Northwest Conference co-leaders Lynden and Lynden Christian went undefeated last week, but our other nine Whatcom schools all suffered at least one loss as they head down the stretch.
The Lions won all three of their games, including a non-league matchup against King’s at the ShoWare Center, and the Lyncs won both their games, including a key Class 1A contest against Nooksack Valley, setting up a showdown this Saturday night at Lynden for the NWC title.
Lummi Nation easily won its Northwest 1B League game but played three classifications up on Wednesday and lost a non-league game against 2A power Lakewood.
For a look back at Week 8 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 8.
GAME OF THE WEEK
The Squalicum boys were still recovering from an illness that had swept through the school and only had seven healthy players on Friday when they faced Anacortes, one of the top 2A schools in the district. But it was the Storm who made the Seahawks feel sick as Squalicum rallied from a five-point halftime deficit to take the lead in the third quarter and put up 21 points in the fourth quarter for a big 57-52 victory. “This was a big step for us,” said first-year coach David Dunham. “It’s starting to click, and we want to continue to ride this.”
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Senior Talon Jenkins had 32 points for Meridian on Tuesday. … Senior Gannon Dykstra had 32 points for Lynden Christian on Friday, and sophomore Dawson Hintz had 17 points for the Lyncs on Wednesday. … Junior Joe Harward had 28 points and senior Kincade VanHouten had 18 points for Bellingham on Monday. … Lynden senior Brant Heppner had 28 points on Monday and 18 points on Tuesday, and 25 points on Thursday… Junior Mantaj Singh had 17 points on Tuesday and 26 points on Saturday for Ferndale, and senior Hunter Wills added 17 points on Saturday for the Golden Eagles. … Senior Jacob Dohner had 21 points for Blaine on Monday, senior Josiah Weeda had 20 points on Thursday, and junior Landon Melton had 18 points on Saturday. … Caden Heutink had 21 points for Nooksack Valley on Wednesday and fellow senior Cory Olney had 19 points on Friday. … Junior Jerome Toby had 19 points for Lummi Nation on Wednesday and 21 on Friday, and sophomore Landon LaFontaine had 20 points for the Blackhawks on Wednesday. … Senior Marcus Nixon had 17 points for Squalicum on Tuesday, and sophomore Hunter Calloway had 21 points in the Storm’s big win on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN (RPI ranking: No. 1, 2A): beat King’s on Monday, 52-41; held off Meridian on Tuesday, 52-46; and came back to beat Blaine on Thursday, 63-50. On Monday in the King Showcase in ShoWare Center, the Lions fell behind by six until a 16-2 second quarter put them in control of the non-league game. Heppner starred, making 10 of 14 shots including a pair of 3-pointers and pulling down 7 rebounds. Juniors Spencer Adams and Ty Jorgenson had 9 and 6 points, respectively, with Adams hitting two 3s and Jorgenson nabbing 4 rebounds. Freshman Jayden Navarre added 6 assists, and sophomore Gordy Bedlington had 5. On Tuesday, the Lions rallied from a halftime deficit to take control with a 15-6 third quarter. Heppner led the way with 18 points thanks to an 8-for-10 performance from the line and also contributed 7 rebounds and a team-high 6 assists. Sophomore Malachi Koenen hit five 3-pointers for 16 points, senior Jack Stapleton had 10 points, Adams had 7 points and a team-high 10 rebounds, Bedlington had 6 assists, and junior Brody Price had 4 assists. On Thursday, the Lions started slow and fell behind by 10 in the first period before pulling away from the inspired Borderites. Heppner had 25 points and 7 rebounds; Stapleton had 12 points and 8 rebounds; Adams had 11 points, 7 rebounds, and 6 assists; Jorgenson added 9 points and 4 rebounds; junior Malachi Bowman had 6 rebounds; and Bedlington had a team-high 7 assists. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Lynden boys.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (No. 3, 1A): defeated Anacortes on Wednesday, 71-55, and Nooksack Valley on Friday, 83-69. On Wednesday, the Lyncs only led by two going into the fourth period but used a 15-1 run to pull away from the Seahawks. Hintz had 17 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 steals; sophomore Gunnar Dykstra had 16 points, 5 steals, and 4 assists; senior Luke Van Kooten had 11 points and 7 rebounds; sophomore Kaden Veldman had 8 points and 8 rebounds; and senior Gannon Dykstra had 7 points and 8 assists. On Friday, the Lyncs used an 7-0 run in the last 30 seconds of the first half to take a 19-point lead and then held off the Pioneers the rest of the way. Gannon had a game-high 32 points on 13 of 18 shooting from the field, had three 3-pointers, sank all three of his free throws, and dished out 4 assists. Gunnar Dykstra had 15 points, matched his older brother with three 3s, and collected 3 assists and 4 steals; sophomores Dawson Hintz and Veldman had 10 points each with Veldman adding 10 rebounds and 6 assists, both team highs; and Van Kooten contributed 8 points, a pair of 3s, and 7 rebounds. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Lynden Christian boys.
BELLINGHAM (RPI ranking: No. 22, 2A): knocked off Mount Vernon on Monday, 74-66, but lost to Sedro-Woolley on Thursday, 81-63. On Monday, the Bayhawks got their offense rolling, bursting out to a 17-point lead at halftime before holding off the Bulldogs. Harward led Bellingham with 28 points and 8 rebounds; VanHouten had 18 points and four 3-pointers; sophomore Calvin Van Hofwegen had 13 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals; and senior Harmon Wienkers had 7 points and a pair of 3s. In Thursday’s slugfest, the short-handed Bayhawks were only down four points going into the final period but couldn’t keep up with the hot Cubs and were outscored 23-9 the rest of the way. Wienkers and Harward led a balanced Bellingham attack with 15 points each, Gabe Van Hofwegen had 12 points, and Calvin Van Hofwegen had 10 points.
FERNDALE (No. 38, 3A): beat Sehome on Tuesday, 55-42, but lost to Burlington-Edison on Saturday, 66-58. On Tuesday, the Golden Eagles held the Mariners to 23 points through three quarters and used a 20-point fourth quarter to put the game away. Singh had 17 points and made all seven of his free throws in the final period, senior Jonah Brillowsky had 15 points with two 3-pointers and six points in the fourth quarter, Wills had 11 points, and junior Kaveer Dhillon had 8 points and a pair of 3s. In Saturday’s weird game in which only four players scored for each team, the Golden Eagles led by two going into the fourth quarter but were outscored 22-12 by the Tigers in the final period. Singh had 26 points, including four of Ferndale’s nine 3-pointers. Wills and Brillowsky had 17 and 12 points, respectively, and the two made a pair of 3s each.
LUMMI NATION (No. 11, 1B): lost to Lakewood on Wednesday, 75-63, but bounced back to clobber Grace Academy on Friday, 74-33. On Wednesday, the Blackhawks had the rare opportunity to play a strong 2A team and after a slow start gave the Cougars all they could handle, even outscoring Lakewood in the second half. LaFontaine had 20 points and five 3-pointers; Toby had 19 points, 4 rebounds, 4 steals, and 3 assists; sophomore Dyson Edwards had 12 points on four 3-pointers; and senior Trevon Lee had 8 points. On Friday, the Blackhawks’ defense only allowed three Eagles to score and put the game away by holding Grace to eight points in the second half. Toby led four Blackhawks in double figures with 21 points and two 3-pointers, LaFontaine had 16 points and three 3s, Edwards had 14 points and two more 3-pointers, James had 12 points, and Lee added 7 points. Lummi Nation also had its game with Lopez Island on Monday canceled.
MOUNT BAKER (No. 27, 1A): defeated Nooksack Valley on Wednesday, 59-47, but lost to Oak Harbor on Friday, 52-51. On Wednesday, the Mounties rallied from two points down entering the final period to hold the Pioneers to seven points and shock Nooksack Valley on the road. Senior Darius Gilstrap and junior Carter Hill led Mount Baker with 16 points and two 3-pointers each and each scored six points in the Mounties’ 21-point fourth quarter. Sophomore Kell Reardon had 10 points, six of them coming in the fourth period, and senior Luke Smith added 8 points. On Friday, the Mounties were up by six going into the fourth quarter but got cold at the wrong time and couldn’t hold off the Wildcats’ rally. Smith led the Mounties with 13 points going 7 for 7 from the line, Reardon had 10 points, Hill had 8 points, Gilstrap had 7 points, and senior Cole Lukes had 6 points.
SQUALICUM (No. 24, 2A): lost to Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 60-49, but came back to upset Anacortes on Friday, 57-52. On Tuesday, the Storm got most of its players back from sickness but couldn’t shoot well enough to stop the Cubs. Nixon returned to put in 17 points, sophomore Hunter Calloway had 12 points, and senior Jaxon Hofer had 11 points. On Friday, the Storm used a big 21-point fourth quarter to complete the comeback against the Seahawks. Calloway had 21 points and four 3-pointers to lead the Storm, Nixon and sophomore Blake Elston had 11 points each, and Hofer had 8 points, all in the decisive fourth quarter.
MERIDIAN (No. 13, 1A): fell to Lynden on Tuesday, 62-56, and to Lakewood on Saturday, 77-62. On Tuesday, the Trojans gave the favored Lions a battle but only managed six points in a cold third quarter that proved the difference. Jenkins had a big night with 32 points, making an amazing 13 of 14 free throws and pulling down 14 boards as Meridian outrebounded the taller Lions. Senior James Hedahl was 6 of 8 from the field for 12 points and had 9 rebounds, and senior Jaeger Fyfe had 11 points and 5 rebounds, but the rest of the Trojans only produced one point and Meridian was hurt by 14 turnovers. On Saturday, the Trojans found themselves down by 15 at the half and despite playing the Cougars even the rest of the way, never dug themselves out of the hole. Jenkins had 20 points, going 7 for 7 from the line; Hedahl had 11 points including seven in Meridian’s 20-point fourth quarter, Fyfe had 10 points, Alexander had 9 points, and sophomore Pierce Brzozowski had 7 points.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No. 20, 1A): lost to Mount Baker on Wednesday, 59-47, and to Lynden Christian on Friday, 83-69. On Wednesday, the Pioneers led going into the final period but only managed seven points against the stingy Mount Baker defense and gave up 21 points. Heutink was the only Pioneer in double figures with 21 points, senior Brady Ackerman had 9 points, senior Lance Van Berkum had 8 points, and junior Cole Coppinger had 7 points. On Friday, the Pioneers found themselves in a 19-point hole at halftime and despite outscoring the Lyncs in the second half, couldn’t get closer than 11 points until late in the game. Olney had 19 points, Heutink and senior Tristan Kamphouse had 15 points each with Kamphouse sinking three of Nooksack’s five 3-pointers, and Ackerman battling inside for 8 points. For the story and photos from Friday’s game, click on Nooksack Valley boys.
SEHOME (No. 43, 2A): lost to Ferndale on Tuesday, 55-42, and to Mount Vernon on Thursday, 56-43. On Tuesday, the Mariners’ defense did its job holding the Golden Eagles to 35 points through three quarters but the Mariners’ offense didn’t get untracked until the fourth quarter and could never catch up. Junior Xavier Kelley led Sehome with 12 points, 9 rebounds, and 6 assists; junior Cole Turrell had 9 points; and sophomore Quincy Tanovan had 8 points. On Thursday, the Mariners only trailed by one at the half but couldn’t stop the Bulldogs from pulling away. Turrell was the only Mariner in double figures with 13, senior Cooper McAtee and junior Nolan Wright had 8 points each, Tanovan and Kelley had 6 points each with McAtee and Tanovan hitting a pair of 3s each.
BLAINE (No. 46, 1A): lost to Oak Harbor on Monday, 82-67; to Lynden on Thursday, 63-50; and to Bear Creek on Saturday, 63-51. On Monday, the Borderites had their best offensive outing of the season but couldn’t prevent the Wildcats from winning their first league game of the year. Dohner had 21 points and fellow seniors Weeda and Dulio Kanagie had 16 and 15 points, respectively. Weeda also had 9 rebounds, Kanagie had 8, and Weeda, senior Beckum Bleazard, and junior Kai Kerwin had 4 assists each. On Thursday, the Borderites jumped to a 10-point lead in the first quarter, fell behind by 17 in the fourth quarter, but battled back to within eight before falling to the Lions. Weeda had 11 points in the opening period and would end up leading Blaine with 20 points and 9 rebounds, Kenagie had 14 points,Melton had 13 points, Dohner had 11 points, and Bleazard had a team-high 4 assists. On Saturday, the Borderites surrendered 25 points in the second quarter, which proved too much to overcome. Melton had 18 points, Kenagie had 15 points and 9 rebounds, Weeda had 9 points and 3 assists, and Bleazard had 6 rebounds. For the story and photos from Thursday’s game, click on Blaine boys.
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 9
TOP GAME
It’s rivalry week starting on Thursday with the annual Bellinghome doubleheader with Sehome at Bellingham this year. Then Lummi Nation hosts tribal rival Tulalip Heritage on Friday with the Northwest 1B League title on the line. And on Saturday, the Northwest Conference crown will be at stake when Lynden Christian faces city rival Lynden at Jake Maberry Gym.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 27: Mount Baker at Lynden, Nooksack Valley at Anacortes, Sedro-Woolley at Sehome, Lummi Nation at Providence Classical Christian
Tuesday, Jan. 28: Meridian at Ferndale, Blaine at Lakewood, Squalicum at Bellingham, Lummi Nation at Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood)
Wednesday, Jan. 29: Oak Harbor at Lynden Christian
Thursday, Jan. 30: Ferndale at Blaine, Lakewood at Mount Baker, Sehome at Bellingham
Friday, Jan. 31: Meridian at Mount Vernon, Squalicum at Nooksack Valley, Tulalip Heritage at Lummi Nation
Saturday, Feb. 1: Lynden Christian at Lynden
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
League | Overall | |||
W | L | W | L | |
Lynden | 11 | 0 | 17 | 0 |
Lynden Christian | 11 | 0 | 16 | 1 |
Lakewood | 8 | 3 | 12 | 5 |
Sedro-Woolley | 8 | 3 | 9 | 4 |
Anacortes | 7 | 4 | 10 | 6 |
Bellingham | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Burlington-Edison | 6 | 5 | 11 | 5 |
Ferndale | 6 | 5 | 8 | 8 |
Meridian | 6 | 5 | 10 | 6 |
Mount Vernon | 4 | 7 | 7 | 9 |
Nooksack Valley | 4 | 7 | 8 | 7 |
Mount Baker | 3 | 8 | 8 | 8 |
Oak Harbor | 3 | 8 | 4 | 11 |
Squalicum | 3 | 8 | 7 | 9 |
Sehome | 2 | 9 | 4 | 12 |
Blaine | 0 | 11 | 3 | 13 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
League | Overall | |||
W | L | W | L | |
Tulalip Heritage | 10 | 0 | 16 | 0 |
Lummi Nation | 5 | 1 | 14 | 3 |
Providence Classical Christian | 5 | 4 | 5 | 5 |
Grace Academy | 4 | 6 | 4 | 10 |
Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 3 | 5 | 4 | 10 |
Lopez Island | 3 | 6 | 4 | 6 |
Shoreline Christian | 0 | 7 | 1 | 11 |