The Northwest 1B League and Northwest Conference got serious last week with all but one of our boys teams having at least two league contests, and when the smoke had cleared, Lummi Nation and Lynden Christian remained atop their respective standings after going unbeaten in Week 3.
The Blackhawks had the busiest week, winning four games all by 57 or more points, two of them against NW1B opponents. They are now a half-game ahead of rival Tulalip Heritage, which is also undefeated in league play.
For a look back at Week 3 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops Girls Recap.
The Lyncs, meanwhile, notched three victories —all of them NWC contests — and are now a half-game ahead of Anacortes, Burlington-Edison, and Lakewood at the break.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 3.
GAME OF THE WEEK
The most exciting game of the week — and possibly of the season — was a 91-90 overtime thriller at Lynden Christian, where the Lyncs rallied from five down with a minute to go in OT by holding the high-powered Cubs scoreless and making the big plays. Junior Chris Koeman came off the bench and hit a layup off an inbounds play and then blocked a Sedro shot, junior Dawson Hintz turned a steal into a fastbreak layup, and after two missed Sedro free throws, junior Gunnar Dykstra hit the game-winner on a stepback baseline jumper with 4.7 seconds left.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Lynden Christian juniors Gunnar Dykstra and Dawson Hintz combined for 48 points on Monday and 63 points on Wednesday, and junior Kaden Veldman and Hintz had 16 and 15 points, respectively, on Thursday. … Senior Spencer Adams had 28 points for Lynden on Monday, junior Malachi Koenen had 20 points on Friday, and sophomore Jayden Navarre had 21 points on Saturday. … Squalicum junior Blake Elston had 27 points on Wednesday and 15 points on Saturday. … Mount Baker junior Kell Reardon had a season-high 25 points on Friday. … Lummi Nation senior Chayce Waite-Kellar had 24 points on Friday and 16 on Tuesday; junior Deandre James had 18 points and senior Isaiah Yrizarris and junior Dyson Edwards had 16 points each; and senior Jerome Toby Jr. had 17 points on Monday, and 15 on Tuesday . … Senior Mantaj Singh had 23 points and sophomore Tracen Pazaski added 15 points for Ferndale on Monday. … Senior Nolan Wright had 19 points, junior Quincy Tanovan had 16, and senior Xavier Kelley had 15 in Sehome’s win Tuesday. … Bellingham senior Joe Harward had 16 points on Monday and 19 on Saturday, junior Calvin Van Hofwegen had 17 points on Thursday and 15 on Saturday, and sophomore Emmett Vanhouten had 19 points on Saturday for the Bayhawks.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LUMMI NATION bounced back from its first loss of the season to crush Friday Harbor on Monday, 74-17; Shoreline Christian on Tuesday, 84-32; Lopez Island on Thursday, 96-14; and La Conner on Friday, 78-21. On Monday, the Blackhawks started their busy week by starting off with a 23-0 run to sink Friday Harbor in a non-league game. Toby led the balanced Lummi Nation attack with 17 points, 7 assists, and 5 steals; juniors Deandre James and Landon LaFontaine had 12 points each with James grabbing 6 rebounds and LaFontaine adding 5 assists, and 3 steals, Waite-Kellar had 11 points, 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 blocks; Edwards had 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 6 assists; and Yrizarris and junior Gregory Hawk had 4 assists and 3 rebounds. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks had a 23-point lead after one quarter and a 36-point lead at halftime to easily coast past the Chargers. Waite-Kellar was 8-for-8 from the field for his 16 points; Toby had 15 points, 9 assists, 7 rebounds, and 6 steals; Edwards had 12 points and 4 assists; junior Tre James had 10 points; and Deandre James grabbed 11 rebounds. On Thursday, the Blackhawks scored the first 13 points, put up 31 points in the first quarter, and were kind enough not to go for the century mark in final minutes of their lopsided league victory. Nine of 10 Blackhawks scored and six Blackhawks were in double figures. Deandre James had 18 points; Edwards and Yrizarris had 16 points, 4 assists, and 3 steals each with Yrizarris adding 9 rebounds; LaFontaine had 12 points; Toby had 11 points and 6 assists; Waite-Kellar had 10 points; Tre James had 7 points; and freshman Mason Revey had 6 points. On Friday, the Blackhawks scored all the points they’d need in a 28-point first quarter and then limited the Braves to only six second-half points in the non-league victory over the 2B school. Waite-Kellar was unstoppable with 24 points and 12 rebounds; Edwards had 13 points and 5 assists; Deandre James had 12 points and 7 steals; LaFontaine, Tre James, and Yrizarris had 8 points each; and Toby dished out 11 assists and had 4 steals.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN beat Bellingham on Monday, 76-55; slipped by Sedro-Woolley in overtime on Wednesday, 91-90; and stopped Sehome on Thursday, 78-50. On Monday, the Lyncs unleashed their offense early with 44 points in the first half and finished off the Bayhawks with 20 more in the fourth quarter. Ten different Lyncs score with Hintz and Dykstra leading the way. Hintz had 26 points and three of of LC’s 11 3-pointers, in addition to 9 steals and 7 rebounds. Dykstra added four 3s and 22 points. On Wednesday, the Lyncs needed every point in their back-and-forth shootout with the Cubs, twice battling back from five-point deficits in overtime. Dykstra had 32 points, 4 assists, and the game-winning shot; Hintz had 29 points, 9 assists, 8 rebounds; senior Eli Maberry had 14 points, going 4 of 5 from the 3-point line; and Veldman had 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 5 assists. On Thursday, the Lyncs stretched a 10-point halftime lead by holding the Mariners to 23 points in the final two periods. Veldman had 16 points, all but two in the second half, and 11 rebounds; Hintz had 15 points and Dykstra had 12 and the two junior guards added 6 assists and 4 steals each; junior Harvest Howell added 11 points and three 3s; Maberry had 9 points and two 3-pointers; and senior Hayden Herwerden had 6 points.
LYNDEN fell at Lakewood on Monday, 72-65, but came back to stop Ferndale on Friday, 76-50, and Stanwood on Saturday, 72-38. In Monday’s early-season battle between two of the NWC favorites, the Lions were within two with two minutes left. But Lynden could only come up with a pair of Adams free throws the rest of the way, while the Cougars hit a layup and five of six free throws down the stretch to ice the game. Adams had 28 points, three 3-pointers, 10 rebounds, and 4 assists; Navarre had 10 points and a pair of 3s; senior Brody Price had 9 points; Malachi Koenen had 8 points; and junior Gordy Bedlington had 4 assists. On Friday, the Lions put it all together with a 28-5 second quarter to blow open the game. All 10 Lions scored with Malachi Koenen leading the way with 20 points, 4 assists, and five 3-pointers on just seven attempts. Junior Lewis Whitney added 13 points and a team-high 8 rebounds; Adams had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists; and Bedlington had 9 points and 5 assists. On Saturday, the Lions’ defense only surrendered 17 first-half points and their offense produced a quick double-digit lead that Lynden never relinquished. Navarre had 21 points thanks to five of Lynden’s nine 3-pointers; senior James Ellis had 14 points, 7 rebounds, and a pair of 3s; Whitney had 9 points and 10 rebounds; Bedlington had 8 points and 3 assists; and Malachi Koenen added 6 points on two more 3s.
FERNDALE defeated Marysville-Pilchuck on Monday, 74-54; had Wednesday’s game with Oak Harbor postponed to Jan. 21 because of road conditions and power outages on Whidbey Island; and lost at Lynden on Friday, 76-50. On Monday, the Golden Eagles took control with a 23-point second quarter and then limited the Tomahawks to 20 points after halftime to record the non-league victory. Singh led the scoring attack with 23 points, including a pair of 3-pointers, and also had 9 rebounds and 4 assists; Pazaski had 15 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, 4 steals, and three of Ferndale’s 10 3-pointers; sophomore Houston Wills had 12 points and a pair of 3s; senior Kaveer Dhillon had 11 points and two more 3s; and senior Cooper Vincent had 6 points. On Friday, the Golden Eagles outscored the Lions in the second half but by that time were already down by 28 because of a five-point second quarter. Wills led Ferndale with 13 points, 8 rebounds, and three 3-pointers; Singh had 12 points, 5 assists, and a pair of 3s; Pazaski had 8 points and 4 rebounds; and Dhillon and junior Blake Singson had 6 points each with Singson’s coming on two 3-pointers. (NOTE: The postponed Ferndale at Nooksack Valley game on Dec. 13 has been rescheduled for Jan. 10.)
MERIDIAN lost to Squalicum on Wednesday, 63-52, but notched its first NWC victory with a 43-40 win at Blaine on Friday. On Wednesday, the Trojans fell into a 10-point, first-quarter hole, fought back to within six with two minutes to go, but were forced to foul and were outscored 8-3 the rest of the way. Senior Daniel Larsen had 14 points and 12 rebounds, junior Gabe Galbraith had 12 points, and junior Trey Alexander added 10 points. On Friday, the Trojans fell behind by 10 points early but battled back in the second half and scored the final four points to pull out their first NWC victory. Junior Pierce Brzozowski led the Trojans with 10 points, 12 rebounds, and 4 steals; Alexander and sophomore Emmett Ashmore had 8 points each; and Larsen had 6 points and 5 rebounds. Brzozowski and Ashmore also tossed in two 3-pointers each, and Alexander had 4 assists and 3 steals.For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Meridian Boys.
SEHOME beat Mount Baker on Tuesday, 74-37, but lost to Lynden Christian on Thursday, 78-50. On Tuesday, the Mariners shut down the Mounties’ offense, taking a double-digit lead in the first quarter and never relenting. Wright had 19 points to lead the scoring onslaught, Tanovan had 16 points, Kelley had 15 points and 11 rebounds, and each of the three had 5 assists. Senior Carter Duckworth also added 11 points. On Thursday, the Mariners couldn’t keep up with LC high-flying offense, suffering their first NWC loss and having their three-game winning streak snapped. Kelley had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 blocks; senior Klay Jackson had three 3s for 9 points; and Wright, and seniors Cole Turrell and Duckworth had 6 points each.
SQUALICUM held off Meridian on Wednesday, 63-52, but couldn’t stop Lakewood on Saturday, 74-34. On Wednesday, the Storm used a 20-point first period to take a 10-point lead but needed to make eight free throws in the final two minutes to hold off the Trojans. Elston led the Storm with 27 points, 4 assists, and 4 steals, and he sank six free throws to ice the game after the Trojans had cut the margin to six in the final minutes. Junior Orion Granberg-Kiddie had 10 points and 7 rebounds; senior Rhys Knowlton had 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists; and freshman Kingston Thompson had 8 points and 4 steals. On Saturday, the Storm were down, 3-2, after two and a half minutes only to have the Cougars score the next 17 points on the way to their 40-point win. Elston had 15 points and senior Ansen Asbjornsen had 6 points but no one else had more than four points.
BELLINGHAM lost to Lynden Christian on Monday, 76-55, and Anacortes on Thursday, 71-59, but bounced back to rout Marysville-Getchell on Saturday, 78-53. On Monday, the Bayhawks couldn’t quite match the Lyncs’ firepower, only managing nine points in both the second and fourth quarters. Harward led the Bellingham attack with 16 points, Van Hofwegen had 14 points and a pair of 3-pointers, Vanhouten had 9 points, senior Cyrus Campos pulled down 8 rebounds, and senior Barrett Johnson had 5 blocks. On Thursday, a chilly nine-point first quarter put the Bayhawks in a nine-point hole after one quarter and despite playing the favored Seahawks even the rest of the way, Bellingham couldn’t make up any ground. Van Hofwegen had 17 points on five 3-pointers, Johnson had 14 points, Harward had 13 points, nine of them coming in Bellingham’s big 23-point fourth-quarter comeback attempt. On Saturday, the Bayhawks got their offense rolling early and put up their highest score of the season so far in the non-league road win. Vanhouten and Harward had 19 points each with Vanhouten hitting five of Bellingham’s eight 3-pointers, Van Hofwegen had 15 points and a pair of 3s, Campos had 12 points, and Johnson had 8 points.
BLAINE lost to Burlington-Edison on Monday, 74-52, and to Meridian on Friday, 43-40. On Monday, the Borderites fell behind by 20 early and managed to cut the margin to 10 in the second half before running out of steam against the undefeated Tigers. Senior Landon Melton had 13 points and 3 steals, seniors Daniel Banks and Milo Dahl had 9 points each with Dahl hitting a trio of 3s, junior Gus Dickson had 8 points and 12 rebounds, and junior Dawson Dohner added 7 points. On Friday, the Borderites led most of the way but couldn’t overcome 14 missed free throws. Melton had 11 points to lead Blaine, Dickson had 8 points and 11 rebounds, and senior Daniel Banks had 7 points. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Blaine Boys.
MOUNT BAKER was beaten by Sehome on Tuesday, 74-37, and Burlington-Edison on Friday, 71-59. On Tuesday, the Mounties found points hard to come by against the Mariners, only scoring more than nine points in the fourth quarter. Junior Kell Reardon had 13 points, and sophomore Pepe McEvoy-Salgado had 8 points, and each of them had 6 rebounds. On Friday, the Mounties couldn’t keep up with the undefeated Tigers. Rearxon had 25 points and 10 rebounds; McEvoy-Salgado had 11 points and 9 rebounds; junior Gage Smith had 8 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists; and senior Jordan Bailey had 7 points and 5 steals.
NOOKSACK VALLEY lost at Mount Vernon on Tuesday, 71-66, and at home to Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, 72-54. On Tuesday, the Pioneers led the Class 3A Bulldogs into the second half but despite putting up 20 points in the fourth quarter couldn’t pull off the comeback. Senior Cole Coppinger had 14 points, senior Crew Bauman had 13 points and 4 assists, and sophomore Treven Scheenstra had 11 points and 5 rebounds. On Thursday, the Pioneers played the high-scoring Cubs evenly in the second half but couldn’t pull themselves out of a 17-point halftime hole. Bauman led the balanced Nooksack attack with 14 points, and senior Owen Wichers had 13 points, 11 of them in the second half, as well as 7 rebounds. Scheenstra came off the bench to score 9 points, and Coppinger had 8 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Nooksack Valley Boys. (NOTE: Dec. 13’s postponed Ferndale at Nooksack Valley game has been rescheduled for Jan. 10.)
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 GAMES
With almost all our teams taking the week off for the Christmas break, there are only three non-league games on the schedule with Lynden Christian, Lynden, and Blaine all playing bigger schools.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Dec. 22: Arlington at Lynden Christian, Lynden at Bothell
Saturday, Dec. 27: Blaine at Meadowdale
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden Christian | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Anacortes | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 |
| Burlington-Edison | 3 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| Lakewood* | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 |
| Lynden | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Sehome | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 2 | 2 | 3 | 3 |
| Meridian | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Mount Vernon | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3 |
| Oak Harbor | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| Blaine | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 3 | 2 | 3 |
| Squalicum | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Ferndale | 0 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Nooksack Valley | 0 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 4 | 2 | 4 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation* | 3 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 2 | 0 | 3 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 |
| Shoreline Christian | 1 | 2 | 3 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 3 | 1 | 4 |
* Does not include non-league tie.
