When the going gets tough, the tough — make that the Lynden and Sehome girls basketball teams — get going … all the way to the Class 2A state tournament.
The Lions showed their toughness by beating the bruising Burlington-Edison Tigers, 53-43, and claiming the District 1 championship Friday night, Feb. 18, at Mount Vernon High School.
“We came out on top in an absolute war,” said Lynden coach Vic Wolffis. “It tells me we have a roster full of warriors. You can’t hope for anything more going into any tournament.”
The Lions had already clinched a berth in the state regionals, but the Sehome Mariners hadn’t until they knocked off Archbishop Murphy in another slugfest, 44-42, Friday night to take the district’s third and final state berth.
“It’s amazing what kids can do when you believe in them,” said Sehome coach Kim Stensgar, who is taking the Mariners to state for the first time since 2015. “They’re happy to be there, but they’re not content.”
For Lummi Nation, Friday was a mixed night. The boys won their District 1/2/3 semifinal, 61-37, over Summit Classical Christian and will play for the tri-district championship Saturday, but the Lady Blackhawks lost a heart-breaker, 50-49, to Crescent and saw their season come to an end.
NEXT UP: Saturday is the biggest playoff day with our Class 1A teams — the Nooksack Valley and Lynden Christian girls and the LC and Blaine boys — looking to earn state berths in their bi-district crossover games in Seattle; the Sehome boys playing for the 2A district title and the Lynden boys shooting for a state berth in Mount Vernon; and the Lummi Nation boys playing for the 1B tri-district title at Mount Vernon Christian. Check out the stories and photos at Whatcom Hoops.
Class 2A girls
Lynden Use Clutch Free Throws To KO Tigers
When the two teams played during the regular season, the Lions let a big lead get away and lost by two to the physical Tigers. Not this time.
After Burlington had cut Lynden’s 14-point lead down to five with 1:35 left and had all the momentum, the Lions showed their grit by sinking 12 — count ‘em — 12 straight free throws.
Junior Mallary Villars hit two, then after a Burlington 3-pointer, senior Adia Newcomb hit four and sister Kalanie Newcomb hit two. Burlington sank two of their own, and then Kalanie finished off the Tigers by hitting four straight.
“We knew it would be a battle and we had to be tough physically and mentally,” said Adia, the last remaining member of Lynden’s last district championship team in 2020. “It’s really special to cut down the net again.”
For Kalanie, who was an eighth-grader when her older sister and the Lions won the Class 2A state title in 2020, the district title was extra special.
“We really wanted to win this,” she said. “It means a lot. And it’s nice to win one together (with Adia).”
If the clutch free throw shooting showed their mental toughness, the Lions’ defense showed their physical toughness, especially against a team considered one of if not the most physical Northwest Conference squads.
Lynden led from start to finish, holding the Tigers to only 17 points through the first half. And when Burlington closed to within 35-31 early in the fourth quarter, Adia hit two free throws and Kalanie made two layups to give Lynden a 10-point cushion with four minutes to go.
“In the regular-season game, we coughed it up,” Wolffis said of the earlier loss to Burlington. “We didn’t tonight. We finished.”
Freshman post Payton Mills again dominated inside with a game-high 16 points. When the Burlington defense collapsed on her in the second half, the Newcomb sisters took over. Kalanie had 15 points, 10 of them in the fourth quarter, and Adia had six of her 8 points in the final period. Villars added 7 points for the Lions.
Lynden, which improved to 20-4, is expected to be a top four seed in the state, which would mean hosting a state regional contest next Friday or Saturday, Feb. 24 or 25. The top eight seeds also automatically qualify for the state tournament in Yakima.
“It’s a great win,” Wolffis said of Friday’s victory. “It’s a culmination of the entire season to be a top-four team.”
Lynden 53, Burlington-Edison 43
Burlington-Edison 12 5 12 14—43
Lynden 16 8 9 20—53
Burlington-Edison: Ad. Ray 3, Holmes 15, Bishop 15, Anderson, Atkins 7, Whitlock, Slotemaker 3.
Lynden: K. Newcomb 15, VanderYacht 3, Villars 7, A. Newcomb 8, Koetje 4, Wittenberg, Mills 16, Stephan.
Sehome Hangs On To Earn State Berth
In a defensive struggle with their season on the line, the Mariners made the last stand to defeat Archbishop Murphy.
With three minutes left in the back-and-forth contest, junior Emmy Hart sank her fourth 3-pointer of the game to give Sehome a 44-40 lead. It would be their last points of the game … but it would be all they’d need.
Helped by four missed Archbishop Murphy free throws, the Mariners gave up only one bucket in the final three minutes to clinch the victory and a state berth.
“This was our goal from day 1,” said the 5-foot-3 Hart, who finished with 14 points and a blocked shot that she was still smiling about after the game.
Senior Madison Hogan also had 14 points for the Mariners, who improved to 18-5. Senior Mac Copper added 7 points and junior Madi Cooper had 6 points.
“Maddie Hogan played out of her mind, and Emmy was just incredible,” said Stensgar. “I’m super proud of all these kids.”
Like Lynden, Sehome will now await the seeding committee’s decisions on where they will stand going into the state regionals. A top eight placing would guarantee them a trip to Yakima for the first time since 2008.
“We pushed really hard and came together as a team this year,” said Hogan. “And we’re ready for more. We can do this.”
Sehome 44, Archbishop Murphy 42
Archbishop Murphy 13 6 16 7—42
Sehome 9 12 14 9—44
Archbishop Murphy: Blachly 8, Hookfin 6, Burns 13, Sullivan 2, Marr 9, Russell 4.
Sehome: Mad. Cooper 6, Hart 14, Watson, Brewer 3, Barge, Mac Cooper 7, Hogan 14.
DISTRICT 1 TOURNAMENT
Play-in games
Wednesday, Feb. 8
#7 Lakewood 63, #10 Sedro-Woolley 20 (loser out)
#9 Cedarcrest 42, #8 Bellingham 29 (loser out)
First round
Friday, Feb. 10
#2 Burlington-Edison 80, Lakewood 37
#3 Sehome 50, #6 Squalicum 38
#5 Archbishop Murphy 57, #4 Anacortes 47
#1 Lynden 71, Cedarcrest 19
Monday, Feb. 13
Consolation games
Squalicum 65, Lakewood 32 (loser out)
Anacortes 52, Cedarcrest 25 (loser out)
Semifinals
At Mount Vernon
Burlington-Edison 56, Sehome 46
Lynden 52, Archbishop Murphy 42
Consolation games
Wednesday, Feb. 15
At Mount Vernon
Archbishop Murphy 49, Squalicum 42 (loser out)
Sehome 51, Anacortes 49 (loser out)
Friday, Feb. 17
At Mount Vernon
Consolation final
Sehome 44, Archbishop Murphy 42 (winner third, to state regionals, loser out)
Championship game
Lynden 53, Burlington-Edison 43 (winner first, loser second, both to state regionals)
Class 1B boys
Lummi Nation Wins, To Play For Tri-District Title
The Blackhawks took care of business Friday night in beating Summit Classical Christian of Bellevue in the tri-district semifinal.
“The boys stepped up defensively tonight against a really good Summit Classical Christian,” team said Lummi Nation coach Jerome Toby.
Lummi Nation held Summitt, which came into the game 20-2 and had upset top seed Sound Christian Academy on Tuesday, to 21 points through the first three quarters and then put the Archers away with a 24-point fourth period.
Leading the Blackhawks, who improved to 18-7, was freshman Jerome Toby Jr. with 21 points, 12 of them coming in the fourth period. Senior Richard Wilson added 15 points, junior Mathias Johnson had 11 points, and junior Desmond Bailey had 6.
Fourth-seeded Lummi Nation will face third-seeded Neah Bay (14-5) for the tri-district championship on Saturday at 7:45 p.m. at Mount Vernon Christian. Both teams already have qualified for the state regionals.
“We have a very tough game tomorrow versus a talented and loaded Neah Bay ball club,” said coach Toby.
Lummi Nation 61, Summit Classical Christian 37
Summit Classical Christian 6 3 12 16—37
Lummi Nation 11 10 16 24—61
Summit Classical: M. Corneil, Simon 10, Gledhill 3, Gilbert, Barlow, Cairns, Amos, Milojevich 9, Wakeford, Armbruster 15.
Lummi Nation: Toby 21, Perkins 3, Francis 3, Johnson 11, Day, Edwards, Wilson 15, Scott 2, Bailey 6, Powell, Solomon, Brockie.
TRI-DISTRICT 1/2/3 TOURNAMENT
Saturday, Feb. 11
Play-in games
#6 Orcas Island 88, #11 Tulalip Heritage 71 (loser out)
#7 Muckleshoot Tribal 73, #10 Grace Academy 47 (loser out)
#12 Crescent 50, #5 Evergreen Lutheran 48 (loser out)
#9 Summit Classical 60, #8 Puget Sound Adventist 48 (loser out)
Tuesday, Feb. 14
First round
#3 Neah Bay 81, Orcas Island 67
#2 Mount Vernon Christian 59, Muckleshoot Tribal 50
#4 Lummi Nation 81, Crescent 26
Summit Classical 56, #1 Sound Christian Academy 53
Friday, Feb. 17
Consolation round
Orcas Island 70, Muckleshoot Tribal 38
Sound Christian Academy 68, Crescent 43
Semifinals
Neah Bay 60, Mount Vernon Christian 42
Lummi Nation 61, Summit Classical Christian 37
Saturday, Feb. 18
At Mount Vernon Christian
Consolation games
Crescent (14-8) vs. Muckleshoot Tribal (13-10), 10 a.m. (both out)
Orcas Island (19-8) vs. Sound Christian Academy (20-4), 1:15 p.m. (winner fifth, loser sixth, both to state regionals)
Mount Vernon Christian (19-6) vs. Summit Classical Christian (20-3), 4:30 p.m. (winner third, loser fourth, both to state regionals)
Championship game
Lummi Nation (18-7) vs. Neah Bay (14-5), 7:45 p.m. (winner first, loser second, both to state regionals)
Class 1B girls
Lummi Nation Ends Season With Loss To Crescent
The Lady Blackhawks had their season end with a loss to Crescent in a tri-district consolation game Friday.
Lummi Nation ended the year with a 17-5 record. Three seniors — Aliesha Solomon, Raven Solomon, and Justine Haley — played their final game for the Blackhawks.
TRI-DISTRICT 1/2/3 TOURNAMENT
Saturday, Feb. 11
Play-in games
#6 Crosspoint 55, #11 Puget Sound Adventist 14 (loser out)
#7 Darrington 59, #10 Northwest Yeshiva 24 (loser out)
#5 Lummi Nation 44, #12 Pope John Paul II 30 (loser out)
#9 Crescent 43, #8 Sound Christian Academy 34 (loser out)
Tuesday, Feb. 14
First round
Crosspoint 40, #3 Evergreen Lutheran 39
#2 Mount Vernon Christian 59, Darrington 10
#4 Orcas Island 59, Lummi Nation 35
#1 Neah Bay 77, Crescent 17
Thursday’s Feb. 16
Consolation round
Evergreen Lutheran 49, Darrington 33 (loser out)
Friday, Feb. 17
Consolation round
Crescent 50, Lummi Nation 49 (loser out)
Semifinals
Mount Vernon Christian 63, Crosspoint 22
Neah Bay 74, Orcas Island 33
Saturday, Feb. 19
At Mount Vernon Christian
Evergreen Lutheran (14-3) vs. Crescent (9-9), 11:30 a.m. (winner fifth, to state regionals, loser out)
Orcas Island (11-11) vs. Crosspoint (15-8), 2:45 p.m. (winner third, loser fourth, both to state regionals)
Neah Bay (18-1) vs. Mount Vernon Christian (21-3), 6 p.m. (winner first, loser second, both to state regionals)
