Despite scheduling some difficult and often much bigger competition, six of our 11 Whatcom boys basketball teams notched at least one victory in Week 1 of the season.
Nooksack Valley, Squalicum, and Blaine led the way with a pair of victories each; Lummi Nation collected a big win and a weird tie against Class 2A schools; Lynden Christian won its international opener; and Bellingham had a late start on Saturday night but made it count with a 27-point win.
Mount Baker was the only team that didn’t have a win or loss — or tie for that matter — because the Mounties took the week off with most of their players ineligible because of the extended and very successful football season. They will open their season on Monday.
For a look back at Week 1 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Girls Recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 1.
GAME OF THE WEEK
A game finishing in a tie is unique enough, but when it involves the defending 1B state champion and a 2A state contender, that makes it historic. That’s what happened Tuesday night when power outages in Lakewood caused the Cougars’ game with Lummi Nation to conclude in a 69-69 deadlock. The blackout, which forced the teams and fans to move to an auxiliary gym only to have the power go out there, overshadowed the Blackhawks’ performance against a squad three classifications bigger.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Senior Xavier Kelley had a career-high 35 points and junior Quincy Tanovan had 25 points for Sehome on Tuesday, Cole Turrell added 20 points for the Mariners on Thursday, and Tanovan had 17 points and Kelley had 15 on Saturday. … Lynden Christian junior Dawson Hintz had 29 points and junior Gunnar Dykstra had 25 on Saturday, and sophomore Traden Ridnour had 22 points and Dykstra added 16 points in Lynden Christian’s opener Monday. … Squalicum junior Blake Elston had 26 points in the Storm’s opener Tuesday and added 18 more on Saturday. … Lynden senior Spencer Adams had 26 points on Saturday. … Meridian junior Gabe Galbraith had 24 points on Thursday and . … Senior Jerome Toby had 24 points, junior Dyson Edwards had 18 points, and senior Chayce Waite-Kellar had 15 points in Lummi Nation’s season-opening tie on Tuesday. On Saturday, Edwards had 19 points and Waite-Kellar added 16 points. … Blaine junior Dawson Dohner had 21 points and junior Landon Melton added 18 points in Wednesday’s victory. … Senior Mantaj Singh had 16 points in Ferndale’s opener on Nov. 29 and 16 more in Tuesday’s game and sophomore Tracen Pazaski also had 16 points for the Golden Eagles on Tuesday. … Nooksack Valley senior Jayden Anderson had 15 points in the Pioneers’ win Tuesday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
NOOKSACK VALLEY opened its season on the road, collecting victories at Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) on Saturday, Nov. 29, 53-49, and at Sultan on Tuesday, 69-30. On Saturday, the Pioneers rallied from a nine-point deficit by limiting the Eagles to three fourth-quarter points. Anderson led Nooksack with 12 points, hitting a pair of 3-pointers and all four of his fourth-quarter free throws, and senior Owen Wichers added 11 points, five coming in the critical final period. On Tuesday, the Pioneers turned on the defense, holding the Turks to 15 first-half points and shutting them out in the fourth quarter. The seniors led the way with Anderson collecting 15 points, including three 3-pointers, and a team-high 6 assists; Cole Coppinger and Wichers finishing with 12 points each with Wichers adding 4 assists and 4 steals; and Crew Bauman had 8 points and 7 rebounds.
SQUALICUM opened with a pair of non-league wins, swatting Sultan on Thursday, 62-45, and edging Marysville-Getchell on Saturday, 54-49. On Thursday, the Storm broke open a close game by holding the Turks to only 18 second-half points. Ten of the 11 Storm players scored with Elston leading the way with 26 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, and two 3-pointers. Junior Orion Granberg-Kiddle added 8 points and 5 rebounds, and junior Jake Truemper had 7 points and 6 assists. On Saturday, the Storm jumped to a double-digit lead in the second quarter and led by 15 in the fourth period before holding on for the victory over the Chargers. Elston again led the Storm with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists; Granberg-Kiddle had 12 points and 10 rebounds; and senior Rhys Knowlton added 10 points.
LUMMI NATION had a rather remarkable week with Tuesday’s 69-69 tie at Lakewood and a 65-49 victory at Sehome on Saturday. On Tuesday, Lummi Nation played Lakewood even throughout, even leading in the fourth quarter before tying the game. Toby led the Blackhawks with 24 points, 6 assists, and 4 steals; Edwards had 18 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals; and transfer Waite-Kellar had 15 points, 20 rebounds, and 3 steals in his first game as a Blackhawk. On Saturday, the Blackhawks used a 19-point third quarter to break open a close game and stun the Class 2A Mariners for the second year in a row. Edwards led a balanced scoring attack with 19 points and 13 assists, Waite-Kellar had 16 points on 7 of 9 shooting from the field and 11 rebounds, Toby had 13 points and a team-high 5 assists, and Landon LaFontaine added 11 points and 3 steals. Toby and LaFontaine also had three 3-pointers each and Edwards hit a pair of 3s.
BELLINGHAM opened the season with an impressive 71-46 non-league victory over visiting Marysville-Pilchuck on Saturday. The Bayhawks used a 19-1 first-quarter blitz to take control and never let up, holding the Tomahawks to six or fewer points in three of the quarters. Harward had 25 points and 4 steals; Johnson had 18 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists; senior Cyrus Campos had 10 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists; junior Calvin Van Hofwegen added 7 points; and sophomore Emmett Vanhouten had 10 rebounds. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Bellingham Boys.
BLAINE started the season with three non-league games, losing at home to Bear Creek on Saturday, Nov. 29, 66-43, before beating La Conner on Tuesday, 77-23, and Friday Harbor on Wednesday, 52-39. On Saturday, the Borderites fell behind by double-digits in the first period and couldn’t pull off the comeback. Junior Gus Dickson had 12 points and 7 rebounds, and seniors Daniel Banks and Melton added 8 points each. On Tuesday, the Borderites’ defense held the Braves to two points in both the second and fourth quarters to guarantee a big victory. Dohner led the balanced attack with a team-high 13 points, two 3-pointers, and 7 steals; Melton added 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists; senior Kai Kerwin had 11 points and 5 assists; Banks had 10 points, 8 rebounds, and two 3s; senior Milo Dahl had 9 points; and junior Gus Dickson, junior Holden Briner, and sophomore Chris Dickson had 8 points each with Gus pulling down 9 rebounds. On Wednesday, the Borderites outscored the host Wolverines, 18-4, in the fourth quarter to pull away for the victory. Dohner and Melton carried the scoring load with 21 and 18 points, respectively, and combined for eight of Blaine’s 11 3-pointers and 15 points in the fourth-quarter blitz. Melton also had 4 rebounds and 4 assists, and Kerwin added 5 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN faced a pair of non-league opponents to start the season, beating visiting Tenison Woods Catholic School of Richmond, Australia, on Monday, 72-55, but losing to Lake Stevens on the road on Saturday, 79-75. Wednesday’s game against Holy Cross of Surrey, B.C., was canceled because of the extended football season, which also left the Lyncs with a team of almost all JV and freshmen against Tenison Woods. In Monday’s game, Ridnour had 22 points thanks to six 3-pointers in his varsity debut, Dykstra just missed a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, 9 assists, and 3 steals; and junior James Vos had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots. On Saturday, the Lyncs led into the third quarter but couldn’t hold off the Class 4A Vikings. While still missing several of their football players, LC did get Hintz and junior Kaden Veldman back and Hintz come through with 29 points and 5 assists, and Veldman had 13 points, 15 rebounds, 6 blocked shots, and 6 assists. Dykstra tossed in five 3-pointers and finished with 25 points, and Ridnour had 6 points on a pair of 3s.
MOUNT BAKER had Monday’s game against Coupeville and Wednesday’s trip to Orcas Island postponed because of the extended football playoffs, and will open the season on Monday, Dec. 8, at Sedro-Woolley.
SEHOME manhandled Marysville-Pilchuck on Tuesday, 85-59, before losing to Holy Cross of Surrey, B.C., on Thursday, 67-63, and Lummi Nation on Saturday, 65-47. On Tuesday, the Mariners put on quite an opening-night show, their 85 points the most since December 2022. Kelley led the barrage with 35 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists; Tanovan had 25 points; seniors Turrell and Klay Jackson had 9 points each with Jackson hitting three 3-pointers and grabbing 4 steals; and senior Nolan Wright had a team-high 8 assists. On Thursday, the Mariners rallied several times but were outscored 5-1 in the final minute in the non-league loss. Turrell dominated inside with 20 points, Jackson hit four more 3-pointers for 14 points, Kelley had two 3s to go along with 10 points and 10 rebounds, and Wright had a team-high 10 assists and 8 points. On Saturday, despite being without three of their biggest players including Turrell, the short-handed Mariners hung with the Class 2B state champs for a half but couldn’t overcome a cold 22-point second half. Tanovan had 17 points, Kelley had 15 points and 10 rebounds, and Wright and Jackson added 7 points each, but only one other Mariner scored. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Sehome Boys.
LYNDEN dropped its season-opener, losing to visiting Meadowdale on Saturday, 70-67. The Lions were down early to the Class 3A Mavericks, who already had two wins under their belts, and trailed by 15 heading into the final quarter. Lynden staged a valiant comeback, outscoring the Mavericks, 22-10 in the final quarter before coming up short. Adams led the Lions with 26 points and five 3-pointers and also collected 7 rebounds and 3 assists; sophomore Jayden Navarre had 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers; junior transfer Lewis Whitney added 10 points and a game-high 9 rebounds; and junior Gordy Bedlington had 7 points and a team-high 7 assists.
FERNDALE opened the season with a pair of non-league home games but came out on the losing end in both, falling to Redmond on Saturday, Nov. 29, 70-43, and to visiting Snohomish on Tuesday, 56-52. In their opener, the Golden Eagles managed only 19 points in the first half and couldn’t make up a 13-point halftime deficit in losing to the 4A Mustangs. Singh led the Golden Eagles with 16 points, and Pazaski had team-highs of 7 rebounds and 5 assists. On Tuesday, Ferndale held a two-point lead but only managed nine points in the final period and couldn’t hold off the Panthers’ comeback. Singh and Pazaski had 16 points each with Pazaski hitting four 3-pointers and Singh collecting 6 rebounds and 5 assists. Senior Cooper Vincent had 11 points and sophomore Houston Wills had 6 points and a team-high 3 steals.
MERIDIAN lost its opener to Bear Creak on Friday, Nov. 28, 72-50; fell to Mount Vernon Christian in two overtimes on Thursday, 67-63; and lost to visiting Holy Cross of Surrey, B.C., on Friday, 49-33. In its opener, the Trojans hung tough for three quarters but were outscored 20-7 in the final period. Galbraith led Meridian with 11 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, senior Daniel Larson had 9 points, and sophomore Emmett Ashmore came off the bench to hit two 3s and score 8 points. On Thursday, Meridian rallied to send the game into overtime, senior Daniel Larsen sank two free throws with 1.5 seconds left to forced a second overtime, but the Trojans missed a 3-pointer with 2.8 seconds left that would have send the game into a third overtime. Galbraith again led the way with 26 points, including three 3-pointers; Larsen had 11 points and 11 rebounds; and junior Pierce Brzozowski had 7 points and 7 assists. On Friday, the Trojans only managed four points in the second quarter and couldn’t make up the double-digit deficit against the highly ranked Canadian team. Galbraith continued his hot shooting with 15 points including four 3-pointers, and Larsen had 8 points and 6 rebounds, but no other Trojan managed more than five points.
NOTE: A big thank you to the coaches and Tyler Anderson of WhatcomPreps.com for providing statistics. For a look at NWC boys highlights, check out Ted House’s Northwest Conference Basketball Report.
WEEK 2
TOP GAMES
There are some important early-season Northwest Conference showdowns pitting Whatcom teams including Meridian at Sehome on Monday, Lynden at Squalicum on Thursday, and Ferndale at Nooksack Valley on Saturday, but the game with the most state-wide attention will be Saturday when defending Class 1B state champion Lummi Nation travels to Class 1A state finalist Lynden Christian.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 8: Meridian at Sehome, Squalicum at Burlington-Edison, Mount Baker at Sedro-Woolley
Tuesday, Dec. 9: Oak Harbor at Lynden, Lynden Christian at Mount Vernon, Anacortes at Ferndale,Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) at Lummi Nation
Wednesday, Dec. 10: Friday Harbor at Mount Baker, Ferndale at Mariner, Blaine at Bellingham, Lakewood at Nooksack Valley
Thursday, Dec. 11: Lynden at Squalicum, Sedro-Woolley at Lynden Christian, Meridian at Burlington-Edison
Friday, Dec. 12: Bellingham at Mount Baker, Lummi Nation at Providence Classical Christian
Saturday, Dec. 13: Mountlake Terrace at Lynden, Sehome at Blaine, Lummi Nation at Lynden Christian, Ferndale at Nooksack Valley
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Anacortes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Blaine | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Ferndale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lakewood | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lynden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lynden Christian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Meridian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sehome | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Shoreline Christian | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Lummi Nation* | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
* Does not include tie.
