Defending state champions Lynden and Lynden Christian remain the only two teams unbeaten in Northwest Conference play, but there will definitely be some shaking up of the leaderboard this coming week.
The Lions (4-0 in league) will visit Nooksack Valley (3-1) on Tuesday in the first game of a boys-girls doubleheader, and Bellingham (3-1) is at Sehome (3-1) in the second game of another doubleheader on Monday.
Meanwhile, Lummi Nation will host Grace Academy on Thursday with both teams sitting atop the Northwest 1B League standings with 3-0 records.
For a look back at Week 3 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 3.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In a NWC thriller at Blaine on Friday, Squalicum held on in the final seconds to beat the Borderites, 69-67. The Storm seemed to be in control up by seven at halftime before the Borderites rallied with a 23-point third quarter to take back the lead going into the final period. From there it was back and forth until the final 30 seconds. With the Storm holding a precarious three-point lead, Blaine’s Josiah Weeda was fouled and made the first of two free throws. When he missed the second, the Borderites got the rebound with a final chance to win or tie with 14 seconds left. But the Storm defenders only allowed a long 2-pointer at the buzzer that was off the mark giving Squalicum the win. Junior guard Marcus Nixon took over in the fourth quarter scoring 11 of his team’s 16 points and finishing with 24 points. Weeda made five of Blaine’s nine 3-pointer and ended up with a game-high 26 points.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Jerome Toby had 27 points on Tuesday for Lummi Nation and fellow sophomore Dyson Edwards had 27 on Thursday for the Blackhawks. … Lynden Christian senior Dawson Bouma had 27 points on Monday, 22 on Friday, and 28 on Saturday; junior Gannon Dykstra had 21 points on Saturday; and freshman Kaden Veldman had 18 points on Monday. … Junior Brant Heppner had 26 points and senior Anthony Canales added 23 points in Lynden’s victory Tuesday, and Heppner followed with 25 points on Friday. … Meridian junior Josiah Weeda had 26 points on Friday. … Sehome senior Braddock Duckworth collected 21 points on Tuesday and followed that up with 26 points on Thursday. … Junior Marcus Nixon had 24 points in Squalicum’s big win Friday. … Bellingham junior Harmon Wienkers had seven 3-pointers and 23 points on Monday. … Sophomore Mantaj Singh had 22 points for Ferndale on Monday. … Junior Brady Ackerman had 21 points for Nooksack Valley on Wednesday and junior Caden Heutink had 20 points on Saturday. … Junior Talon Jenkins poured in 20 points for Meridian on Monday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN handled Mount Vernon on Monday, 72-62; handed Bellingham its first loss on Friday, 58-47; and clobbered Kentridge in non-league action on Saturday, 69-41. In a battle of unbeaten on Monday, the Lyncs used a 23-point second quarter to take command and built a big lead before coasting to the big win. Bouma led the way on offense with 27 points, Veldman had 13 rebounds to go along with his 18 points, and junior Gannon Dykstra had 16 points, 10 assists and 3 steals. In another battle of unbeaten on Friday, the Lyncs used a 41-point first half to take a 15-point lead that they never relinquished. Bouma had 14 of his 22 points and both his 3-pointers in the big first half, Dykstra had 14 points and three 3s, senior Kayden Stuit added 11 points, and senior Jeremiah Wright had 8 points in his first action on the court after suffering a football injury. On Saturday, the Lyncs shot 50 percent from the field to easily outdistance the 4A Chargers. Bouma had six 3-pointers among his 28 points and Dykstra had three 3s along with his 21 points and 7 assists, and Stuit added 8 points and 10 rebounds.
NOOKSACK VALLEY defeated Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 61-56; Seattle Academy in overtime on Friday, 45-41; and Lakewood on Saturday, 64-59. On Wednesday, the Pioneers scored 21 points in the final period to hold off a huge Oak Harbor comeback. Ackerman had six of his 21 points and Heutink and fellow junior Tristan Kamphouse had five each in the fourth quarter. Heutink finished with 12 points, Kamphouse had 8 points and two 3-pointers, and junior Colton Lentz had 7 points. On Friday, the visiting Pioneers held Seattle Academy to three points in overtime to claim the non-league contest that was tight throughout. Heutink had 11 points and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the line, sophomore Cole Coppinger came off the bench to collect 9 points, and senior Joey Brown and Kamphouse added 7 points each. On Saturday, the Pioneers held Lakewood to three field goals in the final quarter and outscored the Cougars, 14-9, to clinch the victory. Heutink led a balanced scoring attack with four 3-pointers and 20 points, Ackerman, Lentz, and Kamphouse had 12 points each, and junior Cory Olney added 8 points.
LUMMI NATION clobbered Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) on Tuesday, 71-14, and Lopez Island on Thursday, 69-17. On Tuesday, Toby made 11 of 16 from the field including a pair of 3s for 27 points, and he also nabbed 7 steals. Senior Raymond Perkins added 12 points on four 3-pointers, and junior Andrew Tangent had 6 points. On Thursday, the Blackhawks dominated the boards with 34 rebounds and used 19 assists to dispatch Lopez Island. Edwards had 27 points on 10 of 16 shooting from the field and tossed in four 3-pointers, Toby added 13 points and three more 3s, senior Desmond Bailey had 11 points, and junior Tony Abrams had 9 points.
FERNDALE beat Meridian on Monday, 63-52; lost to Glacier Peak on Friday, 68-45; and knocked off Mount Baker on Saturday, 59-46. On Monday, the visiting Golden Eagles celebrated several firsts — notching their first win of the season, the first victory for new coach Luke DuChesne and their first NWC win in almost a year. Ferndale took command with a 40-point first half and then held off the Trojans. Singh had a team-high 22 points including 16 points in the first half, 7 rebounds, and a pair of 3s. Junior Jonah Billowsky had 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocked shots; and senior Bishop Ootsey added 15 points, 6 assists, and 3 steals. On Friday, the Golden Eagles’ offense cooled off after the first period as Ferndale failed to overcome Glacier Peak in the non-league contest. Grewal had 14 points, Brillowsky had 9, and Singh and Ootsey had 8 each. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles watched a 23-point lead melt down to just six midway through the fourth quarter before holding off the Mounties. Singh had 12 of his game-high 16 in the first half, junior Lincoln Thomas had 12 points, Grewal added 11 points, Ootsey had 10 points including a pair of 3s, and Brillowsky had 8 points. Check out the story on Saturday’s game at Ferndale-Mount Baker boys.
LYNDEN defeated Squalicum on Tuesday, 63-42, and Meridian on Friday, 86-35, before losing to Mountlake Terrace in a non-league contest Saturday, 69-65. On Tuesday, the efficient Lions jumped out to an early lead by holding the Storm to 18 first-half points and shooting 53 percent from the field for the game. Heppner was the most efficient, hitting 9 of his 13 shots including 5 of 7 from beyond the arc. He also led the team with 8 rebounds. Canales had 23 points and 5 assists, junior Jack Stapleton added 10 points and 6 rebounds, and senior Brady Elsner had 9 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals. On Friday, Heppner had another big game with 25 points on 11 of 14 shooting and 6 rebounds, Canales had 16 points, and Elsner, sophomore Dani Bowler, and senior Ty Holleman had 8 points each. Elsner also had 10 assists and Holleman and senior Charlie Ayres had 5 rebounds each. On Saturday, the Lions used a 26-point second quarter to take a six-point lead going into the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold off the undefeated 3A Hawks. Canales had 33 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals to lead Lynden; Heppner added 17 points and 7 rebounds; and Elsner dished out 5 assists.
BELLINGHAM knocked off Sedro-Woolley on Monday, 65-51, but dropped its first game of the season to Lynden Christian on Friday, 65-51. On Monday, all eight Bayhawks scored as Bellingham bombarded the Cubs with 10 3-pointers to seal the win. Wienkers had a game-high 23 points and his seven 3s were one off the school record set by Colm Schaefer in 2019. Junior Kincade VanHouten added two 3-pointers, 15 points, and 10 rebounds; senior Wyatt Stephan had 13 points, was 5 of 6 from the line, and had 4 steals; and senior Elias Togagae grabbed 10 rebounds. On Friday, the Bayhawks played the Lyncs even in the second half but couldn’t dig out of a big halftime hole. VanHouten led Bellingham with 14 points and two 3-pointers going 4-for-4 from the line, Stephan had 12 points and a pair of 3s all in the first half, and Wienkers and Togagae each had 7 points.
MOUNT BAKER stunned Sehome on Tuesday, 56-50, but lost to Ferndale on Saturday, 59-46. On Tuesday, the Mounties took a double-digit lead in the first quarter and then hit six free throws down the stretch to hold off the Mariners and break a 31-game NWC losing streak. Sophomore Peyton Abitia led a complete team effort on offense with 11 points, sophomore Carter Hill and freshman Kell Reardon added 10 points each, senior Braeden Scott had 8 points, and junior Luke Smith had 7. On Saturday, the Mounties rallied after falling 23 points behind but could get no closer than six points in the final period. Hill sparked the comeback with three 3s and 13 points, Smith added 9 points, and junior Darius Gilstrap finished with 8 points. Check out the story on Saturday’s game at Ferndale-Mount Baker boys.
SEHOME lost to Mount Baker on Tuesday, 56-50, but bounced back to beat Burlington-Edison on Thursday, 66-56. On Tuesday, a seven-point first quarter put the Mariners into an early hole that they never could climb out of. Duckworth had 10 of his 21 points as Sehome tried to rally in the fourth quarter, sophomore Nolan Wright had 11 points, and freshman Quincy Tanovan added 7 points. On Thursday, the Mariners went 7-for-7 from the line and outscored the Tigers, 20-10, in the fourth quarter to secure the victory. Duckworth had another great fourth quarter with nine of his 26 points in the deciding period and a team-high 13 rebounds. Wright had 11 points, made all six of his free throws, and added 7 assists, and 5 rebounds. Tanovan hit one of his two 3-pointers in the fourth and had 8 points, and senior Austin McKay had all six of his points in the last quarter.
SQUALICUM lost to Lynden on Tuesday, 63-42, but came back to win a thriller at Blaine on Friday, 69-67. On Tuesday, the Storm fell behind early and managed to close to within six but couldn’t tame the defending 2A state champs. Nixon and freshman Hunter Calloway had 12 points each with Nixon adding a team-high 5 rebounds and 3 assists and Calloway collecting 4 rebounds and Squalicum’s only two 3-pointers. Junior Ezra Nichols added 7 points for the Storm. On Friday, Nixon had 11 of his team-high 24 points in the fourth period as the Storm rallied for the victory. Calloway tossed in 14 points, Nichols had 11, and sophomore Laki Fagaautau had 10 points.
MERIDIAN lost to Ferndale on Monday, 63-52; beat Elgin Park on Wednesday, 58-45; and lost to Lynden on Friday, 86-35. On Monday, the Trojans fell behind by 12 at halftime and despite playing even the second half couldn’t make up any ground on the Golden Eagles. Jenkins led the way with 20 points going 7 of 8 from the line, hitting a trio of 3s, and nabbing a team-high 7 rebounds; senior Christian Clawson tried to spur the comeback with 10 of his 14 points in the second half; and junior Jaeger Fyfe added 9 points. On Wednesday, former Meridian coach Sean Shook brought his Orcas team from Surrey, B.C., to Whatcom County for a fun reunion, but the Trojans weren’t very hospitable — at least on the court. Meridian took command in the third quarter holding the Orcas to only six points in notching the non-league victory. Jenkins led the Trojans with 17 points and had 6 rebounds and a pair of blocks; Fyfe added 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 steals; and Clawson collected 12 points on 5 of 6 shooting from the field and 10 rebounds. On Friday, the Trojans were missing leading scorer Jenkins with an injury and couldn’t produce enough offense to stay with the Lions. Burks had 13 points and Fyfe had 8 points.
BLAINE lost to Lakewood on Wednesday, 65-32, and fell to Squalicum on Friday, 69-67. On Wednesday, cold shooting that including just 1 of 13 from beyond the arc led to a rough night for the Borderites. Weeda had 12 points and senior Noah Tavis pulled down 8 rebounds to lead Blaine. On Friday, the Borderites held a three-point lead going into the fourth period but couldn’t hold off the Storm. Weeda sank five 3-pointers and 7 of 8 free throws for 26 points but it wasn’t enough. Tavis added 17 points and three more 3s, senior Justin Minjarez had 9 points, and senior Conner Dalry had 8.
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 4
TOP GAME
The annual BellingHome doubleheader is a highlight each season, but this Monday there will be more at stake than the spirit trophy. Bellingham is at Sehome with the winner not only making a big statement in the Northwest Conference race but getting a big jump on the District 1 standings.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 18: Bellingham at Sehome, Oak Harbor at Mount Baker, Squalicum at Burlington-Edison
Tuesday, Dec. 19: Sedro-Woolley at Ferndale, Lynden at Nooksack Valley, Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) at Sehome, Lummi Nation at Shoreline Christian
Wednesday, Dec. 20: Bellingham at Meadowdale, Blaine at Lynden Christian, Ferndale at North Creek, Mount Baker at Granite Falls
Thursday, Dec. 21: Grace Academy at Lummi Nation
Friday, Dec. 22: Ferndale at Bellingham, Nooksack Valley at Blaine, Lynden at Sedro-Woolley, Meridian at Mount Baker, Squalicum at Archbishop Murphy
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 4 | 0 | 5 | 2 |
| Lynden Christian | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Bellingham | 3 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Mount Vernon | 3 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Nooksack Valley | 3 | 1 | 5 | 1 |
| Sehome | 3 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
| Anacortes | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Ferndale | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Lakewood | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Squalicum | 2 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Blaine | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Meridian | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 3 | 2 | 5 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Burlington-Edison | 0 | 4 | 3 | 5 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 4 | 1 | 5 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Grace Academy | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Lummi Nation | 3 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 2 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Shoreline Christian | 1 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Fellowship Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 4 | 0 | 5 |
