After having all their games canceled in Week 5, the Whatcom County boys teams got back in action last week with several key games among the Northwest Conference leaders.
As we head into the second half of the regular season, Mount Vernon and Lynden Christian continue to lead the Class 3A and 1A teams, respectively, although it took a buzzer-beater on Monday for the Lyncs to beat Burlington-Edison and keep their unbeaten streak alive.
The Class 2A race is a dogfight with Lakewood, Lynden, Sehome and Burlington all within a game or two of each other. The Lions won the first of the inevitable showdowns between the 2A leaders by stopping Sehome on Monday, but there will be more to come in the final four weeks of the regular season.
For a look back at Week 6 for our county girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 6.
GAMES OF THE WEEK
Blaine and Lynden Christian had two of the most memorable games of the season so far on Monday night when the Borderites held off Anacortes, 44-43, and the Lyncs came back to beat Burlington-Edison, 69-66, in overtime.
Blaine’s victory sent local historians scrambling to confirm if this was the first time the Borderites had ever beaten the Seahawks. It was quite a turnaround for the Blaine seniors, who lost to Anacortes by 39 points as freshmen. “We faced a lot of adversity in this game, but we are playing with some grit and determination right now defensively,” said Blaine coach Brett Farrar. “I’m really happy for our players.”
Lynden Christian’s victory, meanwhile, not only kept the Lyncs unbeaten but came in dramatic fashion as LC rallied from eight points down to send it into overtime where William Colwell hit a last-second 3-pointer to win it.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Nooksack Valley junior Bennett DeLange had 33 points on Tuesday and freshman Brady Ackerman added 13 points and 18 rebounds to help the Pioneers notch their first league win. … Senior Gavin Ortega had 25 points for Sehome on Saturday. … Junior Richard Wilson had 23 points to lead Lummi Nation on Saturday. … Senior Reed Richardson had 45 points in Squalicum’s two games last week. … Seniors Jesse Sapp and Jazen Guillory had 20 and 19 points, respectively, as Ferndale won on Saturday. … Junior Tyler Sipma had 19 points and senior Crew Bosman had 17 in Lynden Christian’s big win over Burlington-Edison.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
Lynden Christian remained undefeated by edging Burlington-Edison in overtime on Monday, 69-66, and by beating Bellingham on Saturday, 74-40. In Monday’s exciting win, LC held the Tigers to six points in the fourth quarter to send the game into overtime, where senior Colwell hit two free throws and his game-winning 3. With all-stater Andrew Hommes missing the game, Sipma led the way with 19 points, including three 3-pointers. Senior Crew Bosman added 17 points and a pair of 3s, and sophomore Jeremiah Wright had 15 points. On Saturday, the Lyncs used a 25-point second quarter to pull away from the Bayhawks. In an amazingly balanced attack, Hommes, Wright, and senior Jamison Hintz had 13 points each and junior Griffin Dykstra and Bosman had 12 points each as nine different Lyncs scored.
Lynden defeated Sehome on Monday, 62-44, and stopped Squalicum on Friday, 74-50. In Monday’s NWC showdown, the Lions’ defense held the Mariners to 26 points below their season average. Senior Jordan Medcalf had a game-high 16 points and 12 rebounds, and junior Coston Parcher had 12 points and a team-high 4 assists. On Friday, Medcalf led the Lions with 15 points, 8 rebounds and 5 steals; Dawson Adams had 13 points and a game-high 9 rebounds; Parcher had 12 points; and sophomore Anthony Canales had 11 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 steals.
Nooksack Valley notched its first league win with a 64-41 victory over Mount Baker on Tuesday, and followed that with another victory on Friday, beating Meridian, 51-39. Against the Mounties, DeLange scored 12 of the Pioneers’ first 13 points and, in addition to his 33 points, he also had three 3-pointers, 6 rebounds, and 5 steals. Sophomore Joey Brown added 8 points and senior Dawson Kimball had 6. On Friday, the Pioneers rallied from a six-point deficit in the fourth quarter to outscore Meridian 28-6 in the final period. DeLange had 12 points to lead the Pioneers, Kimball added 11 points, Ackerman had 10 points and 10 rebounds for his second double-double of the week, and Brown had 9 points.
Ferndale had its Thursday game against Mount Baker canceled and clobbered Sedro-Woolley on Saturday, 76-56. The Golden Eagles jumped to a double-digit first-quarter lead, withstood the Cubs’ rally, and then put the game away in the third quarter. Besides 39 points from Sapp and Guillory, the Golden Eagles got 14 points from another senior, Mark Schlichting.
Blaine was down by nine going into the fourth quarter before rallying to defeat Anacortes on Monday, 44-43, and had its Thursday game against Lakewood postponed. Senior Cole Thomas’s bucket with just over a minute left capped the fourth-quarter rally and put the Borderites ahead, 44-43. The Seahawks had two good looks in the last 10 seconds, but junior Mathew Russ tipped a shot at the buzzer to seal the win for Blaine. Thomas finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 2 steals, and junior Carson Lehnert added another 11 points and 4 rebounds. Seniors Avery Dohner and Scott Baldwin had 8 points each with Dohner adding 6 rebounds. Russ had 6 points, and senior Jaxon Kortlever had 5 assists.
Lummi Nation had Tuesday’s game against Chief Kitsap Academy canceled and topped Mount Baker on Saturday, 59-46. In the non-league win over the Class 1A Mounties, Wilson led the balanced Blackhawks attack with 23 points, 7 rebounds, 2 assists, and 2 steals. Sophomore Tobias Francis had 15 points on four 3-pointers, 4 assists, and 3 steals; senior Tyran Lane had a double-double with 10 points and 11 rebounds plus 3 blocks and 2 steals; and senior Duncan Toby had 7 points, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds.
Sehome lost to Lynden on Monday, 62-44, and bounced back to beat Anacortes on Saturday, 62-58. Against Lynden, the Mariners had their lowest point total of the season. Juniors Mathew Storms and Grant Kepley had 13 and 9 points, respectively, to lead Sehome. On Saturday, junior Isaac Lawrence had three key 3-pointers in the first half and Ortega scored 19 of his game-high 25 in the second half as the Mariners held off the Seahawks.
Bellingham had its Tuesday game with Lakewood canceled and lost to Lynden Christian on Saturday, 74-40. The Bayhawks fell behind, 17-4, and couldn’t make up ground against LC. Junior Henry Sheldrup had 13 points to lead the Bayhawks against the Lyncs and sophomore Wyatt Stephan added 11 points.
Mount Baker lost to Nooksack Valley on Tuesday, 64-41; had its Thursday game against Ferndale postponed; and lost to Lummi Nation on Saturday, 59-46. Against the Pioneers, the Mounties got into early foul trouble and couldn’t recover. Junior Jacob Wade had 14 points to lead Mount Baker, senior Caleb Horsmon added 11 points and a pair of 3-pointers, senior Draven Davis had 7 points, and junior Landon Smith had 6. On Saturday, the Mounties went scoreless in the second quarter and couldn’t recover despite a 23-point fourth quarter. Wade had 11 points, senior Davin Beason had 9 points and a pair of 3s, and sophomore Jesse Harward had 8 points and two 3-pointers.
Squalicum had its four-game winning streak snapped by Mount Vernon on Monday, 67-54, and then lost to Lynden on Friday, 74-50. On Monday, Richardson had 23 points, 5 rebounds and 5 steals. No other Storm players scored in double figures, but junior Xander Sledge had three 3s for 9 points. On Friday, Richardson added 22 more points, 11 of which came in the fourth quarter. The senior also had 6 rebounds. Leyton Smithson made his first appearance of the season and had 7 points for the Storm.
Meridian fell to Oak Harbor on Tuesday, 50-26, and lost to Nooksack Valley on Friday, 51-39. On Friday, junior Hunter Jones led Meridian with 13 points and freshman Jaeger Fyfe and senior Daniel Short had 7 points each, but the Trojans only managed one field goal in the final period as the Pioneers rallied for the win.
WEEK 7
TOP GAMES
Sehome continues its four-game gauntlet through the best of the Northwest Conference when the Mariners travel to Lakewood on Tuesday and then visit Lynden Christian on Thursday.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 10: Sedro-Woolley at Bellingham, Lynden Christian at Blaine, Meridian at Ferndale, Squalicum at Nooksack Valley, Lummi Nation at Fellowship Christian
Tuesday, Jan. 11: Lynden at Oak Harbor, Mount Baker at Burlington-Edison, Sehome at Lakewood
Thursday, Jan. 13: Bellingham at Mount Baker, Anacortes at Lynden, Sehome at Lynden Christian, Nooksack Valley at Oak Harbor, Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) at Lummi Nation
Friday, Jan. 14: Blaine at Sedro-Woolley, Ferndale at Squalicum, Burlington-Edison at Meridian
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden Christian | 6 | 0 | 9 | 0 |
| Mount Vernon | 6 | 0 | 7 | 1 |
| Lakewood | 4 | 0 | 5 | 3 |
| Lynden | 5 | 1 | 7 | 1 |
| Sehome | 5 | 2 | 7 | 2 |
| Burlington-Edison | 4 | 2 | 5 | 4 |
| Oak Harbor | 4 | 3 | 5 | 4 |
| Blaine | 3 | 3 | 4 | 4 |
| Squalicum | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Nooksack Valley | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| Anacortes | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Ferndale | 2 | 4 | 2 | 7 |
| Meridian | 2 | 5 | 3 | 6 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 6 | 2 | 7 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 7 | 0 | 9 |
NORTHWEST 1B CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 4 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 2 | 1 | 2 | 6 |
| Grace Academy | 2 | 1 | 3 | 2 |
| Lopez | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 2 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| Shoreline Christian | 1 | 3 | 1 | 7 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Fellowship Christian | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 |
