The Northwest Conference race finished in an exciting jumble, but the Northwest 1B League wrapped up in boring fashion as our Whatcom teams completed their regular seasons last week.
Lynden was in the middle of the NWC photo finish winning three of its four games last week. While the Lions’ one-point loss to Mount Vernon on Thursday cost them an undisputed league title, they came back on Saturday to earn a share of the league crown with Mount Vernon by knocking Lynden Christian out of a first-place tie.
All of which is just a warm-up for the Class 1A, 2A, and 3A district tournaments that start this week and run for another week with the survivors advancing to the regional portion of the state tournaments.
For a look back at Week 10 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
For the 1B schools, however, there was little suspense as Lummi Nation ran through the NW1B League with an 11-0 record, winning by an average margin of 47 points.
The Blackhawks, who are the top-ranked 1B team in the state, also took the first step to returning to Spokane by winning their District 1 quarterfinal game on Saturday. The win moves them into the district semifinals, and more importantly, automatically qualifies them for the District 1/2/3 tournament.
For a preview of the upcoming district tournaments involving all our Whatcom teams, check out Whatcom Hoops district preview on Monday.
Most Northwest Conference teams also participated in the Cancer Versus Coaches program, which brings attention and funds to the fight against the disease. Each school can honor someone important to their team or community who has battled cancer by naming them an honorary captain for a game.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 10 and the honorary cancer captains for each team.
GAME OF THE WEEK
Lynden played four games last week and two went down to the wire, but for the game of the week we’ll go with Saturday’s win rather than Thursday’s loss. In the big rivalry game in Lynden Christian’s sold-out gym, the Lions leaped to a 12-point lead but had to withstand the Lyncs’ big comeback to win, 61-56. After LC tied the game midway through the fourth quarter, senior Anthony Canales led Lynden on a 10-2 run to wrap up the victory and a share of the NWC title.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Senior Wyatt Stephan had 35 points for Bellingham on Friday after scoring 19 on Tuesday. … Lynden senior Anthony Canales had 21 points on Tuesday, 30 points on Thursday, and finished the week with 32 on Saturday. Junior Brant Heppner had 16 points for the Lions on Monday, and junior Jack Stapleton had 16 on Thursday … Junior Jaeger Fyfe had 27 points for Meridian on Friday, and junior Talon Jenkins had 25 points on Monday. … Junior Jonah Brillowsky had 26 points for Ferndale on Tuesday, and sophomore Mantaj Singh had 25 points on Thursday and 20 points on Saturday. … Freshman Quincy Tanovan had 25 points and sophomore Cole Turrell had 20 points for Sehome on Tuesday, and sophomore Nolan Wright had 16 points for the Mariners on Friday. … Junior Gannon Dykstra had 23 points on Tuesday, 19 points on Wednesday, and 23 more on Saturday for Lynden Christian. Seniors Jeremiah Wright and Kayden Stuit had 18 and 16 points, respectively, for the Lyncs on Tuesday. … Sophomore Jerome Toby had 22 points for Lummi Nation on Tuesday, and freshman Dyson Edwards had 15 points on Saturday. … Junior Marcus Nixon had 16 points for Squalicum on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION (RPI ranking: No.1, Class 1B) beat Tulalip Heritage on Tuesday, 73-47, and Shoreline Christian on Saturday in the quarterfinals of the 1B district tournament, 74-36. On Tuesday, Lummi Nation led by only one point with 3:30 left in the third quarter but finished with a 32-7 blitz the rest of the way to defeat their rivals and wrap up an unbeaten NW1B schedule. Nine Blackhawks scored four or more points with Toby’s 22 points leading the way followed by senior Desmond Bailey and junior Tony Abram with 9 points each, senior Ray Perkins with 8 points and two 3-pointers, and senior Landon Day with 7 points. On Saturday, the Blackhawks jumped out to a 22-7 lead and then only allowed 13 points in the second half to unplug the Chargers. Ten Blackhawks scored: Edwards (15 points), Toby (11), senior Tobias Francis and Bailey (8 each), freshman Landon LaFontaine (7), junior Trevon Lee and senior Mathias Johnson (6 each); and Day, Abrams, and Karson Revey (4 each). For the story and photos from Tuesday’s game, click on Lummi boys.
SEHOME (No.33, 2A) beat Blaine on Tuesday, 74-59, and Nooksack Valley on Friday, 55-41. On Tuesday, Sehome used a 21-point second quarter to take a 12-point lead and then held off the Borderites in the second half. Leading the Mariners’ offensive charge was Tanovan, who scored 25 points and hit eight 3-pointers, one short of the school record set by Jeff Chapman in the 1996 Class AAA state title game. Turrell made all eight of his field goal attempts for 20 points in the second half and added 12 rebounds, senior Braddock Duckworth had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Wright added 9 points and 9 assists. On Friday, Sehome held the Pioneers to 15 first-half points and two field goals in pulling out to a 13-point lead and held off Nooksack Valley thanks to making 21 of 25 free throws. Wright had 16 points and was 6 for 6 from the line, sophomore Carter Duckworth had 13 points, senior Austin McKay had 8 points, and Tanovan had 7 points. Honorary cancer captain: Carol Brumet, cancer center outreach coordinator at PeaceHealth St. Joseph Medical Center
LYNDEN (No.4, 2A) beat Burlington-Edison on Monday, 69-49; Ferndale on Tuesday, 61-52; lost to Mount Vernon on Thursday, 76-75; and defeated Lynden Christian on Saturday, 61-56. On Monday, Lynden took command early and used a balanced attack to pull away to the 20-point win. Heppner led the Lions with 16 points with a pair of 3-pointers and 9 rebounds; senior Charlie Ayres had 14 points and 4 assists; Canales had 12 points, 3 assists, and 3 steals; senior Ty Holleman had 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 6 assists; senior Kael Stapleton had 6 points; senior Brady Elsner had 8 assists; and sophomore Dani Bowler had 3 steals. On Tuesday, Lynden was up by 15 at intermission but had to fight off Ferndale and battle through foul trouble in the second half. Canales led the Lions with 21 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists; Heppner and Ayres had 11 points and three 3-pointers each with Heppner also pulling down 9 rebounds; senior Weston Van Dalen had 7 points; and Elsner dished out 10 assists. On Thursday, the Lions fought back from a 12-point halftime deficit but couldn’t catch the Bulldogs, who made 11 free throws in the fourth period to hand Lynden its first league loss. Canales had 30 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals; Stapleton had 16 points, a pair of 3-pointers, and 8 rebounds; Ayres had 11 points; Heppner had 10 points, two 3s, 6 rebounds and 4 assists; and Elsner had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 12 assists. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Lynden-Mount Vernon boys. On Saturday, it was Lynden that took a 12-point lead and held off the Lyncs. Canales finished with 32 points, Ayres had 9 points on three big 3s, Heppner had 7 points, and Stapleton had 6 points. Elsner had 7 assists and 7 rebounds, and Canales, Heppner, and Stapleton had 6 rebounds each. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Lynden-LC boys. Honorary cancer captain: Kent Oostra, alum and father of cheer adviser Katelyn Shagren
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No.2, 1A) beat Meridian on Tuesday, 70-47, and Squalicum on Wednesday, 70-41, and lost to Lynden on Saturday, 61-56. On Tuesday, the Lyncs used a 20-point first quarter to take a 10-point lead and steadily pull away from the Trojans. Dykstra had 23 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals, and LC’s big men dominated inside. Wright had half of his 18 points in the crucial first period, 8 rebounds, and made all seven of his free throws; Stuit had 16 points and 11 rebounds; and the two combined for six dunks. On Wednesday, Dykstra had 19 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds; Dawson made 5 of 6 3-point attempts for 15 points; and Wright had 14 points and 8 rebounds. On Saturday in the season-finale against their city rivals, the Lyncs rallied from a 12-point deficit to tie it midway through the fourth quarter but were outscored 10-5 the rest of the way. Dykstra had 18 of his team-high 23 points in LC’s second-half comeback and finished with four 3-pointers and 5 assists. Wright added 14 points and 10 rebounds, Bouma had 13 points, and freshman Dawson Hintz came off the bench to spark the Lyncs with 6 points and 6 rebounds. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on LC-Lynden boys. Honorary cancer captain: Leanne Holleman, aunt of sophomores Boyce Robertson and Eli Maberry
BELLINGHAM (No.27, 2A) beat Burlington-Edison on Tuesday, 54-51, and lost to Mount Vernon on Friday, 74-69. On Tuesday, Bellingham held a seven-point lead going into the final quarter and held on to tame the Tigers. Stephan had six of his 19 points in the fourth quarter, sank three of the Bayhawks’ four 3-pointers, and added 7 rebounds; sophomore Kincade VanHouten had 13 points; sophomore Joe Harward had 9 points and 12 rebounds; and junior Gabe Van Hofwegen added 7 points. On Friday, the Bayhawks held their own in a shootout with Mount Vernon thanks to Stephan’s 35 points and five 3-pointers. But Bellingham couldn’t overcome the 39 points of Bulldogs star Quinn Swanson, his 15 free throws, and a couple of missed opportunities in the final minute. Senior Jesse Howard had 10 points for the Bayhawks, and sophomores Myllo Wright and Joe Harward had 8 points each. Honorary cancer captain: Ronald Wright (and wife Cheryl, mother Euphemia, and mother-in-law Dorothy), long-time Bellingham supporter and father of JV coach Mark Wright and grandfather of sophomore Myllo Wright of Bellingham and senior Mari Binning of Squalicum
FERNDALE (No.56, 3A) lost to Lynden on Tuesday, 61-52; beat Blaine on Thursday, 73-52; and lost to Anacortes on Saturday, 101-67. On Tuesday, Ferndale fell behind by nine after one quarter and despite playing the Lions even the rest of the way couldn’t make up the difference. Brillowsky had a game-high 26 points and 7 rebounds; senior Bhavnoor Grewal had 12 points; Singh had 8 points including a pair of 3-pointers; senior Bishop Ootsey had 10 rebounds and 7 assists; and junior Lincoln Thomas added 4 assists. On Thursday, a 29-3 second quarter propelled Ferndale to victory. Singh had 25 points, Grewal added 13 points, 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals; seniors Kevin Woods and Leo Myrrh had 7 points each; and Ootsey added 6 points. On Saturday, Ferndale couldn’t slow the Seahawks, who scored over 100 for the second time this season. Singh had 20 points and three 3s despite sitting out the fourth quarter, Brillowsky had 12 points, Ootsey had 9 points, Thomas had 8, and senior Kevin Woods added 6 points. Honorary cancer captains: Shelley Knebel, Skip Munson, Kena Brashear, Michele Barmore, and the late Helen Hansen, Davis Carlson, Troy Willis
MERIDIAN (No.28, 1A) lost to Lakewood on Monday, 68-63, and to Lynden Christian on Tuesday, 70-47, but came back to beat Squalicum on Friday, 53-46. On Monday, the Trojans closed to within three in the final seconds but couldn’t tie it up in falling to the Cougars. Jenkins led Meridian with 25 points, six 3-pointers, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists. Senior Taran Burks had 14 points, a pair of 3s, and 4 assists; Fyfe had 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals; and senior Christian Clawson had 8 points and 4 rebounds. On Tuesday, the Trojans couldn’t keep up with the high-scoring Lyncs. Fyfe had 13 points, Jenkins had 10 points, Clawson had 9 points, and junior James Hedahl had 9 points. On Friday, Meridian rallied after a five-point first quarter to take the lead and hold off the Storm with a 20-point fourth quarter. Fyfe had six 3-pointers among his 27 points including a pair of 3s in the final period, and Jenkins had half of his 14 points in the crucial fourth period. Honorary cancer captain: Don McMains, former Meridian head coach and current high school counselor
BLAINE (No.48, 1A) lost to Sehome on Tuesday, 74-59, and to Ferndale on Thursday, 73-52. On Tuesday, the Borderites fell behind by double digits in the first half and could never get closer in the final two quarters. Senior Conner Dalry and sophomore Landon Melton had 12 points each and Melton had a pair of 3-pointers. Senior Noah Tavis had 10 points, and seniors Uno Nevarez and Justin Minjarez had 8 points and two 3-pointers each. On Thursday, Blaine couldn’t recover from a 13-point first half in falling to the Golden Eagles. Minjarez and Melton had 9 points each with Minjarez hitting a trio of 3-pointers. Nevarez added a pair of 3s and 8 points, and Dalry had 7 points.
MOUNT BAKER (No.52, 1A) lost to Oak Harbor on Monday, 78-59, and to Lakewood on Thursday, 75-35. On Monday, the Mounties stayed close until giving up 26 points in the third quarter to fall to the Wildcats for the second time this season. Sophomore Darius Gilstrap led Mount Baker with 14 points and 6 rebounds, junior Luke Smith had 9 points, sophomore Carter Hill and junior Christopher Armbright had 8 points each with Armbright sinking a pair of 3s, and freshman Kell Reardon had 6 points. On Thursday, the Mounties offense never got rolling as no one managed to hit double figures against the pressing Cougars. Smith had 8 points, and Hill and Reardon had 6 points each with Hill adding 6 rebounds and 6 assists. Honorary cancer captain: Katy Boreson, aunt of sophomore JV player Braxton Craven
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No.26, 1A) lost to Anacortes on Wednesday, 76-50, and to Sehome on Friday, 55-41. On Wednesday, the short-handed Pioneers scored the games first eight points but couldn’t hold off the high-flying Seahawks. Junior Brady Ackerman led Nooksack with 14 points, 11 rebounds, and 2 blocks. Junior Caden Heutink had 9 points, 3 assists, and 3 rebounds, and senior Wayne Silves had 7 points and 5 rebounds. On Friday, the Pioneers played the Mariners even in the second half but couldn’t dig out of a 13-point halftime hole. Junior Cory Olney had 11 points and a pair of 3-pointers, senior Joey Brown had 7 points, and Ackerman had 6 points. Honorary cancer captain: Scott Mitchell, long-time Nooksack supporter and volunteer for the football and boys basketball programs
SQUALICUM (No.36, 2A) lost to Lynden Christian on Wednesday, 70-41, and to Meridian on Friday, 53-46. On Wednesday, freshman Hunter Calloway had 12 points and sophomore Laki Fagaautau had 11 points but no other Storm player had more than four points. On Friday, a seven-point third quarter proved to be the Storm’s downfall as they couldn’t hold off the Trojans’ comeback. Nixon had 16 points, junior Jaxon Hofer had 12 points on four 3-pointers, and Smith added 7 points. Honorary cancer captain: Devyn Nixon, wife of assistant coach Matthew Nixon and mother of Squalicum alums Moriah Nixon and Matthew Nixon III and junior Marcus Nixon.
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 | |
| Mount Vernon | 14 | 1 | 18 | 2 |
| Lynden | 14 | 1 | 17 | 4 |
| Lynden Christian | 13 | 2 | 19 | 2 |
| Anacortes | 12 | 3 | 16 | 4 |
| Bellingham | 9 | 6 | 11 | 9 |
| Lakewood | 9 | 6 | 12 | 8 |
| Nooksack Valley | 7 | 8 | 11 | 10 |
| Sehome | 7 | 8 | 10 | 10 |
| Squalicum | 7 | 8 | 9 | 11 |
| Burlington-Edison | 6 | 9 | 11 | 11 |
| Ferndale | 6 | 9 | 7 | 13 |
| Meridian | 6 | 9 | 11 | 10 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 6 | 9 | 9 | 11 |
| Blaine | 2 | 13 | 4 | 16 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
| Oak Harbor | 1 | 14 | 3 | 17 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE (final regular-season standings)
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 11 | 0 | 15 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 9 | 3 | 12 | 6 |
| Grace Academy | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 6 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Shoreline Christian | 5 | 8 | 6 | 10 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 3 | 9 | 5 | 13 |
| Lopez Island | 1 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
