The Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League wrapped up their regular seasons last week and while the bigger schools took the weekend off to prepare for their respective district tournaments, Lummi Nation began defense of its Class 1B state championship.
First the Blackhawks claimed an undisputed NW1B title by beating Tulalip Heritage on Tuesday in the regular-season finale. Then in the District 1 tournament, they dominated league rivals Lopez Island in the quarterfinals on Thursday and Shoreline Christian in the semifinals on Saturday.
That puts Lummi Nation in the district championship on Tuesday at home in a rematch with Tulalip Heritage. Both teams have already qualified for the next step — the District 1/2/3 tournament.
For a look back at Week 10 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Girls Recap.
Meanwhile, the Week 10 results completed the seeding for the Class 1A, 2A, and 3A teams, which begin their district tournaments this week.
After winning the NWC championship, Lynden Christian will take the top spot in the 1A district and in one semifinal will face the winner of Wednesday’s play-in game between fifth seed Mount Baker and fourth seed Blaine. In the other semi, second seed Meridian will take on third seed Nooksack Valley.
For a preview of all the boys and girls district tournaments, check out Whatcom Hoops District Previews.
The 2A district tournament begins Monday, when eighth seed Bellingham hosts ninth seed Marysville-Pilchuck in a play-in game. The winner will take on top seed Lynden in Wednesday’s quarterfinals. Other quarterfinal games have Archbishop Murphy at Sehome and Squalicum at Anacortes.
Whatcom County’s only 3A team, Ferndale, will join NWC rivals Sedro-Woolley and Mount Vernon and the top 13 teams from the Western Conference in the District 1 playoffs. The Golden Eagles are seeded 10th, which sends them on the road against seventh seed Meadowdale on Wednesday in a loser-out contest.
(NOTE: Standings are from the official WIAA website.)
Here are the boys highlights from regular-season’s final week.
GAME OF THE WEEK (PART I)
Despite improving as the season has progressed, Blaine had only two Northwest Conference victories coming into Thursday’s game at second-place Sedro-Woolley. But the Borderites saved the best for their last regular-season game, battling the Class 3A Cubs to the end before losing, 51-50. After trading leads through most of the game, Blaine was down by five with just over two minutes left but junior Landon Brown’s jumper with 58 seconds left brought them within one. After two missed Sedro free throws with 16 seconds left, the Borderites had two shots but couldn’t put them in in before the final buzzer.
GAME OF THE WEEK (PART II)
Bellingham finished the regular season with an incredible finish as they came from behind at the end of regulation and in overtime to beat Meridian on Friday, 80-76. In a game that was close throughout, the Bayhawks needed senior Joe Harward to sink his second 3-pointer of the season at the buzzer to send the game into OT. Then, after grabbing the lead in the extra period, they needed two free throws from junior Calvin Van Hofwegen and three from senior Barrett Johnson in the final minute to finally subdue the Trojans.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior Dyson Edwards had a great Saturday, scoring 40 points in Lummi Nation’s district victory and joining the school’s prestigious career 1,000-point club. Seniors Jerome Toby Jr. and Chayce Waite-Kellar had 27 and 25 points, respectively, on Tuesday; Edwards had 17 points and Waite-Kellar had 15 on Thursday; and Waite-Kellar had 18 points and Toby had 16 on Saturday. … Junior Pierce Brzozowski had 34 points and junior Trey Alexander had 16 points for Meridian on Friday. … Senior Mantaj Singh broke into Ferndale’s exclusive career 1,000-point club when he scored 23 points on Monday and then added 33 points on Wednesday and 26 on Thursday. Sophomore Tracen Pazaski had 17 points on Monday and 16 on Wednesday for the Golden Eagles. … Bellingham senior Joe Harward had 29 point and junior Calvin Van Hofwegen had 16 on Wednesday, and on Friday, senior Barrett Johnson had 20 points, Van Hofwegen had 19, junior Silas McGerr had 18, and Harward had 17. … Lynden senior Spencer Adams had 23 points on Tuesday, and senior Ty Jorgenson had 21 points on Friday. … Senior Boyce Robertson had 22 points, junior Kaden Veldman had 18 points, and juniors Gunnar Dykstra and Dawson Hintz had 16 points each for Lynden Christian on Tuesday, and Hintz and Veldman came back with 28 and 23 points, respectively, on Thursday. … Seniors Xavier Kelley and Nolan Wright had 20 and 18 points, respectively, in Sehome’s victory Wednesday. …Junior Hunter Calloway had 20 points on Friday, and Orion Grandberg-Kiddle had 16 points and fellow junior Blake Elston had 15 points for the Storm on Wednesday. … Blaine junior Dawson Dohner had 16 points on Thursday. … Mount Baker senior Payten Abitia had 15 points on Monday and junior Kell Reardon had 15 points on Thursday.
SPECIAL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Bellingham High honored two basketball players — the late John “Cliff” Gaffney (Class of 1940) and Brock Crawford (Class of 1991) — at its Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony on Saturday. Gaffney starred for Bellingham teams that reached the state tournament his junior and senior seasons and went on to play for the famed Bellingham Fircrests pro team. Crawford was a three-sport star and was the team MVP in basketball and second-team all-league his senior year.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION (No.4, 1B) toppled Tulalip Heritage on Tuesday, 75-62, to wrap up the regular season, and then opened the Class 1B District 1 tournament by clobbering Lopez Island on Thursday, 86-12, and Shoreline Christian on Saturday, 100-44. In Tuesday’s battle between highly ranked 1B teams with the NW1B League title at stake, the Blackhawks battled back from a seven-point deficit to outscore the Hawks, 21-10 in the fourth quarter for the huge victory. Toby had a game-high 27 points, a pair of 3-pointers, and 5 rebounds; Waite-Kellar had 25 points and 24 rebounds and was clutch at the line, hitting 7 of 8 free throws; Edwards added 12 points and a pair of 3s; and junior Landon LaFontaine had 6 points. In Thursday’s district quarterfinal, the Blackhawks ended any suspense in the first quarter by going ahead 24-2 and not only got everyone in the game but all 10 players scored. Edwards led the way with 17 points and 5 steals; Waite-Kellar had 15 points, eight of them in the first period, along with 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots; freshman Mason Revey had 13 points; Toby had 11 points; junior Deandre James had 10 points; senior Isaiah Yrizarris had 8 points; and junior Gregory Hawk had 6 points. In Saturday’s district semifinal, the Blackhawks jumped out to a 25-point first quarter lead on the way to setting a school playoff record with their 100 points. Dyson was unstoppable with 40 points and six 3-pointers, the fifth of which in the third quarter gave him 1,000 points in his Lummi career. He also had 10 steals. Waite-Kellar and Toby had 18 and 16 points despite sitting out the fourth quarter with Toby adding 8 assists, LaFontaine and Yrizarris had 7 points each, and James had 5 rebounds. For the story and photos from Tuesday’s game, click on Lummi Nation Boys.
LYNDEN (No.13, 2A) took down Anacortes on Tuesday, 61-51, and Nooksack Valley on Friday, 59-48. On Tuesday, the Lions were down by seven at the half of their big Class 2A showdown but the second half belonged to the green and gold as Lynden outscored the Seahawks, 38-21. Adams paced the Lions with 23 points and 9 rebounds, juniors Gordy Bedlington and Malachi Koenen had 10 points each with Bedlington adding 4 rebounds and 5 assists, and Jorgenson and sophomore Jayden Navarre had 7 points each with Jorgenson pulling down 7 rebounds. On Friday, the Lions’ defense limited the Pioneers to 28 points through three quarters in building a 15-point lead and winning the regular-season finale thanks to a 41-22 rebounding edge. Jorgenson had 21 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists; Adams had 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists; Navarre and Bedlington had 7 points each with Navarre grabbing 6 rebounds; and Koenen had 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No.2, 1A) defeated Lakewood on Tuesday, 83-54, and Ferndale on Thursday, 80-70. On Tuesday, the Lyncs used a 23-point second quarter to run up a 17-point lead at halftime and then finished off the Cougars with a 22-point fourth quarter. Robertson led the way with 22 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and had 8 rebounds and 5 steals; Veldman had 18 points, two 3s, 10 rebounds, and 4 blocks; and Hintz and Dykstra had 16 points each with Hintz pulling down 8 rebounds and 7 assists and Dykstra sinking three of his four 3-pointers in the crucial second period and dishing out 4 assists. On Thursday, the Lyncs blew out to an 18-point lead and then held off the Golden Eagles’ fourth-quarter comeback. Hintz had 24 of his 28 points and all three of his 3s in the second and third quarters as LC built its insurmountable lead; Veldman had 23 points; Dykstra had 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 5 assists; and Robertson had 8 points.
SEHOME (No.7, 2A) knocked off Squalicum on Wednesday, 61-47, and Burlington-Edison on Friday, 69-64. On Wednesday, the Mariners jumped out to a 21-point lead in the second quarter and kept their city rivals at bay the rest of the way. Kelley had a big game with 20 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 assists; Wright had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists; and senior Kyle Jackson had three 3-pointers for 9 points and 3 assists. On Friday, the Mariners were down by 13 at the half and seven midway through the fourth period, but took the lead for good on Kelley’s 3-pointer with two minutes left and then got two Turrell buckets inside, two free throws by senior Carter Duckworth, and three from Wright to nail down the big victory. Kelley had 24 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots; Wright had 17 points and four 3-pointers, 7 assists, and 5 rebounds; and Turrell had 16 points and 7 rebounds.
FERNDALE (No.50, 3A) defeated Mount Baker on Monday, 80-55, and Mariner on Wednesday, 80-64, before losing to Lynden Christian on Thursday, 80-70. On Monday, the Golden Eagles not only got to celebrate Singh’s milestone but his 23 points helped them reach their highest point total of the season. Pazaski had three of Ferndale’s nine 3-pointers and 17 points and 6 rebounds, senior Cooper Vincent and sophomore Houston Wills had 11 points each, senior Kaveer Dhillon had 8 points and a pair of 3s, and junior Blake Singson had two more 3-pointers for 6 points. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles exploded for 30 points in the first period and once again hit their season high with 80 points in their non-league victory. Singh was spectacular with 33 points, 9 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists; Pazaski had 16 points; Dhillon had a dozen points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists; and Wills added 9 points. On Thursday, the Golden Eagles couldn’t keep up with the high-powered Lyncs through three quarters but rallied for 27 points in the fourth period to come within seven points before coming up short. Singh had another great game with 26 points, a pair of 3-pointers, and 6 rebounds; Wills added 18 points and 6 rebounds; Pazaski had 12 points and 5 rebounds; and Dhillon had 8 points.
BELLINGHAM (No.35, 2A) lost to Burlington-Edison on Wednesday, 75-70, then came back to beat Meridian in overtime on Friday, 80-76. In Wednesday’s rollercoaster ride, the Bayhawks led by a dozen points after one quarter, but found themselves down by double digits in the fourth quarter only to rally within one possession with a minute to go before the Tigers closed out the game at the free throw line. Harward had 15 of his 29 points in the second half rally; Van Hofwegen sank two of his four 3s in the fourth quarter and finished with 16 points; sophomore Emmett Vanhouten had 9 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists; and senior Myllo Wright had 8 points, a pair of 3-pointers, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. In Friday’s comeback win, the Bayhawks made six of eight free throws in overtime and got two huge 3-pointers from junior Silas McGerr to finally overcome the Trojans. Johnson led the balanced attack with 20 points including five in OT, Van Hofwegen had four of Bellingham’s 11 3-pointers for 19 points plus 7 rebounds, McGerr had 18 points all on six 3s, and Harward had 17 points and 3 steals.
SQUALICUM (No.31, 2A) lost to Sehome on Wednesday, 61-47, but beat Oak Harbor on Friday, 49-44. On Wednesday, the Storm came out chilly, only managing eight points through the first quarter and a half and never getting the Mariners’ lead under double digits the rest of the way. Granberg-Kiddle led Squalicum with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 assists; Elston had 15 points; and Calloway had 11 points and 6 rebounds. On Friday, the Storm trailed by one with seven minutes left but rallied to knock off the Wildcats. Calloway finished with 20 points and 9 rebounds, Grandberg-Kiddle had 15 points and 12 rebounds, and Elston had 6 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals.
BLAINE (No.42, 1A) lost to Mount Vernon on Monday, 54-42, and to Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, 51-50. On Monday, the Borderites were within four at the half but gave up 21 points in the third quarter in their loss to the 3A Bulldogs. Senior Milo Dahl led Blaine with 13 points, senior Landon Melton had 8 points and 5 assists, Dohner had 7 points, and junior Gus Dickson had 9 rebounds and 4 blocks. In Thursday’s near-upset, the Borderites jumped to a shocking 20-9 lead but then had to rally in the fourth quarter before falling to the Cubs. Dohner had 16 points and four 3-pointers, Melton had 14 points, and senior Daniel Banks, junior Peyton Bouma, and Brown had 6 points each.
MERIDIAN (No.34, 1A) lost to Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 66-37, and to Bellingham on Friday in overtime, 80-76. On Tuesday, a six-point first quarter put the Trojans in a hole that they couldn’t climb out of. Brzozowski had 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 steals, and senior Daniel Larsen and junior Gabe Galbraith had 6 points each with Larsen adding 7 rebounds and Galbraith’s points coming on two 3s. In Friday’s thriller, the Trojans had a five-point lead with less than a minute to go but couldn’t prevent Bellingham from sending the game into overtime and outscoring Meridian in the extra period, 14-10. Brzozowski had 34 points a pair of 3-pointers, 13 rebounds, and 5 steals; Alexander had three 3s and 16 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists; Galbraith had 8 points; and sophomore Emmett Ashmore added 7 points thanks to two more 3-pointers.
MOUNT BAKER (No.47, 1A) lost to Ferndale on Monday, 80-55, and to Mount Vernon on Thursday, 57-39. On Monday, the Mounties kept pace with the high-flying Golden Eagles through the first half but came out cold in the second half and only managed 23 points after intermission. Abitia led the balanced offense with 15 points and a pair of 3s, sophomore Pepe McEvoy-Salgado had 12 points, Reardon and freshman Trey Galbraith had 8 points each with Reardon adding 8 rebounds and 4 assists, and junior Gage Smith had 6 points. On Thursday, the Mounties came out hot with an 18-point first quarter but then could only score 21 points the final three periods. Reardon had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 blocks; senior Jet Ross had 7 points, Abitia had 6 points, and senior Jordan Bailey had a team-high 5 assists.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No.30, 1A) lost to Oak Harbor on Monday, 63-47, and to Lynden on Friday, 59-48. On Monday, the Pioneers were outscored, 40-22, in the middle two quarters and couldn’t make up enough ground in the final period. Senior Brian Leyerly led the balanced scoring with 10 points, seniors Owen Wichers and Cole Coppinger had 9 points each, and seniors Jayden Anderson and Crew Bauman had 6 points each with Anderson snagging 9 rebounds and Bauman collecting 5 assists and 3 blocked shots. On Friday, the Pioneers finally got their offense going with a 20-point fourth quarter but couldn’t cut the final margin into single digits. Wichers led Nooksack with 12 points, Coppinger and Bauman had 10 points each with Bauman nabbing 4 steals, sophomore Tyler Martin had 8 points, and senior Weston Silves had a team-high 5 rebounds.
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.
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE (final standings)
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden Christian | 15 | 0 | 20 | 1 |
| Anacortes | 12 | 3 | 17 | 4 |
| Lynden | 12 | 3 | 15 | 6 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 12 | 3 | 16 | 4 |
| Sehome | 11 | 4 | 14 | 6 |
| Burlington-Edison | 10 | 5 | 14 | 6 |
| Lakewood* | 10 | 5 | 13 | 6 |
| Mount Vernon | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Ferndale | 6 | 9 | 8 | 12 |
| Squalicum | 6 | 9 | 9 | 10 |
| Oak Harbor | 5 | 10 | 7 | 14 |
| Bellingham | 4 | 11 | 8 | 12 |
| Meridian | 4 | 11 | 6 | 14 |
| Nooksack Valley | 3 | 12 | 8 | 13 |
| Blaine | 2 | 13 | 4 | 17 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 14 | 3 | 15 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE (final standings)
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation* | 7 | 0 | 19 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 6 | 2 | 18 | 4 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 5 | 5 | 5 | 11 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 5 | 7 | 7 | 11 |
| Grace Academy | 4 | 6 | 4 | 13 |
| Shoreline Christian | 4 | 6 | 7 | 10 |
| Lopez Island | 3 | 7 | 8 | 11 |
* Does not include non-league tie.
