With only non-league games to start the season, it’s difficult to make judgments about teams, but after one week a few things are perfectly clear for our Whatcom squads.
First, the Northwest Conference’s Class 1A schools are going to provide some serious fireworks after going a 11-0 in Week 1. Leading the way were Mount Baker and Blaine, which combined for only eight wins last season but already have five victories between them.
For a look back at Week 1 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
And speaking of our smaller schools — actually our smallest school — watch out for the Lummi Nation Blackhawks, who stunned Class 2A Sehome in an upset that should warn the rest of the 1B teams in the state.
The other two unbeaten teams are not a big surprise since both figure to be in the battle for 2A state berths. Three-time defending state champion Lynden and the veteran Bayhawks of Bellingham each won their only game last week.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 1.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Senior Talon Jenkins hit his fourth 3-pointer with seven seconds left as visiting Meridian rallied to beat Bear Creek, 67-66, in a wild season-opener for both teams on Monday. Jenkins finished with 21 points, including all four of his 3s in the final period as the Trojans rallied from 14 points down in the final 3:30. Senior Jaeger Fyfe sank five 3-pointers, including four in the second period, and had a game-high 28 points. Fyfe had 9 points in the crucial fourth quarter and combined with Jenkins to make 12 of 14 free throws for the game.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Meridian seniors Jaeger Fyfe and Talon Jenkins had 28 and 21 points, respectively, in the Trojans’ season-opener. … Junior Joe Harward had 28 points and senior Kincade VanHouten had 20 in Bellingham’s only game. … Junior Carter Hill on 24 points for Mount Baker on Wednesday and 19 on Saturday, and senior Luke Smith added 20 points on Monday. … Senior Josiah Weeda had 23 points in Blaine’s victory on Wednesday. … Lynden Christian senior Gannon Dykstra had 23 points, senior Luke VanKooten had 21 points, and sophomore Kaden Veldman added 18 points and 17 rebounds on Wednesday. On Saturday, Dykstra had another 24 points and little brother Gunnar Dykstra had 17 points. … Sehome junior Nolan Wright had 23 points on Saturday, and sophomore Quincy Donovan had 17 points and junior Xavier Scott had 16 in his varsity debut on Tuesday. … Senior Brant Heppner had 22 points and a near-triple double in Lynden’s only game of the week. … Lummi Nation sophomore Dyson Edwards had 22 points on Saturday, and junior Jerome Toby had 19 points on Thursday and 16 on Saturday for the Blackhawks. … Ferndale junior Mantaj Singh had 19 points in the Golden Eagles’ opener and 19 more in Thursday’s contest. Senior Jonah Brillowsky added 16 points for the Golden Eagles on Tuesday and on Thursday. … Senior Marcus Nixon had 18 points on Tuesday and sophomore Hunter Calloway had 17 on Saturday for Ferndale. … Senior Caden Heutink had 16 for Nooksack Valley on Saturday, Nov. 30.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
MOUNT BAKER opened its season with three non-league wins, beating Coupeville on Monday, 69-47; Orcas Island on Wednesday, 68-50; and Friday Harbor on Saturday, 74-49. In their opener, the Mounties came out strong with a 19-4 first period and then closed out the Wolves with a dominating 22-8 fourth quarter. All nine Mounties scored with Smith and Hill leading the way with 20 and 15 points, respectively. Sophomore Kell Reardon added 8 points. On Wednesday, the Mounties held the Vikings to eight first-quarter points to lead by seven and pulled away the rest of the way thanks to a balanced attack. Hill had 19 of his game-high 24 points and all three of his 3-pointers in the second half; Smith, junior Jordan Bailey, and Reardon had 10 points each with Smith pulling down 10 rebounds, Bailey hitting a pair of 3s, and Reardon collecting 8 rebounds and 4 blocks; and senior Darius Gilstrap contributed 9 points and 4 assists. On Saturday, Baker unleashed its bomb squad, sinking five 3-pointers on the way to a 29-13 first-quarter lead the Mounties would never relinquish. Hill had four 3s and 14 points in the first period and would finish with five 3s and 19 points. Bailey added 15 points, 7 assists, and 4 steals; Smith had 10 points; junior Peyton Abitia had 8 points with two more of Mount Baker’s 10 3-pointers; senior Chris Armbright had 7 points and 7 rebounds; and Gilstrap added 7 rebounds.
BLAINE gave new coach Chas Kok a 58-48 victory over La Conner on Monday, and a 61-40 win over Friday Harbor on Wednesday. Thursday’s scheduled game against Tamanawis Secondary was canceled due to a power failure. In their opener, the Borderites got 3-pointers from five different players in collecting the win. Junior Landon Melton had 12 of his 15 points in the second half and also pulled down 7 rebounds and blocked 4 shots; senior Abdul Kanagie had 12 points and 6 rebounds; seniors Weeda and Beckum Bleazard had 7 points each; and senior Jacob Dohner had 7 rebounds and 6 assists. On Wednesday, the Borderites’ stingy defense only allowed 12 first-half points and Blaine was never threatened in the victory. Weeda went off for 23 points, including a pair of 3-pointers; Kanagie added 16 points and 6 rebounds; and Melton tossed in 11 points and nabbed 4 steals. For the story and photos from Wednesday’s game, click on Blaine boys.
LUMMI NATION opened its season by shocking Sehome on Thursday, 65-34, and stopping La Conner on Saturday, 63-49. In Thursday’s contest, the 1B Blackhawks pressed their way to a 49-18 lead through three quarters against the 2A Mariners. Eight of nine Blackhawks scored with Toby leading the offense with 19 points, including three 3-pointers. Edwards added 15 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals; and senior Tony Abrams collected 9 points and 8 rebounds. On Saturday, Lummi Nation used a 19-point first quarter to take control and hold off the 2B Braves. Dyson fired in 22 points, including three 3s, and Toby had 10 of his 16 points in the first period in addition to 12 assists, 6 steals, and 4 rebounds for the game. Landon LaFontaine had 8 points and fellow sophomore Deandre James added 8 rebounds and 4 steals.(Note: An earlier post of a 60-33 victory on Tuesday was actually a JV game for the Blackhawks and a varsity game for Concrete.)
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN started its season with an 84-41 victory over Holy Cross on Wednesday and a 76-58 win over Lake Stevens on Saturday. In their opener, the Lyncs had little trouble with the visitors from Surrey, B.C. Gannon Dykstra added 7 assists to his 23 points; VanKooten grabbed 7 boards and handed out 6 assists to go with his 21 points; and Veldman did double duty with 18 points and 17 rebounds. On Saturday, the Lyncs came out hot with 22 points in the first quarter and then blew the game open against the Class 4A Vikings with 21 more in the third period. Dykstra just missed a triple-double with 24 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists. His little brother, sophomore Gunnar Dykstra, had 17 points thanks to four 3-pointers. Van Kooten had 12 points and a pair of 3s, junior Boyce Robertson had 12 points, and Veldman had 9 points and 9 rebounds. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on LC boys.
MERIDIAN opened with a squeaker and a slaughter, beating Bear Creek, 67-66, on Monday and trouncing Mount Vernon Christian, 70-34, on Thursday. In their opener, Fyfe and Jenkins provided most of the offense, combining for 48 points, nine 3-pointers, and all but two of Meridian’s 23 points in the wild fourth-quarter comeback. Junior Damion Hayes and sophomore Trey Alexander each added 7 points and a 3-pointer for the Trojans. On Thursday, Fyfe hit all five of his 3-pointers to help the Trojans take a 23-7 first-quarter lead and coast the rest of the way. He would finish with 21 points and 5 assists as 10 different Trojans scored and the Meridian reserves got lots of playing time. Sophomore Nate Payne had 10 points; Jenkins had 9 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals; senior James Hedahl had 8 points; and Hayes had 7 points.
NOOKSACK VALLEY opened with a convincing 59-37 victory over Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) on Saturday, Nov. 30, and an even more convincing 77-24 victory over Sultan on Wednesday. In their opener, the Pioneers took command early and held the Eagles to single digits in each of the first three quarters to pull away. Heutink led the way with team-highs of 16 points, 9 rebounds, and 7 assists. Senior Brady Ackerman had 14 points and 6 rebounds while hitting all five of his shots from the floor and all four from the foul line, and senior Cory Olney added 12 points and 4 rebounds. Wednesday was a total team victory as the Pioneers’ defense held the Turks in single digits each quarter while all 10 Pioneers scored. Ackerman led the balanced scoring with 14 points, Heutink and junior Cole Coppinger had 12 points each, senior Lance Van Berkum had 9 points, junior Dane Ackerman had 8, and junior Crew Bauman added 7.
BELLINGHAM was the last team to open its season, topping Marysville-Pilchuck on Saturday, 68-55. The Bayhawks came out soaring with 25 points in the first period and then held the Tomahawks at bay the rest of the way. VanHouten got Bellingham rolling with 14 of his 20 points and both 3-pointers coming in the first half. Junior Joe Harward then heated up in the second half with 18 of his game-high 28 points in the fourth quarter. Senior Fabian Singh added 8 points for Bellingham
LYNDEN only had one game in the first week, defeating Tamanawis of Surrey, B.C., 63-56, on Tuesday. The three-time defending Class 2A state champs went up by six after the first quarter and held that margin the rest of way. Heppner just missed a triple-double, collecting 22 points, 9 rebounds, and 10 assists. Senior Jack Stapleton and junior Ty Jorgenson had 13 points and 2 blocks each and the two combined for 9 rebounds.
SQUALICUM split its opening games, stopping Sultan on Thursday, 70-36, and losing to Marysville-Getchell on Saturday, 59-56, in overtime. On Thursday, the Storm gave new coach David Dunham a successful debut, using its defense to hold the Turks to 17 first-half points and then putting them away with a 24-point fourth quarter. Ten Squalicum players got in the scoring column with Nixon leading the way with 18 points. Calloway had 13 points, senior Jaxon Hofer and junior Laki Fagaautau had 8 each with Hofer hitting a pair of 3-pointers, and senior Ezra Nichols tossed in 7 points. On Saturday, the Storm led by seven going into the fourth period but couldn’t hold off the Chargers and managed only two free throws in the extra period. Calloway had 17 points, including three 3s, and 6 assists to lead the Storm. Nixon finished with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 6 assists; Fagaautua had 13 points and 9 rebounds; and Nichols and sophomore Blake Elston had 6 points each.
FERNDALE fell in its opener to Redmond, 60-51, on Saturday, Nov. 30; bounced back to stop Snohomish, 45-32, on Tuesday; but lost at Edmonds-Woodway on Thursday, 53-38. In their opener, the Golden Eagles couldn’t keep up with the Mustangs. Singh led the way with 19 points, including hitting 8 of 9 free throws; and seniors Jonah Brillowsky and Hunter Wills added 13 and 12 points, respectively. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles broke open a close game in the fourth quarter by outscoring the Panthers, 12-3. Brillowsky had eight of his team-high 16 points in the crucial final period and finished with 6 rebounds, and Singh added 13 points as seven of the eight Golden Eagles who played scored. On Thursday, Ferndale came out cold, managing only 15 points in the first half and never could recover. Singh and Brillowsky did their best on offense, with Singh getting 19 points and four 3-pointers and Brillowsky adding 16 points. But the rest of the Golden Eagles only managed three points, all on free throws.
SEHOME began its new season with a come-from-behind 63-46 win over Marysville-Pilchuck on Tuesday; lost to Lummi Nation on Thursday, 65-34; and lost to Spectrum Community School on Saturday, 63-60. In their opener, the Mariners were down by three going into the fourth quarter but finished with a 25-5 run to pull away from the Tomahawks in the non-league contest. Tanovan hit four of his five 3-pointers in the first quarter to lead a balanced Sehome attack with 17 points, Scott had all 16 of his points in the second half, Wright had 11 points, and sophomore Bane Mitchell added 9 points. On Thursday, the Mariners never got going against the Blackhawks’ pressure defense shooting just 26 percent from the field and scoring only 18 points through three quarters. Junior Xavier Kelley had 11 points to lead the Mariners with Tanovan and Wright adding 10 and 8 points, respectively. On Saturday, the Mariners fell behind by double digits in the first quarter but fought back to within one with five seconds left before the team from Saanich, B.C., on Vancouver Island pulled it out. Wright had 23 points and 4 steals, Kelley had 12 points and 5 rebounds, and junior Klay Jackson and Tanovan each had 8 points and two of Sehome’s seven 3-pointers.
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
After playing non-league foes in week 1, NWC and Northwest 1B teams dive into league play in week 2. Among the showdowns featuring two Whatcom teams are Sehome at Meridian on Monday, Bellingham at Blaine on Wednesday, Squalicum at Lynden on Thursday, Mount Baker at Bellingham on Friday, and Blaine at Sehome and Nooksack Valley at Ferndale on Saturday.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 9: Blaine at Orcas Island, Sehome at Meridian, Burlington-Edison at Squalicum, Sedro-Woolley at Mount Baker, Providence Classical Christian at Lummi Nation
Tuesday, Dec. 10: Mount Vernon at Lynden Christian, Ferndale at Anacortes, Granite Falls at Nooksack Valley, Lynden at Oak Harbor, Shoreline Christian at Lummi Christian
Wednesday, Dec. 11: Bellingham at Blaine, Mariner at Ferndale, Nooksack Valley at Lakewood
Thursday, Dec. 12: Squalicum at Lynden, Burlington-Edison at Meridian, Lynden Christian at Sedro-Woolley, Lummi Nation at Lopez Island
Friday, Dec. 13: Mount Baker at Bellingham
Saturday, Dec. 14: Blaine at Sehome, Lynden Christian at Archbishop Murphy, Lummi at Orcas Island, Nooksack Valley at Ferndale
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Anacortes | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Blaine | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Ferndale | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Lakewood | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lynden | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Meridian | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Sehome | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lopez Island | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Grace Academy | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Lummi Nation | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 3 |
