It was a relative quiet opening week for Whatcom County boys teams. Between COVID, football state championships, flooding, and schools unable to field full squads, only seven of our 11 teams had Week 1 games.
But of the seven that did play, five collected their first wins of the season, and Sehome notched two victories last week as teams begin to move into league play this week.
For a look back at Week 1 for our county girls team, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 1.
GAME OF THE WEEK
It was a non-league contest, but Bellingham and Meridian put on quite a show on Tuesday. The Trojans led almost the entire way, but the Bayhawks rallied in the fourth quarter and iced the game when sophomore Wyatt Stephan hit a 3-pointer with 10 seconds left to seal the 58-54 victory.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior Henry Sheldrup had 26 points in Bellingham’s win over Meridian. … Lynden Christian’s Andrew Hommes had 23 points and 17 rebounds and fellow senior Crew Bosman had 19 points in Friday’s victory. … Junior transfer Grant Kepley made an impact right away, leading Sehome with 17 points on Thursday and 21 points on Saturday. … Sophomore Jesse Harward filled up the Mount Baker stat sheet on Thursday with 19 points, 11 rebounds, 3 steals and 2 blocks. … Ferndale senior Jazen Guillory returned to the court on Wednesday after an injury kept him out all last year and he led the Golden Eagles with 19 points.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Sehome opened with a pair of victories, beating Class 3A Arlington on Thursday, 77-65, and Archbishop Murphy on Saturday, 54-48. Against the Eagles, Kepley led a balanced attack with 17 points.He was followed by senior Gavin Ortega (14 points) and juniors Dane Dominguez (13), Grey Garrison (12), Mat Storms (11), and Isaac Lawrence (10). The Mariners found themselves down by 17 in the first half against Archbishop Murphy but used a 42-point second half to rally for the victory. Kepley had 21 points, Garrison 10, Storms 9, and Lawrence 8.
Blaine opened with an impressive 70-53 victory over Archbishop Murphy on Thursday. Avery Dohner led the balanced Borderites attack with 13 points and three 3-pointers and the senior grabbed 6 rebounds as Blaine won the rebounding battle, 43-28. Juniors Lucas Smith, Carson Lehnert, and Mathew Russ had 10 points each, and Russ added 10 rebounds and 4 assists.
Bellingham opened the Bayhawks Era with a 58-54 non-league victory Tuesday over Meridian. Sheldrup led the Bayhawks with 26 points, and sophomore Ian O’Roarty added 16 points.
Lynden Christian was without its football players who needed more practices to be eligible, but it didn’t matter as the Lyncs clobbered Class 3A Stadium of Tacoma in a non-league contest Friday, 75-52. In addition to Hommes’s 23 points and Bosman’s 19 points, junior Griffin Dykstra tossed in 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers.
Meridian lost its opener at home to Bellingham on Tuesday, 58-54, despite the 15 points of freshman Jaeger Fyfe and 10 of senior Tyrel Brooks. The Trojans bounced back with a dominating 74-56 victory over Granite Falls on Thursday. Senior Dane Beck led the way with 12 points, and scoring 10 points each were senior Bryce Johnson, junior Hunter Jones, and Brooks.
Ferndale fell in its opener to Shorecrest on Wednesday, 82-58. Guillory led the Golden Eagles with 19 points, and fellow senior Jesse Sapp added 12 points.
Mount Baker canceled its Tuesday game with Northwest Yeshiva and lost a back-and-forth battle with Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, 52-48. Harward led the Mounties with 19 points and 11 rebounds, senior Davin Beason collected 11 points and 8 rebounds, senior Caleb Horsmon had a team-high 5 assists, and junior Landon Smith added 7 rebounds.
Lynden postponed its first games because of the the football team’s success (and a big congratulations to the Class 2A state champions!). Last Tuesday’s non-league game at Arlington has been rescheduled for Dec. 30 and this coming Tuesday’s game at home against Mount Vernon has been rescheduled for Jan. 19. The Lions will open the season at home against Bellingham on Friday, Dec. 10.
Nooksack Valley canceled its game last Monday with Bear Creek as the Valley community recovered from the flooding. The Pioneers are scheduled to open their season on Monday, Dec. 6, when they travel to Ferndale.
Lummi Nation opens its abbreviated schedule when the Blackhawks host Nooksack Valley in a non-league contest on Tuesday, Dec. 7, at 7 p.m.
Squalicum had both of its games canceled last week. Monday’s contest with Cedarcrest has been rescheduled for Dec. 27, but a Saturday game against Kennewick in the John McCrossin Memorial Basketball Classic will not be made up. The Storm’s first game will be at Oak Harbor on Monday, Dec. 6.
WEEK 2
TOP GAMES
Two teams off to impressive starts — Blaine and Sehome — square off on the Mariners’ court on Monday for an early but important NWC contest. If you’re looking for a possible Class 1A state matchup, then the non-league game with Seattle Academy at Lynden Christian on Saturday is worth checking out.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 6: Burlington at Bellingham, Blaine at Sehome, Nooksack Valley at Ferndale, Mount Baker at Meridian, Squalicum at Oak Harbor
Tuesday, Dec. 7: Arlington at Ferndale, LC at Sedro-Woolley, Nooksack Valley at Lummi Nation
Wednesday, Dec. 8: Bellingham at Meadowdale
Thursday, Dec. 9: Burlington-Edison at Blaine, Ferndale at Sehome, Meridian at Sedro-Woolley
Friday, Dec. 10: Bellingham at Lynden, Squalicum at Lynden, Mount Baker at Mount Vernon, Anacortes at Nooksack Valley
Saturday, Dec. 11: Lake Stevens at Blaine, Seattle Academy at Lynden Christian, Mount Baker at Friday Harbor
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Anacortes | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Blaine | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Ferndale | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Lakewood | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lynden | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Meridian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Sehome | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
