Nooksack Girls, Meridian Boys Moving On

They are still one step away from state, but the Nooksack Valley girls and the Meridian boys cleared their most important — and most difficult — hurdles with intense victories in the Class 1A District 1 consolation finals Tuesday night, Feb. 18.

The girls were up first at Lynden’s Jake Maberry Gymnasium, and the two-time defending state champion Pioneers continued their mastery over Meridian with a hard-fought 64-44 win.

Then the two schools went at it again with the Meridian boys taking the rubber match with Nooksack Valley, holding off the Pioneers, 62-54.

By winning, the Meridian boys and Nooksack girls placed second in their district tournaments and now advance to the District 1/2 crossover games on Saturday at King’s High School in Seattle.

The district champion Lynden Christian girls and boys will play the District 2 fifth-place finishers and Tuesday’s winners will play the District 2 No. 4 team. Saturday’s winners then advance to the state regionals while the losers’ seasons end.

The District 2 representatives won’t be determined until Thursday, but the crossover schedule is set. The Nooksack girls will open play at 11 a.m. followed by the LC girls at 1 p.m. The LC boys will play at 3 p.m., and the Meridian boys start at 5 p.m.

And even though the Whatcom teams will be heavily favored to defeat their District 2 opponents — our teams have never lost in the history of the crossover games — they still have to win Saturday to reach their goal of playing in the state tournament in Yakima.

“There’s nothing to be happy about yet,” said Meridian senior Talon Jenkins. “The job’s not finished.”

Nooksack’s New Valley Girls Knock Off Meridian, 64-44

Although Nooksack Valley is the two-time defending state champion, it is not the same team, returning just four players and one starter from the group that lost only two games in two years. And even if no one else believed they could return to Yakima to defend their state title, the Pioneers did.

“This is amazing,” said junior Payton Bartl, one of the four returnees. “We’re a different team, but we’ve found our groove. We’re the team we are this year. This was one of our goals.”

Coach Shane Wichers expressed his admiration for these Pioneers, who raised their record to 15-8.

“I’m so proud of them,” said Wichers, who was recently inducted into the Washington state girls basketball Hall of Fame. “Coming back with a whole new group, with so many young kids … it’s a testament to them. Tonight they played a great game.”

They did indeed — and against a scrappy group of Trojans trying to reach state for the first time in five years. They’d finally ended the Nooksack Valley jinx with a regular-season victory and wanted to avenge a loss to the Pioneers last week in the district semifinal.

But things didn’t start off well for Meridian when Sofia Brooks took a hard fall and lay on the court several minutes before being helped off. Whether it was seeing one of their senior leaders hurt or facing Nooksack Valley’s 2-3 zone, the Trojans fell behind 14-2.

While Meridian managed to cut the lead to six midway through the second quarter, the rally was short-lived. Bartl scored on a drive and took a pretty pass from junior Chayleigh Davis and turned it into a three-point play.

Then a perfect baseball pass from Davis became two free throws by junior Peyton Duque, junior Grace DeHoog sank two more free throws, and when sophomore Raegan Burke tossed up a 25-footer at the halftime buzzer, the Nooksack bench erupted as the lead exploded to 17.

When Meridian freshman Melanie Short finally got hot, scoring all 14 of the Trojans points in the third quarter to bring them within 10, the Pioneers switched to a 1-3-1 zone to take away her 3-pointers and Meridian was never able to get any closer.

The Pioneers nailed down the victory by sinking 13 of 15 free throws in the final quarter and would finish 29 of 39 from the line for the game.

Bartl was the offensive star slashing to the hoop for 23 points. When she didn’t score, she was fouled and she made the Trojans pay by sinking 13 of 17 free throws, including all six in the fourth period.

Two of Nooksack’s other veterans, DeHoog and the team’s only senior, Kate Shintaffer, had 12 and 11 points, respectively, with Shintaffer collecting seven points in the big first quarter. But the Pioneers’ newcomers and youngsters also had an impact as sophomore Peyton Duque had 9 points and Burke added 5.

For Meridian, Short had 17 points, including four 3-pointers, and sophomore Eden Bernardy had 10 points. But it was a rough day for Meridian’s starters, none of whom scored in the first period. Senior Brooklyn Fuller finished with 5 points and Brooks showed her toughness by eventually returning to the game and scoring 4 points.

“I’m so proud of who they are on and off the court,” said Meridian coach Bree Joy, whose team ended the season with a 15-8 record. “When Sofia went down, you could tell that affected them. That goes to show their heart, that they care so much about their teammate.”

Brooks provided an emotional and physical lift to the team when she decided to turn out after taking two years off to concentrate on soccer. But the team’s only other senior, Fuller, has been its inspirational leader the past four years.

“This is going to be a bitter pill to swallow,” she said. “But I feel very blessed. I’ve had great teammates and great coaches. And I love Bree so much. This has been a dream come true.”

Seeing the little point guard hug her coach as the final seconds ticked off knowing her Meridian career was over brought tears to many of the Trojan faithful.

“B has seen us through it all,” said Joy. “She and Sofia are two big personalities, and we just couldn’t get them there (to state). I just wish there was a play-in game. It’s hard to look them in the eyes, knowing they could beat some of the teams at state.”

But that will have to be left up to the Pioneers — and Lyncs — should they get past Saturday’s crossover games and make return trips to Yakima’s SunDome.

“I’m so happy for them,” said Wichers of his squad. “Every year is it’s own. We’re just trying to be the best version of ourselves.”

Nooksack Valley 64, Meridian 44

Meridian 7 8 14 15—44

Nooksack Valley 16 16 9 23—64

Meridian: Fuller 5, Neal, Koning, Bernardy 10, Storgaard, Swanson 2, Brooks 4, Short 17, James 2, Cline-Malarz 2, Benson 2.

Nooksack Valley: Shintaffer 11, Bartl 23, Davis 2, Duque 9, Biondolillo 2, Burke 5, DeHoog 12.

CLASS 1A GIRLS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT

Monday, Feb. 10

Play-in game

#4 Mount Baker 43, #5 Blaine 35 (loser out)

Wednesday, Feb. 12

Semifinals

#1 Lynden Christian 72, Mount Baker 15

#2 Nooksack Valley 51, #3 Meridian 40

Saturday, Feb. 15

At Lynden High

Consolation round

Meridian 45, Mount Baker 27 (loser out)

Championship game

Lynden Christian 59, Nooksack Valley 30 (winner first, to District 1/2 crossover)

Tuesday, Feb. 18

At Lynden High

Consolation final

Nooksack Valley 64, Meridian 44 (winner second, to District 1/2 crossover, loser out)

CLASS 1A GIRLS DISTRICT 1/2 CROSSOVER

Saturday, Feb. 22

Nooksack Valley (15-8) vs. District 2 #4, 11 a.m. (winner to state regionals, loser out)

Lynden Christian (19-3) vs. District 2 #5, 1 p.m. (winner to state regionals, loser out)

Meridian Boys Hold Off Pioneers, 62-54

There would be no last-second, game-winning shot this time as Meridian got a lot of defense and just enough offense to hold off Nooksack Valley in another physical battle and earn the district’s second spot in the crossover series.

“I’m feeling relieved,” said Meridian coach Shane Stacy, whose team improved to 16-7. “It was a tough game against a big rival.”

The rivalry goes back to the Whatcom County League days but has intensified the past couple of seasons. Last year, Meridian won the district consolation final in a thriller on a buzzer-beating layup. This season, the Pioneers won during the regular season on a shot as time expired.

Tuesday’s game, however, would be a defense battle with both teams trying to disarm the other’s main weapons.

Nooksack Valley played an aggressive man-to-man throwing everyone it could at Meridian stars Jenkins and fellow senior Jaeger Fyfe. Meridian, meanwhile, rotated its three pesky guards on Nooksack standout Caden Heutink.

Both strategies worked — to an extent. Meridian had the first advantage, going up by 11 in the second quarter. But with fouls piling up and the Trojans forced to go to their bench, the Pioneers finished the period on a 12-3 run to close within two.

“They went on that run, and we had to survive as best we could,” said Stacy.

A minute into the second quarter, the Nooksack had tied the game at 31 and it looked like another nail-biter was inevitable. But then came the turning point.

Jenkins escaped the Pioneers’ pressure to sink three 3-pointers in three minutes, getting fouled on the third one and turning it into a four-point play. It gave Meridian an eight-point lead that it would never relinquish.

Although the Pioneers managed to cut the margin to four, it was back to eight with just under three minutes left in the game. Then Fyfe took over, twice getting fouled and sinking both free throws. Sophomore Pierce Brzozowsky and senior James Hedahl each hit one free throw, all of them offsetting a pair of Heutink buckets in the final minute.

For Meridian, Jenkins would finish with 16 points and Fyfe with 12, but Brzozowsky’s 14 points were unexpected and very much needed. Hedahl also had 11 big points inside.

“We did what we wanted to do holding their big two to 28 points,” said Nooksack Valley coach Jason Heutink. “But their other kids hit some big shots.”

For Nooksack, Caden Heutink led the way with 17 points, but had to work extra hard thanks to the constant attention of Trojan guards Canyon James, Trey Alexander, and Brzozowsky.

“Trey, Canyon and Pierce are gritty and they don’t care who gets the credit,” said Stacy. “They’re a coach’s dream.”

But the Meridian coach also marveled at the Pioneers’ star. “Caden has a motor … you can’t wear him out,” said Stacy. “Everyone knew they’d go to him. But you can’t frustrate him. He’s a great, great ballplayer.”

As usual, it was the senior class that led the Pioneers. Besides Heutink, Cory Olney had 10 points and Tristan Kamphouse had 7. Those three, along with seniors Brady Ackerman and Lance Van Berkum, have been the team’s foundation the past three years and will be greatly missed, said coach Heutink.

“I’ve known them since they were in third grade,” said the coach, whose son has been on the varsity all four years. “They’ve played together since they were freshman.”

Caden Heutink couldn’t hide his disappointment, but did his best to find the positives. When asked what it means to have played with his fellow seniors the past four years, he said, “It means everything. The relationships, the families, the friends, all growing close. We gave it our all. We may not have won (tonight), but I hope it inspires others.”

So, while Nooksack Valley’s seniors finished their careers with an 11-11 season, the Trojans and their seniors hope to extend their careers to include another visit to Yakima.

“Every team is different,” said Stacy. “For our seniors, it’s pretty special. They put a lot of time in and put a whole new crew on their backs. This is a special group.”

But when asked how it felt to be going back to state, he quickly reminded that the Trojans still had to win on Saturday to qualify for the regionals.

“We’re focused on Saturday,” he said. “It’s a one-game season.”

Meridian 62, Nooksack Valley 54

Nooksack Valley 12 17 13 12—54

Meridian 17 14 16 15—62

Nooksack Valley: Coppinger 4, Olney 10, Heutink 17, Wichers 3, Kamphouse 7, Silves 2, D. Ackerman 3, VanBerkum 5, B. Ackerman 3.

Meridian: Jenkins 16, Fyfe 12, James, Haugen 2, Blankenburg, Larsen, Alexander 7, Galbraith, Brzozowski 14, Hedahl 11, Harris.

CLASS 1A BOYS DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT

Monday, Feb. 10

Play-in game

#4 Mount Baker 47, #5 Blaine 46 (loser out)

Wednesday, Feb. 12