Snow is flying and an ice storm is predicted for this week, which means it’s time to start thinking of the hottest boys basketball teams in Whatcom County. And the best place to find the best teams is at the WIAA’s RPI rankings.
There are different places to find rankings, but the one that counts for playoffs is the state’s Rating Percentage Index, which uses a formula that includes a team’s record, their opponents’ records, and their opponents’ records.
You can check out every team’s RPI ranking at wiaa.com (click on RPI, rankings), but here’s where our Whatcom County teams stand at the end of Week 6 (and note: rankings change daily after games are played):
Class 3A: Ferndale is 19th and Squalicum is 36th.
Class 2A: Lynden is third, Blaine 26th, Sehome 36th, Bellingham 56th
Class 1A: Lynden Christian is ninth, Meridian 10th, Nooksack Valley 20th, Mount Baker 56th
Class 1B: Lummi Nation is third
With four more weeks in the regular season and lots of playoff action still to come, a lot can change. So keep rooting for your favorite teams … weather permitting, of course.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Ferndale took top-ranked Burlington-Edison to overtime on Thursday before losing, 79-77. The young Golden Eagles battled back in the fourth quarter and had a chance to win at the end of regulation. Jazen Guillory scored 35 points for the second straight game, but it wasn’t quite enough to topple the Northwest Conference co-leader.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Guillory had a career-high 35 points, including five 3-pointers, in the loss to Lynden Christian on Tuesday and then came right back to score 35 again in an overtime loss to Burlington on Thursday. … Squalicum’s Devante Powell was honored Friday at home for surpassing 1,000 points in his career… Powell’s fellow senior Dedrick Mitchell had 13 points and 12 assists Friday in the Storm’s victory over Bellingham. … Jaden DeBoer had 21 points in Lynden Christian’s win over Ferndale on Tuesday. … DeBoer’s teammate, Bryce Bouwman, had 18 points, 7 rebounds, 8 assists and hit 3 free throws with one second left to give the Lyncs a victory over Port Angeles on Saturday. … Mount Baker’s Braeden Hart had 16 3-pointers and 65 points in the Mounties’ three games. … Caleb Revey led Lummi Nation to a pair of wins by recording 40 points, 17 rebounds, and 16 assists. … Zane Rector had 26 points in Blaine’s loss to Lakewood on Tuesday … Brock Heppner had 24 points, Liam Hanenburg had 20, and Jordan Medcalf added 19 as Lynden’s offense exploded against Bellingham. … Bellingham sophomore Aidan Bartlett had a career-high 21 points and 10 rebounds against Lynden. … Cole Eldridge had 24 points to lead Nooksack Valley over Anacortes. … Meridian’s Jordan Veenstra had five 3-pointers and 17 points against Burlington-Edison; 15 points, including 9-for-11 at the line, in the win over Blaine; and 19 points and five more 3-pointers against Cedar Park Christian (Bothell).
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Lynden beat up on the city schools, overpowering Bellingham, 97-57, on Wednesday, and stopping Sehome, 62-17, on Friday. Koby Whitman had 14 points against the Red Raiders, and Heppner had 12 points and Kaleo Jandoc 11 in the win over Sehome.
Lynden Christian had three big victories. The Lyncs topped Ferndale on Tuesday in a shoot-out, 89-81, as Logan Dykstra had 18 points, Andrew DeVries had 16 and Bouwman 13. The Lyncs then topped Sedro-Woolley, 68-57, on Thursday. They closed out a big week by beating Port Angeles on Saturday, 61-60, with less than a second left in the game.
Squalicum ran its NWC winning streak to three by topping Mount Baker, 52-40, on Tuesday and downing Bellingham, 60-29, on Friday. Powell led the Storm with 13 points against the Mounties, and Leland Zender added 11 points and Mitchell 10. Against the Raiders, Powell had 12 points and Lincoln Hofer added 10.
Lummi Nation posted two impressive wins to remain unbeaten in league play, taking down Lopez, 86-37, on Monday and Cedar Park Christian (Mountlake Terrace), 79-48, on Friday. The Blackhawks had five players in double-figure scoring against Lopez — Revey (20), Jaie Leighton (15, including his first dunk), Duncan Toby (13), William Hetland (11) and Tyran Lane (12). Against Cedar Park Christian, Toby and Leighton had 15 points each. For the week, Lane had 20 rebounds, Toby had 12 rebounds and Leighton had 7 assists.
Nooksack Valley was upset by Sedo-Woolley, 67-55, on Tuesday, but bounced back with a big 59-53 win over Anacortes on Friday. Clancy Coppinger had 26 points and 24 rebounds in the two games, and against the Cubs, Eldridge added 13 points and Cody Coppinger had 12.
Meridian suffered its second league loss of the season, 79-53, against first-place Burlington-Edison on Tuesday, and then held off visiting Blaine, 60-58, on Thursday. Jackson Short had 10 points in Meridian’s loss to Burlington-Edison and 17 points in Meridian’s win over Blaine. In a non-league contest, the Trojans fell to Cedar Park Christian (Bothell) on Saturday, 66-54, despite Short’s 14 points.
Mount Baker fell to Squalicum, 52-40, on Tuesday and to Lakewood, 88-72, on Friday, but then had its best game of the season with an 88-39 non-league victory over Summit Sierra of Seattle on Saturday. Hart had 18 points and Jason Lee added 8 for the Mounties against Squalicum. Against Lakewood, the Mounties had their biggest offensive night of the season as Hart had five 3-pointers and 21 points, Truman Anderson had 17 points, Garrett Smith had 14 and Ayden Rodriguez had 13. Mount Baker came back to top its scoring mark against Summit Sierra as Hart had 26 points, including seven 3 pointers, Anderson tossed in 17 points, and Rodriguez added three more 3-pointers and 13 points.
Ferndale nearly pulled off a pair of upsets before falling to Lynden Christian, 89-81, on Tuesday and 79-77 to Burlington-Edison on Thursday. Against the Lyncs, Mark Schlichting had 18 points, including five 3-pointers, and Isaiah Carlson added 17 points.
Blaine dropped two close ones, losing to Lakewood, 83-80, on Tuesday and to Meridian, 60-58, on Thursday before ending the week with a 77-29 swatting of Sultan on Saturday. Scott Baldwin and Josh Russ had 14 and 11 points, respectively, against Lakewood, and Cole Thomas came off the bench to lead Blaine with 11 points against the Trojans. Eleven Borderites scored against Sultan with Damian Kuoppala leading the way with a dozen, Bailey Bleazard and Scott Baldwin scoring 11 each, and Mason Vega tossing in 10.
Bellingham couldn’t stop a hot Lynden team and fell, 97-57, on Tuesday despite 8 points and 6 rebounds by sophomore Manny DePalma. On Friday, the Red Raiders’ offense couldn’t get going in a 60-29 loss to Squalicum. Bartlett led Bellingham with 7 points against the Storm.
Sehome lost to Anacortes, 46-38, on Wednesday despite Elliott Tanovan’s 14 points. The Mariners then dropped their third league game in a row, 62-17, to Lynden on Friday as Tanovan had 8 points to again lead the Mariners.
Week 6 Standings
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Burlington-Edison | 5 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Lynden | 5 | 0 | 10 | 1 |
| Lakewood | 4 | 1 | 7 | 5 |
| Lynden Christian | 4 | 1 | 7 | 3 |
| Meridian | 3 | 2 | 8 | 3 |
| Nooksack Valley | 3 | 2 | 9 | 3 |
| Squalicum | 3 | 2 | 6 | 6 |
| Anacortes | 2 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
| Ferndale | 2 | 3 | 7 | 5 |
| Sehome | 2 | 3 | 5 | 7 |
| Blaine | 1 | 4 | 7 | 5 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 4 | 6 | 6 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 5 | 3 | 9 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 7 | 0 | 10 | 2 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 6 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (MLT) | 5 | 3 | 7 | 6 |
| Grace Academy | 5 | 3 | 6 | 5 |
| Orcas Christian | 2 | 5 | 2 | 5 |
| Lopez | 1 | 4 | 1 | 6 |
| Providence Christian | 1 | 6 | 1 | 6 |
| Shoreline Christian | 1 | 7 | 2 | 8 |
WEEK 7
TOP GAME: The hottest team in the Northwest Conference, Lynden, travels to Burlington-Edison on Thursday to take on the top-ranked Tigers in a big NWC showdown.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 13: Meridian at Lynden (postponed to Feb. 1), Squalicum at Anacortes
Tuesday, Jan. 14: Nooksack Valley at Sehome, Lynden Christian at Bellingham (postponed to Jan. 22), Ferndale at Blaine, Mount Baker at Burlington, Lummi Nation at Fellowship Christian
Thursday, Jan. 16: Lakewood at Nooksack Valley, Lynden at Burlington-Edison, Squalicum at Lynden Christian, Shoreline Christian at Lummi Nation
Friday, Jan. 17: Bellingham at Mount Baker, Anacortes at Ferndale, Sehome at Blaine, Sedro-Woolley at Meridian
Saturday, Jan. 18: Lynden Christian at LaCenter
