Heading into the last three weeks of the regular season, the Northwest Conference leaders have begun to put a little distance between themselves and the pack — but there are a lot of big games still to come.
Lynden continues to sit in first place and is two games ahead of Anacortes in the Class 2A race. Second-place Mount Vernon is way ahead of the two other 3A teams. And third-place Lynden Christian, despite its loss to Anacortes on Saturday, is comfortably ahead of its 1A rivals.
But the Lions face the toughest upcoming schedule. The two-time defending 2A state champs have to play Mount Vernon on Friday, Anacortes the following week, and the Lyncs in the regular-season’s final game.
As for the 1B squads, Lummi Nation remains unbeaten in the Northwest 1B League and two games ahead of its nearest competition. The No.1-ranked Blackhawks have won their seven league contests by an average margin of 45 points a game.
For a look back at Week 7 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Last week, we re-introduced the RPI ratings and we will continue to use them as a way to rank teams statewide. But if you want an easy way to understand the very complicated system — actually two systems — then click here to read Ted House’s great RPI explanation.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 7.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In a battle between two top-five ranked teams that was much closer than the final score, Lynden Christian played Anacortes evenly until the final minutes before succumbing to the visiting Seahawks, 78-66, on Saturday. The Lyncs, the No.2-ranked Class 1A squad, had four players in double figures but couldn’t stop guard Davis Fogle, who had 43 points for the No.5-ranked Class 2A Seahawks. It was the first loss of the season for the two-time defending 1A state champions.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Junior Brant Heppner had 28 points and senior Anthony Canales had 21 points for Lynden on Thursday, and Canales had 20 points and junior Jack Stapleton had 16 points for the Lions on Tuesday.… Jaeger Fyfe had 27 points and fellow junior Talon Jenkins added 17 for Meridian on Tuesday. …Senior Bishop Ootsey had 24 points for Ferndale on Wednesday, and junior Jonah Brillowsky had 15 points on Saturday. … Junior Marcus Nixon had 21 points for Squalicum on Friday and freshman Hunter Calloway had 20 on Tuesday and 17 more on Friday for the Storm. … Sophomore Jerome Toby had 21 points for Lummi Nation on Friday. … Senior Dawson Bouma had 20 points and junior Gannon Dykstra had 16 for Lynden Christian on Saturday. … Senior Wyatt Stephan had 18 points and junior Kincaide VanHouten had 15 points for Bellingham on Thursday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN (RPI ranking: No.6, Class 2A) defeated Mount Baker on Tuesday, 72-29, and Blaine on Thursday, 79-27. On Tuesday, the Lynden defense held the Mounties to their lowest point total of the season. Ten different Lions scored with Canales’s 20 points leading the way, and Stapleton and Heppner adding 16 and 12 points, respectively. Stapleton also had a team-high 7 rebounds and 4 steals; Canales had 6 rebounds, 3 steals, and 3 assists; Heppner had 5 rebounds and 4 blocks; seniors Brady Elsner and Kael Stapleton had 4 assists each; and Heppner and senior Weston Van Dalen had two 3-pointers each. On Thursday, Lynden’s defense held Blaine to its lowest point total of the season, outscoring the Borderites 45-11 in the second half. Heppner had the hot hand shooting 61 percent from the field including half of his eight 3-point attempts for 28 points not to mention 9 rebounds, 4 assists, and 3 blocks. Canales added 5 rebounds and 6 assists to his 21 points, senior Ty Holleman had 9 rebounds, and Elsner had 8 assists.
SQUALICUM (No.39, 2A) knocked off Nooksack Valley on Tuesday, 54-39, and Mount Baker on Friday, 64-33. On Tuesday, Calloway led the Storm with 20 points; Nixon had 9 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds; and sophomore Laki Fagaautau had 10 rebounds. On Friday, the Storm started slow, scoring only seven points in the first quarter but exploding for 41 over the next two periods to put away the Mounties. The Storm spread the offense around with 10 players getting into the scoring column led by Nixon with 21 points and Calloway with 17 points.
LUMMI NATION (No.1, 1B) defeated Providence Classical Christian on Friday, 66-41, in the Blackhawks’ only game last week. Lummi took a double-digit lead early and held the Highlanders to just 15 first-half points to stay unbeaten in Northwest 1B League play. Toby led the Blackhawks with five 3-pointers and his 21 points put him into the school’s prestigious 1,000-point club for his career. He joins boys all-time leader Trazil Lane (class of 2017), who had 2,026 career points; Caleb Revey (2020); Tyran Lane (2022); and Lady Blackhawks all-time leader Sarah (Brady) Tom (2009), who finished with 2,156 points. In Saturday’s game, junior Tony Abrams added 13 points, junior Karson Revey and senior Desmond Bailey had 8 points each, and freshman Dyson Edwards and junior Trevon Lee had 6 points each.
MERIDIAN (No.26, 1A) beat Blaine on Tuesday, 72-48, and had its home game Thursday against Lynden Christian postponed because of a weather-related power failure. On Tuesday, the Trojans came out fired up with a 24-point first quarter and put the game away with a 23-point third period. Fyfe led the scoring onslaught with 27 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals; Jenkins hit three 3s and collected 17 points and 10 rebounds; senior Christian Clawson had 10 points and 9 rebounds; senior Jacob Amundson had 8 points; and senior Taran Burks dished out 9 assists and grabbed 4 steals.
BELLINGHAM (No.24, 2A) bested Oak Harbor on Tuesday, 56-45, but lost to Anacortes on Thursday, 68-44. On Tuesday, Bellingham broke open a two-point game at halftime with a 25-point third quarter and then held off the Wildcats for the win. Senior Elias Togagae sparked the Bayhawks on both ends of the court and finished with a team-high 14 points and 15 rebounds. VanHouten had 11 points and 13 rebounds, senior Jesse Harward had 10 points and 7 rebounds, and junior Gabe Van Hofwegen added 8 points and a pair of 3-pointers. On Thursday, the Bayhawks tried to stay within striking distance of the Seahawks but were outscored 21-8 in the fourth period to end any hopes of a comeback. Stephan had 17 points to lead Bellingham, VanHouten had 15 points and 7 rebounds, and sophomore Joe Harward had 8 points.
FERNDALE (No.60, 3A) lost to Burlington-Edison on Wednesday, 61-53, but bounced back to beat Nooksack Valley on Saturday, 54-46. On Wednesday, Ferndale led by nine after one quarter and five at the half but only managed 22 points in the second half as the Tigers rallied to win. Ootsey was 5 for 5 from the 3-point line and finished with 24 points to go along with 4 assists. Brillowsky had 12 points and 10 rebounds, and sophomore Mantaj Singh added 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 blocked shots. On Saturday, Ferndale held Nooksack to six points in the third quarter to take control and then held off the Pioneers in the final period. Brillowsky had three 3-pointers and a team-high 15 points, Singh had 12 points, senior Bhavnoor Grewal had 9 points, and junior Lincoln Thomas added 7 points.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No.2, 1A) had its game at Meridian on Thursday postponed because of a power failure, and the Lyncs suffered their first defeat of the season, losing to Anacortes on Saturday, 78-66. Lynden Christian battled the Seahawks even through three and half quarters and was within two with three minutes left, but Anacortes outscored the Lyncs, 13-3, to wrap up the win. LC backcourt mates Bouma and Dykstra combined for 36 points, and senior posts Jeremiah Wright and Kayden Stuit had 13 and 12 points, respectively. For the story on Saturday’s game, click on LC-Anacortes boys.
BLAINE (No.48, 1A) lost to Meridian on Tuesday, 72-48, and to Lynden on Thursday, 79-27. On Tuesday, the visiting Borderites couldn’t slow the Trojans in the key 1A showdown. Junior Josiah Weeda led the Borderites with 11 points; senior Noah Tavis had 10 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists; and senior Conner Dalry added 9 points. On Thursday, the Borderites couldn’t get their offense going against the Lions, scoring in single digits in three of the four quarters. Weeda, senior Jesse Deming, and sophomore Landon Melton scored 6 points each to pace Blaine with Melton’s coming on a pair of 3-pointers. Weeda and Dalry led the Borderites with 4 rebounds each.
MOUNT BAKER (No.47, 1A) lost to Lynden on Tuesday, 72-29, and to Squalicum on Friday, 64-33. On Tuesday, Mount Baker was down by 20 at the half and couldn’t keep up with the visiting Lions. Freshman Kell Reardon had 9 points and 7 rebounds to lead the Mounties, sophomore Carter Hill had 6 points on a pair of 3-pointers and 5 rebounds, and sophomore Jordan Bailey added a team-high 3 assists. On Friday, the Mount Baker offense never got rolling as the Mounties only managed 12 first-half points. Bailey had 9 points, junior Chris Armbright had 8, and Hill had 7 with Armbright and Hill each hitting a pair of 3s.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No.27, 1A) lost to Squalicum on Tuesday, 54-39, and to Ferndale on Saturday, 54-46. On Tuesday, junior Caden Heutink led the Pioneers with 12 points, 5 assists, and 4 rebounds. On Saturday, a cold six-point third quarter put the Pioneers in an eight-point hole that proved to be the difference against the Golden Eagles. Nooksack got balanced scoring with junior Colton Lentz and sophomore Cole Coppinger leading the way with 9 points each, Heutink collecting 8 points, senior Wayne Silves and junior Brady Ackerman putting in 7 points each, and junior Tristan Kamphouse adding 6 points.
SEHOME (No.30, 2A) lost to Mount Vernon on Wednesday, 73-44, and to Sedro-Woolley on Saturday, 47-38. On Wednesday, the Mariners started slow with only 13 first-half points and by the time they got their offense going it was too late against the Class 3A Bulldogs. Senior Austin McKay led Sehome with 13 points and 6 rebounds, sophomore Nolan Wright had 10 points and 7 rebounds, and senior Brandon Duckworth added 8 points. On Saturday, Sehome’s offense could only muster three points in the third quarter as the Mariners finished with their lowest point total of the season. McKay had 9 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 blocks; Duckworth had 8 points and 9 rebounds; and Wright collected 8 points, 7 rebounds, and 7 assists.
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 8
TOP GAMES
The Northwest Conference leaders will be tested this week as Lynden Christian travels to Sehome on Thursday and Lynden hosts Mount Vernon on Friday. And if you don’t mind traveling on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, check out Lynden against King’s in the King Showcase at the ShoWare Center in Kent on Monday afternoon.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 15: Lakewood at Bellingham, Mount Baker at Blaine, Oak Harbor at Lynden Christian, Lynden vs. King’s at King Showcase
Tuesday, Jan. 16: Meridian at Nooksack Valley, Sehome at Anacortes, Sedro-Woolley at Squalicum, Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) at Lummi Nation
Wednesday, Jan. 17: Ferndale at Mount Vernon, Lynden at Burlington-Edison
Thursday, Jan. 18: Lynden Christian at Sehome, Nooksack Valley at Mount Baker, Lopez Island at Lummi Nation
Friday, Jan. 19: Blaine at Burlington-Edison, Ferndale at Anacortes, Mount Vernon at Lynden
Saturday, Jan. 20: Bellingham at Squalicum, Sedro-Woolley at Meridian
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 9 | 0 | 11 | 3 |
| Mount Vernon | 8 | 1 | 12 | 2 |
| Lynden Christian | 7 | 1 | 13 | 1 |
| Anacortes | 7 | 2 | 11 | 3 |
| Bellingham | 6 | 3 | 8 | 6 |
| Lakewood | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Sehome | 5 | 4 | 8 | 6 |
| Ferndale | 4 | 5 | 5 | 9 |
| Nooksack Valley | 4 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 4 | 5 | 7 | 7 |
| Squalicum | 4 | 5 | 6 | 8 |
| Meridian | 3 | 5 | 8 | 6 |
| Burlington-Edison | 3 | 6 | 7 | 8 |
| Blaine | 1 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 8 | 3 | 11 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 9 | 2 | 12 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 7 | 0 | 11 | 1 |
| Grace Academy | 5 | 2 | 5 | 2 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 5 | 2 | 7 | 5 |
| Fellowship Christian | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Shoreline Christian | 3 | 4 | 4 | 6 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 2 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 2 | 6 | 4 | 8 |
| Lopez Island | 0 | 7 | 0 | 8 |
