With a new cast of characters playing in only their fourth varsity game together, coach Jason Heutink wanted to see what his Nooksack Valley boys basketball team was made of Thursday night, Dec. 18.
And he found out.
The Pioneers showed their toughness by going toe-to-toe with heavily favored Sedro-Woolley but couldn’t quite pull off the upset, losing 72-54, in their first home game of the season before a rowdy Valley crowd.
“I was proud of them,” said Heutink, whose inexperienced team dropped to 2-2 on the year and 0-2 in Northwest Conference play. “We didn’t roll over. Four games into the season … it’s about the ‘not quit.’”
Nooksack Valley certainly didn’t quit even though they had every right to. The veteran Cubs came into the contest as one of the NWC favorites, their only two losses being by two to Anacortes and by one to Lynden Christian in overtime, both on last-second shots.
“They’ve got studs all around,” said Nooksack Valley senior guard Owen Wichers. “The first half was a little rough. The second half we came out strong.”
Whether it was first-home-game jitters or facing a high-powered foe that had just scored 90 points against LC, the Pioneers came out cold, missing easy shots and even layups. They only manage eight points in each of the first two quarters and while slowing the Cubs, still found themselves down by 17 at halftime.
That’s when Heutink challenged them to be physical and whether it was the halftime talk or the 70 mini-cheerleaders at intermission who fired up the fans, the Pioneers came out with renewed determination.
They played Sedro-Woolley even in the second half, being outscored only 39-38. Early in the fourth quarter, the Pioneers even managed to cut the lead down to 10 and had the ball out of bounds with a chance to close to within seven or eight.
But a weird play — a Sedro player grabbed the ball from the in-bounder and raced downcourt — led to a Cubs bucket, a Nooksack technical for arguing, two Sedro free throws and possession of the ball, all of which stymied a Pioneers’ comeback.
Still, playing a Class 3A school — and a ranked one at that — even for much of the game was encouraging for the coach.
“We finally got aggressive,” said Heutink, who returned just one starter from last season and only a couple of players with varsity experience. “We missed so many easy shot (in the first half). But once we fell into a groove…”
… the Pioneers’ offense got rolling.
Senior guard Crew Bauman led the balanced Nooksack attack with 14 points, and Wichers had 13 points, 11 of them in the second half, as well as 7 rebounds. Sophomore forward Treven Scheenstra came off the bench to score 9 points, and senior guard Cole Coppinger had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists.
And although he only had four points, physical senior center Brian Leyerly pounded the boards — and some of the Cubs — to give Nooksack Valley the spark it needed after halftime.
Sedro-Woolley was led again by its all-league guard, senior Ethan DeJong, who drove his way to 32 points, 18 of them coming in the first half as the Cubs built their big lead.
Wichers said the loss was frustrating, but he and his teammates could be encouraged by their play.
“Knowing they’re a good team and we competed with them … it’s a boost for us,” he said. “Now we have that confidence.”
The Pioneers will need that confidence because the road doesn’t get much easier. On Monday, they host undefeated Lakewood — a team that reached the Class 2A state tournament last season — in a game that was postponed on Dec. 10 because of the flooding. It will be Nooksack’s last game before the winter break.
Sedro-Woolley 72, Nooksack Valley 54
Sedro-Woolley 17 16 16 23—72
Nooksack Valley 8 8 20 18—54
Sedro-Woolley: Tyra, Thompson, Schulberg 14, Hendry, Tadema 11, DeJong 32, Howell 9, Johnson 6.
Nooksack Valley: Coppinger 8, Bauman 14, Polumbo, Anderson 4, Wichers 13, Leyerly 4, Scheenstra 9, Silves 2, Ackerman, Mitchell.
