The final week of the regular season wrapped up with Lynden Christian and Lummi Nation wrapping up the Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League boys championships for the second year in a row.
That also meant No.1 seeds for the Lyncs as they head into the Class 1A district tournament and for the Blackhawks as they head into the Class 1B district playoffs. All the district action for our 11 Whatcom County boys teams begins this week.
But the biggest game last week was Lynden’s victory over Burlington-Edison on Saturday that locked up the Class 2A district’s top seed for the Lions.
For a look back at Week 10 for our county girls team, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 10.
GAME OF THE WEEK
The Blaine-Ferndale game on Saturday had it all. It was Ferndale’s Seniors Night (in the afternoon), former Golden Eagles were honored as it was the last regular-season game in the gym (which will be torn down), and the hometown boys mounted an exciting fourth-quarter comeback only to come up short on a final shot and lose 65-63. It was a game worthy of the packed playoff atmosphere.
Check out the story and photos from the thrilling Blaine-Ferndale contest by clicking on Whatcom Hoops Game of the Week.
SPECIAL PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Lummi Nation senior Tyran Lane became the first Whatcom County basketball players this season to be named one of the WIAA athletes of the week. He was among 12 chosen for his play in Week 20 (week 9 of our basketball season), when he helped the Blackhawks run their winning streak to 11 by scoring 29 points in a 70-38 victory over Providence Classical Christian and 32 points in a 77-25 win over Shoreline Christian.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Anthony Canales led Lynden with 21 points on Wednesday and followed that up with 30 points on Saturday. Junior Coston Parcher added 17 for the Lions on Wednesday. … Junior Grey Garrison had 21 points to lead Sehome on Thursday, and senior Gavin Ortega had 21 for the Mariners on Saturday. … Senior Jazen Guillory led Ferndale with 20 points and junior Damian Toney added 18 on Wednesday. … Lynden Christian junior Tyler Sipma had 19 points and senior Andrew Hommes added 17 on Thursday. … Senior Leyton Smithson had 18 points for Squalicum on Thursday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Lynden defeated Sedro-Woolley, 73-41, and Lakewood on Wednesday, 61-51, and beat Burlington-Edison on Saturday, 69-53. On Wednesday, the Lions rallied in the second half to defeat the Cougars in a game that was considered non-league because it was rescheduled because of COVID. Canales led the comeback with 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter, Parcher added 17 and senior Dawson Adams had 15. The Lions were ready for Saturday’s game with Burlington for the Class 2A’s top seed. A 22-point first quarter gave them a double-digit lead and a 21-point final period put the game away. Canales’s game-high 30 led a balanced Lynden attack. Senior Jordan Medcalf had 11 points and three 3-pointers, Adams and Parcher had 10 points each with Adams tossing in a pair of 3s, and junior Kobe Baar added 8 points.
Blaine beat Nooksack Valley on Tuesday, 52-49, and Ferndale on Saturday, 65-63. On Tuesday, the Borderites had a double-digit lead in the fourth period but had to hold off the Pioneers. Senior Scott Baldwin led Blaine with 14 points, junior Carson Lehnert had 12, and senior Cole Thomas had 9 points. In Saturday’s regular-season finale, the Borderites jumped to a big lead but had to survive a big Ferndale comeback. Junior Lucas Smith and Thomas had 15 points each to lead the Borderites with Smith putting in a trio of 3s and Thomas bombing in a pair. Baldwin had 12 points, Lehnert had 11, and Matthew Russ added 7.
Lynden Christian had its Monday game against Mount Baker canceled and defeated Meridian on Thursday, 77-39. The Lyncs hit 11 3-pointers, five of them by Sipma, and held the Trojans to 16 second-half points to wrap up the Northwest Conference title for the third time in four years. Besides Sipma’s 19 points and Hommes’s 17, sophomore Jeremiah Wright had 12 points, senior Eli Bootsma had 9 on three 3s, senior Crew Bosman had 7, and junior Griffin Dykstra had 6 on a pair of 3s.
Ferndale beat Bellingham on Wednesday, 67-37, and lost a nail-biter to Blaine on Saturday, 65-63. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles held Bellingham to its second lowest point total of the season. Guillory added 11 assists and 6 steals to his 20 points, Toney had 18 points, Mark Schlichting had three 3-pointers and 11 points, and fellow senior Luke Wells had 8 points. In Saturday’s thriller, the Golden Eagles rallied from 17 points back in the fourth quarter and just missed a 3-pointer that would have won it. Schlichting fueled the comeback with five 3s and 15 points; Guillory had a triple-double with 14 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists; sophomore Conner Walcker added a dozen points; and Toney had 9 points.
Sehome beat Oak Harbor on Monday, 63-47, and Nooksack Valley on Thursday, 62-40, and lost to Port Angeles on Friday, 64-62. On Thursday against the Pioneers, the Mariners jumped to a 17-point halftime lead and held off Nooksack the rest of the way. Garrison led the way with 21 points, junior Isaac Lawrence had 15 points on five 3-pointers, junior Grant Kepley had 9 points, and junior Mathew Storms had 6 points. In Saturday’s non-league game at eighth-ranked Port Angeles, Ortega led the Mariners with 21 and Kepley added 13 points.
Mount Baker had its final three games against Lynden Christian on Monday, La Conner on Wednesday, and Sedro-Woolley on Friday canceled because of COVID precautions.
Lummi Nation had the week off as the top-seeded Blackhawks prepared to host their Class 1B district semifinal on Tuesday, Feb. 8, against fourth-seed Orcas Island, a 59-57 victor over eighth-seed Providence Classical Christian on Saturday.
Nooksack Valley lost to Blaine on Tuesday, 52-49, and to Sehome on Thursday, 62-40. On Tuesday, the Pioneers fought back from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter but couldn’t get off a good shot at the buzzer. Junior Bennett DeLange had 15 points, freshman Brady Ackerman had 12, and senior Dawson Kimball had 11. On Thursday, the Pioneers only managed 19 first-half points and couldn’t make up the difference. DeLange again had 15 points, and sophomore Joey Brown and Ackerman had 8 points each.
Bellingham fell to Ferndale on Wednesday, 67-37, and to Mount Vernon on Friday, 63-48. On Wednesday, the Bayhawks’ offense struggled early and could never dig out of a double-digit hole. Junior Henry Sheldrup had 9 points, sophomore Wyatt Stephan had 7, and senior Oliver Pagels had 6. On Friday, the Bayhawks led after the first half but had no answer when the Bulldogs scored 29 points in the third period. Sheldrup led Bellingham with 14 points, senior Jacob Lawson and sophomore Ian O’Roarty had 7 points each, and senior Alex Breeding added 6.
Squalicum lost to Anacortes on Tuesday, 62-43, and to Lakewood on Thursday, 57-54. On Tuesday, the Storm never got their offense going in falling to the Seahawks. Senior Reed Richardson led the Storm with 11 points, junior Ashton Engelhart had 9 on a trio of 3s, sophomore Peter Albert had 7 points and 10 rebounds, and senior Trevor Keeley had 7 rebounds. On Thursday, the Storm and Cougars had eight lead changes with neither team leading by more than six points. Smithson’s 18 points were not only game-high but season-high for the senior. Richardson added 13 points, senior Kaleb Hawkinson had 9 points and 6 assists, and Keeley had a team-high 7 boards.
Meridian lost to Lakewood on Tuesday, 65-46, and to Lynden Christian on Thursday, 77-39. On Tuesday, the Trojans held their own on the boards with the larger Cougars. Senior Dane Beck led the balanced Meridian attack with 9 points, and junior Hunter Jones, senior Bryce Johnson, freshman Jaeger Fyfe, and sophomore Taran Burks had 6 points each. Jones had 7 rebounds and senior Daniel Short added 6 rebounds and a team-high 3 assists. On Thursday against the Lyncs, Short led the Trojans with 15 points, and Burks had 6 points on two 3-pointers and a team-high 6 rebounds.
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE (Final)
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden Christian | 12 | 1 | 16 | 1 |
| Lakewood | 8 | 1 | 11 | 5 |
| Mount Vernon | 12 | 2 | 13 | 4 |
| Lynden | 11 | 2 | 16 | 2 |
| Sehome | 11 | 3 | 13 | 5 |
| Blaine | 9 | 4 | 11 | 5 |
| Burlington-Edison | 9 | 4 | 11 | 6 |
| Ferndale | 8 | 7 | 8 | 10 |
| Anacortes | 7 | 7 | 9 | 7 |
| Oak Harbor | 5 | 9 | 7 | 11 |
| Squalicum | 4 | 11 | 6 | 11 |
| Bellingham | 3 | 9 | 5 | 9 |
| Nooksack Valley | 3 | 9 | 5 | 11 |
| Meridian | 2 | 11 | 5 | 12 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 12 | 4 | 14 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 14 | 0 | 16 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE (Final)
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 9 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 7 | 2 | 10 | 3 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 6 | 3 | 7 | 10 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 5 | 6 | 6 | 6 |
| Lopez Island | 2 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| Fellowship Christian | 1 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| Shoreline Christian | 1 | 7 | 1 | 11 |
