 10 points and 10 rebounds, senior Nolan Wright had 9 points and 5 rebounds, and senior Carter Duckworth had 8 points. But the Mariners only shot 30 percent from the field, including 17 percent on their 3-pointers.
While both teams won’t have much time to relax as they hit the road Friday against strong opponents — Sehome is at Lakewood and Lynden is at Burlington-Edison — two Lions will be savoring Wednesday’s victory.
“Any time we play a team coached by Coach Jackson and win, I’m happy,” said Roper. “I always looked up to him as a coach and as a man.”
Jorgenson was happy just being on the court — despite the rod and five screws in his leg that still leave him in pain.
“It’s so good to be back,” he said. “I’m so grateful to be able to play. When you get it taken away, you appreciate it so much.”
Lynden 51, Sehome 39
Sehome 12 9 8 10—39
Lynden 9 16 12 14—51
Sehome: Wright 9, Jackson 2, Tanovan 4, Kelley 10, Miller, Braunstein, Duckworth 8, Turrell 6.
Lynden: Navarre 10, Bedlington 4, Price 1, Mar. Koenen, Mal. Koenen 9, Broersma 3, Jorgenson 6, Adams 18.
