There are a lot of high school basketball rankings out there, but the one that matter most is the WIAA’s Rating Percentage Index (RPI). It is probably the most important factor in determining seedings in the playoffs, including state tournaments.
It is a complicated formula that is adjusted after every game, but the bottom line is the lower the number the better — just like the media rankings. In other words, you want to be No.1, not No.65.
With that in mind, Whatcom Hoops will often use the RPI ratings whenever rankings are mentioned in game stories or, starting today, in our recaps. Keep in mind, the RPI rankings can change every day depending on what your team does or what other teams do. It only really matters come playoff time.
So after six weeks, we have three Whatcom teams ranked in the top 10 of their classifications: Lummi Nation is the top-ranked Class 1B squad, Lynden Christian is No.2 among the 1A teams, and Lynden is No.6 in 2A.
For a look back at Week 6 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 6 with the RPI rankings included:
GAME OF THE WEEK
Meridian was down by 10 points in the third quarter against Burlington-Edison on Tuesday before Talon Jenkins took over. The junior guard hit six 3-pointers in the third quarter to rally the Trojans to an exciting 63-61 Northwest Conference victory. Meridian scored 26 points in the third period, 17 of them from Jenkins, who would finish with 27 points.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Sophomore Jerome Toby had 28 points for Lummi Nation on Wednesday and followed that with 32 on Friday. Junior Tony Abrams had 19 for the Blackhawks on Friday. … Talon Jenkins had 27 points for Meridian on Tuesday and 16 more on Saturday, and fellow junior Jaeger Fyfe had 15 points on Friday. … Sophomore Mantaj Singh had 18 points for Ferndale on Wednesday and 27 on Friday, while on Wednesday, senior Bhavnoor Grewal added 17 points and junior Jonah Brillowsky added 15 points. … Senior Anthony Canales had 22 points and junior Jack Stapleton added 17 for Lynden on Thursday. … Senior Dawson Bouma had 21 points for Lynden Christian on Friday, junior Gannon Dykstra had 17 points, and LC senior Jeremiah Wright had 16 points on Friday and 15 points on Wednesday. … Senior Wyatt Stephan had 21 points for Bellingham on Saturday. … Squalicum junior Marcus Nixon had 20 points on Tuesday and freshman teammate Hunter Calloway had 19 points on Thursday. … Senior Noah Tavis had 20 points and junior Josiah Weeda had 15 points for Blaine on Thursday. … Sophomore Nolan Wright had 17 points and seniors Austin McKay and Braddock Duckworth had 15 points each for Sehome on Wednesday. Wright and McKay followed up with 20 and 17 points, respectively, on Friday. … Sophomore Carter Hill had 16 points for Mount Baker on Saturday. … Nooksack Valley senior Wayne Silves had 15 points on Wednesday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
FERNDALE (RPI ranking: No. 61, Class 3A) beat Foster on Wednesday, 53-42, and clobbered Oak Harbor on Friday, 87-42. On Wednesday, the Golden Eagles came together after losing starting point guard Bishop Ootsey to an ankle injury, jumped out to a quick double-digit lead and recorded a big non-league win. Grewal led the team with 17 points, 7 assists, and 7 steals, while Singh and Brillowsky dominated inside for 18 and 15 points, respectively. On Friday, Ferndale played one of its best games of the season, recording its highest point total in at least four seasons. The Golden Eagles were up by 19 at halftime and put the Wildcats away with a 29-point third quarter. Singh’s 27 led all scorers and he also had 7 rebounds and 3 steals. Grewal had 13 points and 6 assists, junior Lincoln Thomas had 12 points, Ootsey returned to collect 11 points and 6 assists, and sophomore Cooper Vincent came off the bench to score 8.
LUMMI NATION (No. 1, 1B) toppled Tulalip Heritage on Thursday, 72-33, and knocked off Friday Harbor on Friday, 74-62. On Wednesday in what was supposed to be a showdown between two of the top Northwest 1B League teams, the Blackhawks were unstoppable on offense — scoring 33 points in the first quarter — and unrelenting on defense — holding the Hawks to their lowest point total of the season. Toby had 13 of his 28 points and one of his two 3-pointers in Lummi Nation’s big first quarter, senior Desmond Bailey finished with 10 points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the line, senior Raymond Perkins had 9 points on a trio of 3s, freshman Dyson Edwards had 8 points, and Abrams added 7 points. In Friday’s non-league contest, the Blackhawks held the lead most of the game and when the 2B Wolverines threatened to come back in the fourth period, Lummi put together a 26-point quarter to earn the victory. Toby had 12 of his 32 points and Abrams had nine of his 19 points in the big fourth quarter. Bailey added 8 points and Edwards had another 7.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No. 2, 1A) overcame Mount Baker on Wednesday, 87-41, and Nooksack Valley on Friday, 72-42. On Wednesday, Wright led the Lyncs with 15 points and 11 rebounds; Bouma had 14 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals; Dykstra added 13 points; freshman Kaden Veldman had 12 points; and junior Luke VanKooten had 11 points. On Friday, Lynden Christian ran off 23 points in the third quarter to take an 18-point halftime lead and never let up. Bouma had three of his five 3-pointers and nine of his 21 points in the third period. Dykstra and Wright combined for 33 more points, and senior Kayden Stuit added 10 points.
SEHOME (No. 29, 2A) overcame Oak Harbor on Wednesday, 67-57, and stunned Lakewood on Friday, 61-51. On Wednesday, Sehome was up by as much as 18 in the third quarter and then held off the Wildcats. Wright led the way with 17 points, including a 9 of 10 performance from the line; McKay and Duckworth had 15 points each, and freshman Quincy Tanovan added 7 points. On Friday, Sehome again proved to be clutch in the second half by pulling away from the Cougars after only leading by two at the break. Wright led the charge with 12 of his 20 points and one of his two 3s after intermission and McKay had nine of his 17 points in a 20-point third quarter. Sophomore Cole Turrell came up big with 13 points and Tanovan had 8 points and a pair of 3-pointers. Wright also had 7 assists, and McKay added 6 rebounds and 4 assists.
LYNDEN (No. 6, 2A) beat Bellingham on Thursday, 67-36. The Lions jumped out to a 29-5 lead early in the second quarter and held the Bayhawks to their lowest point total of the season. Canales had a big night with 22 points, five 3s, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists. Stapleton had 18 points and 5 rebounds, junior Brant Heppner added 7 points and 9 rebounds, and senior Brady Elsner had 9 assists. Check out the story at Lynden-Bellingham boys.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No. 16, 1A) defeated Friday Harbor on Wednesday, 74-31, and lost to Lynden Christian, 72-42. On Wednesday, Nooksack Valley jumped on the Wolverines for a 26-8 lead and was up by 33 at the half. Nine different Pioneers had four or more points with four in double figures led senior Wayne Silves, who had 15 points and three 3-pointers in his first game back after a football injury. Juniors Caden Heutink and Brady Ackerman had 11 points each, junior Tristan Kamphouse had 10 points and a pair of 3s, and junior Colton Lentz had 8 points. On Thursday, the Pioneers couldn’t keep up with the high-powered LC offense. Sophomore Cole Coppinger led Nooksack with 10 points, and Heutink and Ackerman had 9 points each.
MERIDIAN (No. 26, 1A) beat Burlington-Edison on Tuesday, 63-61; and lost to Mount Vernon on Thursday, 85-50, and to Anacortes on Saturday, 72-48. On Tuesday, the Trojans rallied from from five points down at halftime and held on for the thrilling victory over the Tigers. Jenkins had seven 3-pointers and 27 points along with 11 rebounds and 3 steals. Senior Taryn Burks had 12 points, including two big 3s in the fourth quarter, and 5 assists; senior Christian Clawson had 8 points and 11 rebounds; and junior Jaeger Fyfe had 7 assists, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals. On Thursday, Mount Vernon had too much offense for the Trojans, who only managed 20 points in the first half. Fyfe led Meridian with 15 points, Jenkins had 14 points, and the two had a pair of 3-pointers each and were a combined 11 for 11 from the line. On Saturday, the Trojans gave up 26 points in the first quarter and never recovered against the high-scoring Seahawks. Jenkins had 16 points and two 3s, and Fyfe added 14 points.
BLAINE (No. 44, 1A) lost to Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, 64-57. Tavis had 20 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and three 3-pointers; Weeda had 15 points and 4 rebounds; and senior Conner Dalry added 11 points and 7 rebounds.
BELLINGHAM (No. 21, 2A) lost to Lynden on Thursday, 67-36, and to Lakewood on Saturday, 80-64. On Thursday, Bellingham only managed 12 first-half points in losing on the road to the Lions. Sophomore Joe Harward came off the bench to score all 14 of his points in the second half, Stephan had 8 points, and junior Kincade VanHouten had a team-high 7 rebounds. On Saturday in a non-league contest, the Bayhawks came out slow and never recovered from a 15-point, first-quarter deficit. Stephan had six of Bellingham’s eight 3-pointers and finished with 21 points. Junior Gabe Van Hofwegen and VanHouten had 11 points each for the Bayhawks, and Harward added 9 points. Check out the story from Thursday’s game at Bellingham-Lynden boys.
MOUNT BAKER (No. 46, 1A) lost to Lynden Christian on Wednesday, 87-41, and to Burlington-Edison on Saturday, 61-54. On Wednesday, the Mounties couldn’t keep up with the Lyncs and lost on the road. Junior Darius Gilstrap had 8 points, and sophomores Jordan Bailey and Peyton Abitia added 7 points each. On Saturday, the Mounties were down the whole game and behind by 14 going into the final period before fighting back with a 23-point fourth quarter. Hill led the Mounties’ balanced offense with 16 points, freshman Kell Reardon had 12 points, sophomore Jordan Bailey had 11 points including seven in the fourth-quarter rally, and sophomore Peyton Abitia tossed in 10 with six in the final period.
SQUALICUM (No. 42, 2A) fell to Mount Vernon on Tuesday, 61-58, and to Anacortes on Thursday, 68-47. On Tuesday, the Storm played the favored Bulldogs even through most of the game but couldn’t secure the win. Nixon led Squalicum with 20 points and added 4 assists, 3 steals, and 3 rebounds. Junior Ezra Nichols had 11 points, Calloway had 10 points to go along with 9 rebounds and 3 assists, and junior Fabian Singh had 7 points. On Friday, a 26-2 run by Anacortes put the Storm in a hole they couldn’t climb out of. Calloway led Squalicum with 19 points and four 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists, and Nixon finished with 10 points, 9 rebounds, and 4 steals.
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. https://www.nwcbasketballreport.com/
WEEK 7
TOP GAME
In a game that was switched from Monday evening to Saturday afternoon, the high-flying Seahawks of Anacortes and star Davis Fogle will take on the undefeated Lyncs at Lynden Christian in a battle between two of the Northwest Conference’s top teams.
SCHEDULE
Tuesday, Jan. 9: Nooksack Valley at Squalicum, Bellingham at Oak Harbor, Blaine at Meridian, Lynden at Mount Baker, Lummi Nation at Providence Classical Christian
Wednesday, Jan. 10: Ferndale at Burlington-Edison, Mount Vernon at Sehome
Thursday, Jan. 11: Anacortes at Bellingham, Blaine at Lynden, Lynden Christian at Meridian, Fellowship Christian at Lummi Nation
Friday, Jan. 12: Squalicum at Mount Baker
Saturday, Jan. 13: Nooksack Valley at Ferndale, Sehome at Sedro-Woolley, Anacortes at Lynden Christian
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 7 | 0 | 9 | 3 |
| Lynden Christian | 7 | 0 | 13 | 0 |
| Mount Vernon | 6 | 1 | 10 | 2 |
| Anacortes | 5 | 2 | 9 | 3 |
| Bellingham | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Sehome | 5 | 2 | 8 | 4 |
| Nooksack Valley | 4 | 3 | 8 | 4 |
| Ferndale | 3 | 4 | 4 | 8 |
| Lakewood | 3 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 3 | 5 | 5 | 6 |
| Burlington-Edison | 2 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Meridian | 2 | 5 | 7 | 6 |
| Squalicum | 2 | 5 | 4 | 8 |
| Blaine | 1 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 6 | 3 | 9 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 7 | 2 | 10 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 6 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 4 | 1 | 4 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 4 | 2 | 6 | 5 |
| Fellowship Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shoreline Christian | 2 | 3 | 3 | 4 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 1 | 3 | 3 | 3 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 1 | 5 | 2 | 7 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 5 | 0 | 6 |
