After another week with multiple blowouts, the undefeated Whatcom County teams kept rolling along.
Heading into a short week before the Christmas break, Lynden Christian, Sehome, and Lynden have yet to taste defeat this season, and Blaine joins those three and Anacortes as Northwest Conference leaders without a loss.
Toss in Lummi Nation, which also is unbeaten in the Northwest 1B League, and five of our 11 schools sit atop their league standings.
For a look back at Week 3 for our county girls team, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 3.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In a back-and-forth contest, Nooksack Valley took the lead in the second half and held off Lakewood for a 63-59 Northwest Conference victory Saturday night. Sophomore Brady Ackerman had 13 of his team-high 15 points after halftime, and senior Bennett DeLange had seven points and was 3-of-4 from the line in the crucial fourth period for the Pioneers.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Lummi Nation senior Richard Wilson had quite the week with 29 points on Tuesday, 30 points on Wednesday, and 24 points on Thursday. Freshman Jerome Toby added 27 points for the Blackhawks on Tuesday and 16 on Saturday, and senior Payton Scott added 20 points in Thursday’s victory. … Lynden Christian senior Tyler Sipma had 25 points in Monday’s win over Mount Vernon and 21 in Saturday’s win over Sumner, senior Griffin Dykstra had 21 points in Friday’s win over Bellingham, and junior Jeremiah Wright had 20 points on Friday and 19 on Saturday. … Sehome senior Grey Garrison had 24 points on Thursday against Burlington-Edison after a 21-point outing on Tuesday against Mount Baker. Senior Grant Kepley had 20 points on Tuesday for the Mariners and 19 on Thursday. … Matt Russ had 23 points and fellow senior Lucas Smith had 19 to lead Blaine to victory over Lakewood on Wednesday. Smith followed that up with 22 points on Friday against Squalicum… Lynden junior Anthony Canales started his season with a 22-point performance on Monday against Oak Harbor and followed that with 17 against Squalicum on Tuesday, 17 more against Meridian on Friday, and 18 against Mountlake Terrace on Saturday. Senior Kobe Baar added 17 points against the Trojans. …. Senior Damien Toney helped Ferndale collect its first win of the season with 19 points on Saturday. … Squalicum senior Ashton Engelhart had 17 points on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION won all four of its games in impressive fashion, beating Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) on Tuesday, 76-20; Darrington on Wednesday, 76-12; Lopez Island on Thursday, 67-32; and Muckleshoot Tribal on Saturday, 47-38. On Tuesday, both Wilson and Toby outscored the entire Eagles team. In Wednesday’s non-league win over the Loggers, the Blackhawks took an early 18-4 lead and never looked back. Wilson had 30 points, Toby had 15 and Scott added 12. On Thursday, Lummi Nation outscored the Lobos, 31-3, in the second half. Wilson again led the way with 24 points, Scott had 20, and Toby added 9. On Saturday, the Blackhawks battled back from a seven-point halftime deficit to hold the Kings to three points in the third quarter and then hold on for the win. Toby led Lummi Nation with 16 points, juniors Mathias Johnson and Landon Day had 9 points each, and senior Desmond Bailey added 7 points.
LYNDEN opened its season by clobbering Oak Harbor, 62-30, on Monday; Squalicum, 68-41, on Tuesday; Meridian on Friday, 78-32; and Mountlake Terrace on Saturday, 61-40. On Monday in their first game of the season, the defending Class 2A state champs picked up right where they left off by jumping to a 45-8 halftime lead to rout the Wildcats. Canales had 22 points and four 3-pointers, Baar added 11 points, and senior Coston Parcher, senior Cameron Petersen, and sophomore Brant Heppner had 8 points each with Petersen and Canales each pulling down 7 rebounds, Parcher dishing out 6 assists, and Baar collecting 4 steals. On Tuesday, the Lions took a 20-point halftime lead to defeat Squalicum. Canales led the way with 17 points and 6 rebounds, Parcher had 13 points and 4 assists, Heppner had 12 points, Baar had 9, and senior Trey Smiley had 8. Petersen pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds. On Friday, the Lynden defense forced 24 turnovers and held Meridian to 24 percent shooting. Baar and Canales had 17 points each with Baar hitting three 3-pointers, Parcher added 14 with a pair of 3s and 5 assists, and Petersen had a team-high 10 rebounds. In Saturday’s non-league game, the Lions sank 15 of 18 free throws and forced 23 turnovers to shoot down the Hawks. Canales led the way with 18 points, Baar and Parcher had 14 each and Heppner had 11 points.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN beat Mount Vernon on Monday, 63-57; Bellingham on Friday, 73-44; and Sumner on Saturday, 69-64. On Monday, the Lyncs bolted to a 20-point halftime lead but had to survive a barrage of 3s in the final quarter to beat the Bulldogs on the road. Sipma had 25 points including three of the team’s 10 3-pointers, Griffin and senior Lane Dykstra added 14 and 10 points, respectively, and combined for six 3-pointers. On Friday, the Lyncs used an 18-5 second quarter to break open a tight game and pulled away from the Bayhawks with a 22-point fourth quarter. Griffin Dykstra had four 3-pointers among his 21 points, Wright had 20 points, and sophomore Gannon Dykstra had 11 points and three 3s. In Saturday’s non-league road game, the Lyncs rallied from a nine-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Class 4A Sumner. Sipma, who was so sick he sat out Friday’s game, had 14 of his team-high 21 points in LC’s 23-point final period. In addition to Wright’s 19 points, Griffin Dykstra had 11 points.
BLAINE knocked off Lakewood on Wednesday, 76-63, and Squalicum on Friday, 69-60. On Wednesday, the Borderites trailed early, but Russ and Smith each had eight points in a 26-point second quarter that gave Blaine the lead for good. Smith had a pair of 3-pointers and was 7 of 7 from the line for the game, senior Lawrence Creasy-Dulphus had three 3s and 15 points, and senior Carson Lehnert added two more 3s and 14 points. On Friday, the Borderites used a big second half to run their winning streak to five games. Smith had another big game with 22 points, including three 3s, Lehnert also tossed in three 3-pointers and had 16 points, Creasey-Pulphus added 11 points, and Russ had 10 points and two more 3s.
SEHOME stayed unbeaten with a 75-38 victory over Mount Baker on Tuesday and a 60-43 win at Burlington-Edison on Thursday. The Mariners put it all together on Tuesday’s alumni night, using a 25-point first quarter to take command and holding the Mounties to under a dozen points each quarter. Nine different Mariners scored with Kepley collecting 11 points in the opening period, and senior Isaac Lawrence adding 10 points and a pair of 3-pointers. In what was expected to be an early showdown with Burlington-Edison on Thursday turned into a Sehome defensive showcase as the Mariners held the Tigers to seven first-quarter points and pulled away for the big win. Garrison had 18 of his game-high 24 in the second half, Kepley pitched in with 19 points, and senior Dane Dominguez had 9 points.
BELLINGHAM beat Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 58-49, and lost to Lynden Christian on Friday, 73-44. On Tuesday, the Bayhawks held the Cubs to one field goal in the fourth quarter and used four 3-pointers to outscore Sedro, 19-9, for the comeback win. Junior Ian O’Roarty hit two of his five 3s in the fourth-period and finished with a game-high 16 points. Junior Wyatt Stephan had seven points in the crucial final quarter and finished with 13 points, while senior Grayson Stone and sophomore Kincaide Van Houten added 9 points each with Stone hitting three 3s. On Friday, a five-point second quarter put the Bayhawks in a big hole against the defending Class 1A state champs. Van Houten led Bellingham with 12 points, O’Roarty had three 3s for 9 points, and junior Elias Togage and Stephan had 8 points each.
MERIDIAN defeated Ferndale on Monday, 48-42, and lost to Lynden on Friday, 78-32. On Monday, the Trojans held off the Golden Eagles by making 9 of 10 free throws in the final period for Meridian’s first NWC win. Senior Hunter Jones led the Trojans with 14 points, and sophomores Talon Jenkins and Jaeger Fyfe had 11 and 9 points, respectively. On Friday, the Trojans couldn’t get their offense going against the defending Class 2A state champs. Senior Amrit Nagra led Meridian with 10 points, Jenkins and Fyfe managed 6 points each, and Jenkins collected a team-high 6 rebounds.
FERNDALE fell to Meridian on Monday, 48-42; canceled its game at Glacier Peak on Friday because of sickness; and defeated Mount Baker on Saturday, 68-49. On Monday in their first NWC contest in their new gym, the Golden Eagles rallied from an early 11-point deficit but couldn’t overcome 3-for-23 3-point shooting and succumbed in the final minutes. Senior Lucas Mills led Ferndale with a pair of 3-pointers and 10 points, and junior Bhavnoor Grewal had 9 points. On Saturday, the Golden Eagles used an 18-point second quarter to take command at Mount Baker and then hit 10-of-13 free throws in the fourth period to pick up their first win of the year. Toney was 8-of-9 from the line for the game and had a game-high 19 points. Junior Bishop Ootsey had 16 points and a pair of 3-pointers, Grewal chipped in with 15 points, and Mills had 7 points.
NOOKSACK VALLEY lost to Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 59-46, and defeated Lakewood, 63-59, on Saturday. On Wednesday, the Pioneers only managed seven first-quarter points and could never dig out of the hole in the loss to the Wildcats. Ackerman led the Pioneers with 11 points and senior Ayden Roper and junior Wayne Silves each hit a pair of 3s and had 7 points. On Saturday, Ackerman led the balanced Nooksack Valley attack with 15 points, Silves hit three 3-pointers and had 14 points, DeLange finished with 11 points and sophomore Caden Heutink had 7 points and was a perfect 3-of-3 from the line.
MOUNT BAKER finally opened its season after a two-week delay because of the Mounties extended football season, losing to Sehome on Tuesday, 75-38, and to Ferndale on Saturday, 68-49. Against Sehome, junior Jesse Harward had 12 points and senior Ethan Larson added 7. On Saturday, the Mounties couldn’t overcome an eight-point second quarter and fell to Ferndale. Senior Jacob Wade led Mount Baker with 16 points including two 3-pointers, Harward added 9 points, and senior Tavian Powell and Larson had 7 points each.
SQUALICUM lost to Lynden on Tuesday, 68-41, and to Blaine on Friday, 69-60. On Tuesday, the Storm fell behind by 20 and couldn’t make up the difference in the second half despite the 12 points and 8 rebounds of junior Peter Albert, and the 8 points of senior Xander Sledge. In a tight contest Friday, the Storm could only manage nine fourth-quarter points as Blaine pulled away at the end. Englehart hit four 3-pointers in the third quarter to bring Squalicum within two going into the final period. Sledge had 12 points, senior Kyle Heaton had 11, and Albert added 8.
WEEK 4
TOP GAMES
It’s “BellingHome” time on Monday, when Bellingham and Sehome will play a boys game at 6 p.m. and a girls game at 7:30 p.m. In between, the two schools put on a spirit show featuring cheer staffs, bands, drum corps, pep clubs, and more. It’s a unique Whatcom County spectacle not to be missed.
Then on Wednesday, Lynden Christian travels to Blaine in a battle for Class 1A supremacy. Both the Lyncs and Borderites are unbeaten in Northwest Conference play.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 19: Sehome at Bellingham, Meridian at Northwest School, Burlington-Edison at Squalicum, Lummi Nation at Nooksack Valley
Tuesday, Dec. 20: Ferndale at Sedro-Woolley, Nooksack Valley at Lynden, Sehome at Cedar Park Christian (Bothell)
Wednesday, Dec. 21: Meadowdale at Bellingham, Lynden Christian at Blaine, Mount Baker at Meridian
Thursday, Dec. 22: Lynden at Gig Harbor, Granite Falls at Mount Baker
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Blaine | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Lynden Christian | 4 | 0 | 7 | 0 |
| Sehome | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Anacortes | 3 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| Lynden | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Bellingham | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Nooksack Valley | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Lakewood | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 |
| Burlington-Edison | 1 | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Ferndale | 1 | 3 | 1 | 5 |
| Meridian | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Oak Harbor | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Squalicum | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 |
| Mount Vernon | 0 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Grace Academy | 4 | 0 | 4 | 1 |
| Lummi Nation | 4 | 0 | 5 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 4 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Shoreline Christian | 2 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Fellowship Christian | 1 | 2 | 1 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
