The Northwest Conference and Northwest 1B League teams dove into league action in week 2 and the list of undefeated Whatcom teams was quickly whittled in half from eight to four.
Bellingham, Lynden, and Lynden Christian each won a pair of games to jump atop the early NWC standings, and the Lyncs added a non-league victory on Saturday night.
For a look back at Week 2 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
The week’s other big winner was Lummi Nation. The Blackhawks stayed unbeaten by sweeping away three NW1B opponents by an average of 48 points a game.
The list of unbeaten county teams is guaranteed to be shortened on Monday, when Lynden Christian hosts Bellingham in an early-season NWC showdown.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 2.
GAME OF THE WEEK
While there were many closer contests, Lynden Christian’s 98-56 victory over defending Northwest Conference champion Mount Vernon on Tuesday might have been the most shocking. The Dykstra brothers almost outscored the Bulldogs with senior Gannon and sophomore Gunnar combining for 47 points. But LC’s hard-nosed man-to-man defense was the big story as exemplified by junior Boyce Robertson holding Mount Vernon star Michael Johnson to one point in the first half as the Lyncs built a 26-point lead and only eight points for the game.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Senior Gannon Dykstra had 30 points and his sophomore brother, Gunnar Dykstra, had 17 in Lynden Christian’s big win on Tuesday. Junior Kaden Veldman had 21 for LC on Saturday. … Juniors Nolan Wright and Xavier Kelley each had 19 points in Sehome’s win on Monday and Wright followed that up with 30 points on Saturday. Sophomore Quincy Tanovan added 19 points for the Mariners on Saturday. … Nooksack Valley senior Caden Heutink had 27 points on Wednesday. … Senior Jonah Brillowsky had 25 points for Ferndale on Wednesday and 19 more on Saturday. Junior Mantaj Singh also added 18 for the Golden Eagles on Saturday. … Meridian’s Talon Jenkins had 19 points and fellow senior Jaeger Fyfe had 17 points on Monday, and the two followed up with 25 and 17 points, respectively, in Meridian’s win Thursday. … Senior Brant Heppner had 22 points for Lynden on Tuesday and 18 on Thursday. …Sophomore Blake Elston had 20 points for Squalicum on Monday. … Sophomore Dyson Edwards had 20 points for Lummi Nation on Monday and 18 on Thursday, and junior Jerome Toby added 19 points on Thursday. … Blaine senior Abdul Kanagie had 20 points on Monday. … Sophomore Calvin Van Hofwegen had 19 points for Bellingham on Friday, and junior Joe Harward had 17 points on Wednesday. … Sophomore Kell Reardon had 19 points for Mount Baker on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION drubbed Providence Classical Christian on Monday, 62-19; Shoreline Christian on Tuesday, 74-20; and Lopez Island on Thursday, 76-29. On Monday, the Blackhawks scored all the points they would need with a 20-point first quarter. Edwards led Lummi with 20 points, including three of his five 3-pointers in the first period, and 6 rebounds. Junior Tracy Powell had 9 points and 5 rebounds, senior Karson Revey had 8 points and a pair of 3s, and senior Tony Abrams and junior Jerome Toby Jr. had 7 points each. On Tuesday, it was much the same as the Blackhawks again used their depth and balance to demolish the Chargers. Abrams had 12 points, James had 11, Edwards had 9 points and 6 assists, and Toby, Revey, sophomore Landon LaFontaine, and senior RayShawn Bob had 8 points each. Toby finished with eight of Lummi Nation’s 22 assists, and LaFontaine and Bob came off the bench to each hit a pair of 3s. On Thursday, the Blackhawks got points from all eight players, and the team got all the points it would need in a 32-point first quarter. Toby sank three of his five 3-pointers in the first period and led Lummi Nation with 19 points; Edwards added 18 points and two more 3s; Revey had 10 points and another two 3s; senior Trevon Lee had 9 points; Abrams had 8; and sophomore Deandre James added 7. For the story and photos from Tuesday’s game, click on Lummi Nation boys.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN stunned Mount Vernon on Tuesday, 98-56; shut down Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, 63-48; and drubbed Archbishop Murphy on Saturday, 78-44. On Tuesday, the Lyncs came out swinging with a 20-point first quarter and never let up in knocking out the defending NWC champs in what was billed as an early-season heavyweight bout. But it was all LC as Gannon Dykstra bombed in 30 points to go with 9 rebounds and 4 steals, sophomore Gunnar Dykstra had 17 points and 9 assists, Veldman had 16 points, Robertson had 10 points, and senior Luke VanKooten and junior Eli Maberry had 9 points each. On Thursday, the Lyncs held the high-scoring Cubs to 30 points below their average and used balanced scoring to hand Sedro its first loss of the season. Gannon Dykstra had 15 points and made the only two free throws LC had all night.VanKooten and Gunnar Dykstra had 13 points and three 3-pointers each, Veldman had 12 points, and Robertson added 8 points. On Saturday, the high-powered Lyncs scored 45 points in the first half and coasted to the non-league victory. Veldman had 12 of his 21 points in the first half, Gannon Dykstra had 16 points, Maberry had 15 points and a pair of 3-pointers, and Van Kooten also had two 3s and 10 points.
BELLINGHAM remained unbeaten by beating Blaine on Wednesday, 83-41, and holding off Mount Baker on Friday, 56-51. On Wednesday, the Bayhawks unleashed their long-distance offense, hitting a dozen 3-pointers and putting up 73 points through three quarters. All nine Bayhawks scored with Harward leading the balanced attack with 17 points, in addition to 9 rebounds, and 4 steals. Senior Kincade VanHouten had 13 points and 13 rebounds, senior Harmon Wienkers had 14 points and four 3s, senior Gabe VanHofwegen and his sophomore brother, Calvin, had a dozen points each, and junior Myllo Wright handed out 7 assists. On Friday, the Bayhawks took a five-point lead at the half and made it hold up the rest of the way. The younger Van Hofwegen sparked Bellingham with 19 points and four 3-pointers, three of them in the decisive second quarter, when the Bayhawks outscored the Mounties, 16-11. Harward had 13 points and 11 rebounds, and VanHouten added 10 points and 10 rebounds.
LYNDEN took care of Oak Harbor on Tuesday, 71-48, and defeated Squalicum on Thursday, 52-34. On Tuesday, the Lions were hot, shooting 54 percent from the field, including 71 percent on two-point shots. Heppner led the way with 22 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists; sophomore Gordy Bedlington had 13 points, 9 assists, and 4 steals; and juniors Ty Jorgenson and Spencer Adams had 12 points each with Jorgenson pulling down 7 rebounds and Adams collecting 9 rebounds and 4 assists. On Thursday, the Lions’ defense held the explosive Storm to 22 points through three quarters and never let Squalicum get within 12 after the first quarter thanks to a 45-14 rebounding edge. Heppner led the way with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots; senior Jack Stapleton had 10 points, 10 rebounds, and 6 assists; Adams had 8 points, a pair of 3-pointers and 5 rebounds; junior Malachi Bowman came off the bench to score 7 points and grab 6 rebounds; and Jorgenson had 6 points and 6 rebounds. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Lynden boys.
SEHOME rallied to beat Meridian on Monday, 60-54, and topped Blaine on Saturday, 69-49. On Monday, Wright and Kelley led the comeback as the Mariners used an 18-point fourth quarter to rally from seven down and beat the Trojans. Wright had one of his two 3-pointers and five of his 19 points in the final period, and Kelley sank three of his four 3s and had 11 of his 19 points in the fourth quarter. Tanovan had a pair of 3s and 9 points, and sophomore Bane Mitchell added 6 points. On Saturday, the Mariners used a 42-point second half to pull away from the Borderites. Wright had a great overall game with 30 points, 9 rebounds, 8 assists, and 4 steals; Tanovan had 19 points and 5 steals; senior Cooper McAtee had 7 points and 5 steals; and Kelley added 6 points.
FERNDALE lost to Mariner on Wednesday, 77-66, but bounced back to knock off Nooksack Valley on Saturday, 55-45. (The game at Anacortes originally scheduled for Tuesday was postponed until Jan. 11 because of the Seahawks’ extended football season.) In Wednesday’s non-league contest, the Golden Eagles held the lead going into the fourth period but only managed eight points and couldn’t hold off the Marauders. Brillowsky dominated on both ends of the court with 25 points and 12 rebounds, senior Hunter Wills had 14 points and 7 rebounds, Singh had 10 points and 9 rebounds, and junior Kaveer Dhillon had 5 rebounds. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles flashed their defense, holding the Pioneers to nearly 15 points below their average, and then making big plays to thwart every Nooksack rally. Brillowsky had a game-high 19 points, Singh had 18 points, and Wills starred on both offense and defense, finishing with 10 points. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Ferndale boys.
MERIDIAN lost to Sehome on Monday, 60-54, but bounced back to derail Burlington-Edison on Thursday, 72-60. On Monday, the Trojans led by seven going into the final period but couldn’t hold off the Mariners. Jenkins and Fyfe combined for 36 points and each hit a pair of 3-pointers as Meridian suffered its first loss. On Thursday, it was the Trojans who finished strong, outscoring the taller Tigers, 18-6 in the fourth period. Jenkins had seven of his team-high 25 points in the fourth and Fyfe added five of his 17 points. Jenkins would finish with three 3-pointers and made all six free throws, and Fyfe had four 3s, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists for the contest. Senior James Hedahl also had a big game inside with 17 points, six coming in the decisive final quarter, and 7 rebounds, and sophomore Trey Alexander contributed a pair of 3s and 8 points.
NOOKSACK VALLEY smashed Granite Falls on Tuesday, 67-38, but lost to Lakewood on Wednesday, 70-69, and to Ferndale on Saturday, 55-45. On Tuesday, the Pioneers took a double-digit lead in the second quarter and held the Tigers to 17 points after halftime to notch the non-league victory. Heutink had 12 of his 15 points in the first half, senior Tristan Kamphouse added 12 points, senior Brady Ackerman had all of his 10 points in the first half, and senior Cory Olney had 9 points. In Wednesday’s exciting, back-and-forth contest, Ackerman put back a missed 3-point attempt just before the buzzer but it wasn’t enough to prevent the Pioneers’ first loss of the season. Heutink hit six 3-pointers and had 27 points to fuel the Pioneers; junior Cole Coppinger had 12 points and 4 assists; Olney had 9 points, 6 rebounds and 6 assists; and Ackerman had 8 points. On Saturday, the Pioneers struggled offensively against the taller Golden Eagles and despite cutting the deficit to four several times in the fourth quarter, couldn’t pull out the victory. Heutink had 14 points, 10 in the second half; Coppinger had 13 points; and Kamphouse added 6 points. For the story and photos from Saturday’s game, click on Nooksack Valley boys.
MOUNT BAKER lost to Sedro-Woolley on Monday, 82-56, and to Bellingham on Friday, 56-51. On Monday, the Mounties couldn’t slow the high-powered Cubs and suffered their first loss of the season. Junior Jordan Bailey led Mount Baker with three 3s and 13 points; junior Carter Hill had 12 points on four 3-pointers; senior Darius Gilstrap had 11 points, a pair of 3s, and 5 assists; senior Luke Smith added 7 points; and Reardon nabbed 8 rebounds. On Friday, the Mounties played the Bayhawks even in three of the quarters but couldn’t make up a five-point margin in the second period. Reardon had his best game of the season with 19 points and 9 rebounds; Hill had 12 points thanks to four 3-pointers; senior Cole Lukes had 7 points; and junior Payton Abitia had 6 points.
SQUALICUM lost to Burlington-Edison on Monday in two overtimes, 66-60, and to Lynden on Thursday, 52-34. In Monday’s exciting contest, sophomore Hunter Calloway’s shot sent the game into a second overtime but the Storm couldn’t keep up with the taller Tigers. Elston hit half of his 10 3-point attempts for 20 points, senior Marcus Nixon had a great all-around game with 14 points, 8 rebounds, 7 steals, and 5 assists; Calloway had 13 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists; and senior Jaxon Hofer added 6 points. On Thursday, the Storm fell behind 19-5 and never recovered against the three-time defending state champs. Calloway had 11 points and 3 assists, Nixon had all 7 of his points in the fourth quarter, and Hofer added a pair of 3-pointers for 6 points. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Squalicum boys.
BLAINE lost to Orcas Island on Monday, 71-55; to Bellingham on Wednesday, 83-41; and to Sehome on Saturday, 69-49. Despite a 22-point fourth-quarter rally, the Borderites couldn’t avoid their first loss of the young season to the Vikings in a non-league contest. Kanagie had 20 points and 6 rebounds, Josiah Weeda had 11 points and 5 rebounds, senior Beckum Bleazard had 7 points, junior Landon Melton had 6 points, and junior Kai Kerwin passed out 7 assists, but it wasn’t enough to overcome a cold 20-point first half. On Wednesday, the Borderites couldn’t keep up with the Bayhawks’ high-powered offense, only managing 13 points in the second half. Melton led Blaine with 15 points, Kanagie had 12 points, and senior Jacob Dohner had 7 points. On Saturday, the Borderites fell behind early and managed to cut the Sehome lead to 10 midway through the fourth before falling. Weeda led the Borderites with 13 points and 6 assists, Bleazard had 9 points, and sophomore Landon Brown and Dohner added 6 points each.
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 3
TOP GAMES
Bellingham is at Lynden Christian and Lakewood is at Lynden in key Northwest Conference battles on Monday, but if you’re looking for a fun non-league game, head out to Lummi Nation on Saturday when the undefeated 1B Blackhawks host the powerful 1A Pioneers of Nooksack Valley.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 16: Lakewood at Lynden, Bellingham at Lynden Christian, Marysville-Pilchuck at Ferndale, Lummi Nation at Friday Harbor
Tuesday, Dec. 17: Blaine at Burlington-Edison, Mount Vernon at Nooksack Valley, Sehome at Mount Baker, Meridian at Squalicum
Wednesday, Dec. 18: Ferndale at Oak Harbor, Darrington at Lummi Nation
Thursday, Dec. 19: Nooksack Valley at Sedro-Woolley, Lynden Christian at Sehome, Anacortes at Bellingham, Lummi Nation at Grace Academy
Friday, Dec. 20: Mount Baker at Burlington-Edison, Blaine at Meridian, Lynden at Ferndale
Saturday, Dec. 21: Nooksack Valley at Lummi Nation, Marysville-Getchell at Bellingham, Squalicum at Lakewood, Stanwood at Lynden
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Bellingham | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Lakewood | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Lynden | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Lynden Christian | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Sehome | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Anacortes | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| Ferndale | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 |
| Burlington-Edison | 1 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Meridian | 1 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Blaine | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 2 | 1 | 3 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 2 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 3 | 0 | 5 |
