Once the snow cleared, the Northwest Conference teams wrapped up its regular season, and the Lummi Nation boys began play in the Class 1B District 1 tournament.
In the 1B district hosted by Lummi Nation, the Blackhawks opened with impressive victories over Concrete in the quarterfinals on Friday, 81-18, and Lopez Island in the semifinals, 69-29.
The wins not only propelled them into the district championship game on Tuesday, but guaranteed them a spot in the District 1/2/3 tournament. Assuming Lummi Nation will get a top four seed in the tri-district tourney, it would only need a win in its first game on Feb. 18 to qualify for the 1B state regionals.
For a look back at Week 10 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Girls Recap.
For a preview of the upcoming postseason tournaments, check out Playoff Preview.
Although the Northwest Conference squads managed to finish a snow-shortened week, there was little movement in the final regular-season standings.
Lynden remained undefeated — although just barely — with a pair of victories to earn the league title and will be the favorite when the Class 2A district tournament begins Tuesday.
Lynden Christian won its only game to finish second in the conference and earn the top seed in the 1A district tournament, which opens with Blaine at Mount Baker in a play-in game on Monday night.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 10.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Two of the best games of the season were on Friday, when Meridian beat Bellingham on a buzzer-beater, 80-79, and Nooksack Valley almost pulled off the season’s biggest upset before losing to undefeated Lynden, 64-63. The Trojans rallied in the fourth quarter against the inspired Bayhawks and won it on sophomore Trey Alexander’s short floater as time expired. The Pioneers and Lions had a close battle throughout with Lynden hanging on in the final seconds to keep their record unblemished.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Talon Jenkins had 18 points and fellow seniors Jaeger Fyfe and James Hedahl had 17 points each for Meridian on Wednesday, and Jenkins came back with 35 points and Fyfe with 21 on Friday. … Senior Gannon Dykstra had 31 points for Lynden Christian on Saturday. … Senior Brant Heppner had 30 points and junior Spencer Adams had 17 points for Lynden on Wednesday, and Adams led the Lions with 19 points on Friday. … Senior Kincade VanHouten had 28 points and junior Joe Harward had 26 for Bellingham on Friday. … Senior Marcus Nixon had 26 points for Squalicum on Wednesday and 18 on Friday, and junior Hunter Calloway added 17 for the Storm on Friday. … Junior Jerome Toby had 25 points for Lummi Nation on Friday. … Senior Caden Heutink had 22 points for Nooksack Valley on Wednesday and added 23 more on Friday. … Senior Darius Gilstrap had 21 points for Mount Baker on Friday and 19 more on Saturday. … Senior Jonah Brillowsky and junior Mantaj Singh had 19 and 18 points, respectively, in Ferndale’s win Friday. … Blaine senior Jacob Dohner had 18 points on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION (RPI ranking: No. 10, 1B): rolled past Concrete on Friday, 81-18, and Lopez Island on Saturday, 69-29. In Friday’s district quarterfinal, the Blackhawks wasted little time, scoring enough points in the first quarter (25) to beat the Lions and holding them to their second-lowest point total of the season. Toby had 14 of Lummi’s 21 steals, and his 25 points and three 3s were enough to earn the victory by himself, but the junior point guard got lots of help as all nine Blackhawks scored. Sophomore Dyson Edwards had three more 3s and 15 points as well as 6 assists, sophomore Deandre James had 9 points, sophomore Landon LaFontaine and senior RayShawn Bob had 8 points each with LaFontaine hitting two more 3s, and sophomore Gregory Hawk had 6 points. In Saturday’s semifinal, the Blackhawks soared right from the opening tip by scoring the first 19 points, leading by 30 at the half, and only allowing one Lobo to score more than two points in the game. It was once again a balanced attack with Toby having 15 points, three 3-pointers and 5 assists; LaFontaine had 14 points, four 3s, and 8 rebounds; senior Trevon Lee had 10 points and 5 rebounds; Edwards had 9 points and 5 assists; and senior Andrew Tageant had 8 points.
LYNDEN (No. 1, 2A): defeated Anacortes on Wednesday, 72-47, and Nooksack Valley on Friday, 64-63. On Wednesday, the Lions slowly pulled away to a 14-point lead after three quarters and then put the Seahawks away by holding them to six points in the fourth period. Heppner led the way with 30 points, four 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists; Adams had 17 points and three 3s as well as team-highs of 10 rebounds and 5 assists; junior Ty Jorgenson had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists; and sophomore Gordy Bedlington had 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. On Friday, the Lions finally broke open a tight game in the fourth quarter, taking an 11-point lead, only to see the Pioneers fight back to within one with less than two seconds left. But the Lynden defense prevented a miracle shot and kept the Lions’ unbeaten through the regular season. Adams led the Lions with 19 points, 8 rebounds, and five of Lynden’s 11 3-pointers. Heppner had 16 points, 6 rebounds, and three 3s; senior Jack Stapleton added 11 points and 5 rebounds; sophomore Malachi Koenen had 6 points; and sophomore Gordy Bedlington had 5 assists.
MERIDIAN (No. 11, 1A): beat Sedro-Woolley on Wednesday, 67-56, and Bellingham on Friday, 80-79. On Wednesday, the Trojans took a double-digit lead in the second quarter and then held off the feisty Cubs the rest of the way. Jenkins and Fyfe combined for 35 points and had three 3-pointers each, Hedahl added 17 points, and sophomore Pierce Brzozowski had 8 points, including a pair of big 3-pointers in the fourth quarter. On Friday, Alexander got a pass from Brzozowski in the paint and his game-winner would be his only field goal of the game. Jenkins led Meridian’s rally with 11 of his 35 points and three of his five 3-pointers coming in the fourth quarter. Fyfe also had eight of his 21 points in the final period, Hedahl finished with 8 points, and junior Matthew Blankenburg added 6 points.
SQUALICUM (No. 23, 2A): defeated Sehome on Wednesday, 66-46, and Oak Harbor on Friday, 56-53. On Wednesday, the Storm broke away from a four-point halftime lead with a 39-point second half. Leading the way was Nixon, who had 20 of his game-high 26 points after intermission as well as 8 rebounds. Sophomore Hunter Calloway added 12 points, seniors Ezra Nichols and Jaxon Hofer had 9 points each with Hofer’s coming on three 3-pointers, and sophomore Blake Elston had 6 points. Hofer also had 7 rebounds, and Hunter had a team-high 4 assists. On Friday, the Storm held Oak Harbor to 18 first-half points but then had to withstand the Wildcats’ wild comeback and score 10 of the game’s final 12 points to avoid the upset. Nixon finished with 18 points, Calloway had 17, and Elston added 10. For the story and photos from Wednesday’s game, click on Squalicum boys.
FERNDALE (No. 41, 3A): defeated Mount Baker on Friday, 77-55. The Golden Eagles put up 42 points in the second and third quarters to stretch a three-point lead to 21. Brillowsky had a team-high 19 points, including a pair of 3s, and Singh was dominate inside, scoring 12 of his 18 points in the second half. Senior Tommy Mack came off the bench to score 12 points, senior Hunter Wills had 7 points, and junior Cooper Vincent and senior Tushraj Grewal had 6 points each. The Golden Eagles’ game at Lynden Christian on Thursday was cancelled due to the weather. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Ferndale boys.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No. 3, 1A): ran away from Lakewood on Saturday, 84-57, in the Lyncs’ only game of the week. The Lyncs shot 55 percent from the field and dished out 22 assists. Leading the LC attack was Dykstra with 31 points, five 3-pointers, and 5 assists. Sophomore Kaden Veldman added 16 points and 8 rebounds, sophomore Dawson Hintz had 15 points, and senior Luke Van Kooten had 12 points and a pair of 3s. The Lyncs’ game with Ferndale on Thursday was cancelled because of the weather.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No. 21, 1A): beat Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 71-62, and lost to Lynden on Friday, 64-63. On Wednesday, the Pioneers used a 42-point second half to rally from a three-point halftime deficit. Heutink had 22 points, senior Cory Olney had 13 points, senior Brady Ackerman had 11 points, and senior Tristan Kamphouse had 7 points. In Friday’s near-upset, the Pioneers were down by 11 in the fourth quarter before rallying to close within one in the waning seconds but couldn’t get off a final shot to drop as time expired. The Pioneers made 10 fewer 3-pointers, 11-1, but were 22 of 37 from the line. Heutink had a great game against the three-time defending state champions with 23 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists. Ackerman had 13 points and 5 rebounds, Olney had 12 points, and Kamphouse had 8 points.
BELLINGHAM (No. 30, 2A): lost to Burlington-Edison on Wednesday, 76-48, and to Meridian on Friday, 80-79. On Wednesday, the Bayhawks got off to a slow start, falling behind by 21, and couldn’t make up any ground on the Tigers. Harward was the only Bayhawk in double figures with 10 points, VanHouten and senior Harmon Wienkers had 8 points each with Wienkers sinking two 3-pointers, and senior Fabian Singh added 7 points and a pair of 3s. On Friday, the Bayhawks were down by seven after one quarter, rallied to take a double-digit in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t stop Meridian on their final possession and lost for the eighth time in their last nine games. VanHouten and Harward led Bellingham’s offensive explosion with 28 and 26 points, respectively, and Wienkers added 15 points on five 3-pointers. Harward also had a team-high 7 rebounds.
BLAINE (No. 49, 1A): lost to Mount Vernon on Friday, 92-49, and to Sedro-Woolley on Saturday, 77-44. On Friday, the Borderites couldn’t stop the Bulldogs from running to their highest point total of the season. Dohner had a team-high 18 points and four 3-pointers, senior Josiah Weeda had 13 points, and junior Landon Melton had 7 points. On Saturday, Weeda had 12 points and 6 rebounds, senior Beckum Bleazard had 10 points, and Melton had 6 points and 3 blocks. The Borderites’ game with Bellingham on Wednesday was cancelled due to the weather.
MOUNT BAKER (No. 35, 1A): lost to Ferndale on Friday, 77-55, and to Mount Vernon on Saturday, 61-60. On Friday, the Mounties only trailed by three points after one quarter but couldn’t keep up with the taller Golden Eagles. Gilstrap had a game-high 21 points and 12 rebounds, with 14 of his points and two of his three 3-pointers coming in the second half. Senior Luke Coles finished with 10 points, and senior Luke Smith had 7 points, but no other Mountie had more than four points. On Saturday morning, barely 14 hours after Friday’s game ended, the fired up Mounties used a 25-point first quarter to jump out to an 11-point lead, fell behind in the fourth quarter and rallied in the final minute before coming up a point short. Gilstrap had another big game with 19 points and a huge 3-pointer that brought the Mounties within one in the final seconds, junior Carter Hill had 16 points with three of his four 3-pointers coming in the big first period, sophomore Kell Reardon had 9 points and 13 rebounds, and Smith had 7 points. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Mount Baker boys.
SEHOME (No. 43, 2A): lost to Squalicum on Wednesday, 66-46, and to Burlington-Edison on Saturday, 61-27. On Wednesday, the Mariners were within four points at intermission but couldn’t keep up with the Golden Eagles in the second half. Junior Xavier Kelley led the Mariners with 13 points and 13 rebounds, and junior Nolan Wright had 9 points and 9 assists. Senior Cooper McAtee, junior Klay Jackson, and sophomore Quincy Tanovan each had a pair of 3-pointers and 6 points. Junior Cole Turrell, who sat out most of the second half because of illness, also had 6 points. On Saturday, the Mariners came out cold and stayed cold, scoring only 13 points through three quarters and making only 11 of 53 shots in the game. Kelley had 9 points and 9 rebounds, and Wright managed 7 thanks to hitting 5 of 6 free throws and dished out 4 assists. For the story and photos from Wednesday’s game, click on Sehome boys.
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 regular-season standings)
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 15 | 0 | 21 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 13 | 1 | 18 | 2 |
| Lakewood | 11 | 4 | 15 | 6 |
| Meridian | 10 | 5 | 14 | 6 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 10 | 5 | 11 | 6 |
| Burlington-Edison | 9 | 6 | 14 | 6 |
| Ferndale | 8 | 6 | 10 | 9 |
| Anacortes | 8 | 7 | 12 | 8 |
| Mount Vernon | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Squalicum | 7 | 8 | 11 | 9 |
| Bellingham | 6 | 9 | 8 | 12 |
| Nooksack Valley | 6 | 9 | 10 | 9 |
| Mount Baker | 3 | 12 | 8 | 12 |
| Oak Harbor | 3 | 12 | 4 | 15 |
| Sehome | 3 | 12 | 5 | 15 |
| Blaine | 0 | 15 | 3 | 17 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE (final regular-season standings)
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 5 | 0 | 16 | 3 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 5 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 4 | 2 | 6 | 7 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 3 | 2 | 8 | 9 |
| Lopez Island | 2 | 4 | 6 | 7 |
| Grace Academy | 0 | 4 | 4 | 10 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 7 | 3 | 14 |
