With only one week remaining in the regular season, the Northwest Conference leaders started facing off last week as all the teams settled into their playoff seeding with district tournaments on the horizon.
Lynden Christian and Lynden had big victories last week with the Lyncs bouncing back from their first loss of the season to win three games, and the Lions edging Anacortes and Sehome. That sets up next Saturday’s big game between the two rivals for what will probably be the NWC crown.
Barring major upsets, it looks like Lynden will take the top seed going into the Class 2A district tournament. Bellingham and Squalicum are battling for the fourth seed and all three should advance directly to the quarterfinals.
Sehome, however, will be looking to survive a loser-out, play-in game on Feb. 5 to reach the quarterfinals. After that it’s double-elimination with the top two teams from the district tournament moving on to state.
In the 1A ranks, Lynden Christian, Nooksack Valley, and Meridian have locked up the district’s top three seeds with Blaine and Mount Baker headed for a first-round, loser-out contest on Feb. 5. The top four teams will then play a double-elimination tournament with the two survivors advancing straight to state.
Among the 3As, Ferndale sits in the 11th spot and, if that holds, will qualify for the district tournament and play a first-round, loser-out contest on Feb. 7.
Lummi Nation, meanwhile, won its 13th and 14th games in a row after an opening-season loss and wrapped up another Northwest 1B League title. The Blackhawks finish their regular season at home on Tuesday against rival Tulalip Heritage and then will host a Class 1B District 1 tournament game on Saturday.
For a look back at Week 9 for our Whatcom girls teams, check out Whatcom Hoops girls recap.
Here are the boys highlights from Week 9.
GAME OF THE WEEK
In one of the most exciting games of the year, Lynden beat Class 2A rival Anacortes, 64-62, on senior Ty Holleman’s short shot with two seconds left in the game. The Lions were clinging to a 61-59 lead when Seahawks star Davis Fogle hit a long 3-pointer to put Anacortes up by two. The Lions ran the clock down and Anthony Canales was fouled with seven seconds left. The Lynden all-stater made his first free throw to tie the game but missed the second. Holleman got the offensive rebound and after two passes got the ball back in the lane and made the game-winner. The Lions still had to wait to celebrate until Fogle’s midcourt heave was off the mark at the buzzer giving Lynden the big win.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
Senior Anthony Canales had 31 points and junior Brant Heppner had 17 points in Lynden’s huge victory Wednesday. … Jeremiah Wright had 27 points and fellow senior Dawson Bouma had 18 points for Lynden Christian on Tuesday, Bouma had 16 points and freshman Dawson Hintz had 15 on Thursday, and senior Kayden Stuit had 16 points on Saturday. … Senior Bhavnoor Grewal had 26 points for Ferndale on Monday, senior Bishop Ootsey had 15 points for the Golden Eagles on Wednesday, and junior Jonah Brillowsky had 16 points on Saturday. … Junior Talon Jenkins had 25 points for Meridian on Wednesday and 27 more on Friday, and junior Jaeger Fyfe added 18 points on Friday for the Trojans. … Squalicum junior Marcus Nixon had 26 points and freshman Hunter Calloway had 20 points on Wednesday and Nixon followed that with 22 points on Thursday. … Sophomore Jerome Toby had 25 points and senior Mathias Johnson had 16 points for Lummi Nation on Tuesday, and on Thursday, Toby had 20 points, junior Tony Abrams had 18, and senior Desmond Bailey had 15. … Senior Wyatt Stephan had 24 points for Bellingham on Wednesday and 19 points on Friday, and junior Gabe Vanhofwegen added 15 points for the Bayhawks on Friday. … Senior Austin McKay had 18 points for Sehome on Thursday, and sophomore Nolan Wright had 16 points on Monday … Juniors Caden Heutink and Brady Ackerman had 15 points each for Nooksack Valley on Monday, and Heutink added 17 more and junior Tristan Kamphouse had 15 on Thursday. … Senior Conner Dalry had 16 points for Blaine on Saturday, and Noah Tavis and junior Abdul-Fattah Kanagie had 15 points each for the Borderites on Friday.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN (RPI ranking: No.2, Class 1A) beat Lakewood on Tuesday, 75-73; Sehome on Thursday, 66-44; and Ferndale on Saturday, 75-50. On Tuesday, Lynden Christian trailed most of the contest but got a jumper and a dunk from Stuit in the final minute and a half to win a wild one at Lakewood. Wright had 27 points and 9 rebounds to lead the Lyncs, Bouma had 18 points, 7 steals, and 4 rebounds; junior Gannon Dykstra had 13 points, three 3-pointers, and 9 assists; freshman Dawson Hintz had 11 points and another three 3-pointers; and Stuit had 13 rebounds to go along with his four crucial points. On Thursday, the Lyncs used a 25-point second quarter to take control before holding the Mariners to 19 second-half points and pulling away for the win. The Dawsons led the way with Bouma hitting two 3-pointers and collecting 16 points, and Hintz sinking three 3s and 15 points. Dykstra added 14 points, Wright had 12 points, and Stuit had 9. On Saturday afternoon, seniors were honored and led the Lyncs to victory. Stuit had 16 points, Dawson had 14 points and a pair of 3s, Wright had 12 points, and senior Brody Bouwman had 6 points. Dykstra and Hintz added 14 and 11 points, respectively.
LUMMI NATION (No.2, 1B) clobbered Shoreline Christian on Tuesday, 89-26, and blasted Grace Academy on Thursday, 91-25. On Tuesday, nine different Blackhawks scored as Lummi Nation took a 20-point lead in the first quarter and closed with a 16-1 fourth quarter in hammering the Chargers. Toby had 11 of his 25 points in the first period and finished with five 3-pointers, Johnson added 16 points, freshman Dyson Edwards had 12 points and a pair of 3s, senior Tobias Francis had 9 points and two more 3s, Abrams and Bailey had 8 points each, and freshman Deandre James had 7 points. On Thursday, the Blackhawks came out flying with 31 points in the first quarter and then let their defense shut down the Eagles for the second time this season. Nine Blackhawks again scored with four of them in double figures. Toby and Abrams led the way with 20 and 18 points, respectively, with Toby adding three 3-pointers. Bailey had 15 points and was 5 of 6 from the line, Edwards had 10 points and two 3-pointers, Francis had 9 points on three 3-pointers, and senior Raymond Perkins had 8 points and a pair of 3s.
LYNDEN (No.4, 2A) defeated Anacortes on Wednesday, 64-62, and Sehome on Saturday, 64-47. On Wednesday, Lynden survived the first of three games against NWC contenders by beating the Seahawks in a back-and-forth thriller. Canales had a monster game with 31 points, 9 rebounds, and 3 assists; Heppner had 17 points, a game-high 11 rebounds, and 3 assists; junior Jack Stapleton had 7 points and 8 rebounds; and senior Ty Holleman had 7 points, 6 rebounds, and, of course, the game-winning shot. On Saturday, the Lions jumped out to a 20-7 first-quarter lead and then kept the Mariners at bay the rest of the game. Heppner and senior Brady Elsner had 13 points each with Heppner also pulling down a team-high 13 rebounds as the Lions outrebounded Sehome, 46-20. Canales had 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 assists; Holleman had 10 points and 9 rebounds; Stapleton had 6 points; and senior Charlie Ayres had 4 assists.
MERIDIAN (No.27, 1A) beat Bellingham on Wednesday, 65-59, and overcame Oak Harbor on Friday, 75-37. On Wednesday, Meridian had a 20-point third quarter to turn a one-point halftime lead into an 11-point margin and then held off the Bayhawks in the final period. Jenkins had 11 points and three 3-pointers in the third period and finished with 25 points and six 3s. Senior Taran Burks had 12 points and sank five free throws in the final period to help ice the win. Senior Christian Clawson had 9 points and Fyfe had 8 points. On Friday, the Trojans put it all together in overpowering Oak Harbor with a 22-6 first quarter and pouring it on from there. Jenkins led the charge with 14 of his 27 points and two of his five 3-pointers coming in the first period. He also had 11 rebounds and 3 blocks. Fyfe added 18 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists, and junior James Hedahl had 9 points.
SQUALICUM (No.32, 2A) sank Oak Harbor on Tuesday, 71-50, and nipped Lakewood on Thursday, 47-46. On Tuesday, the Storm were only up by one going into the fourth quarter but then unleashed a 26-point fourth period to pull away from the Wildcats. In addition to his 26 points, Nixon had 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. Calloway had 20 points thanks to five 3-pointers and also had 4 assists, junior Kai Smith had 7 points, junior Ezra Nichols had 6 points, and sophomore Cole Burke had 5 rebounds. On Thursday, the Storm were up by 11 at the half but had to hold off the feisty Cougars for the exciting win. Nixon had another great game with 22 points, 7 rebounds, and 9 steals; junior Jaxon Hofer and Calloway added 8 points each; and sophomore Cole Burke and junior Ty Hoffman had 5 rebounds each with Hoffman also dishing out a team-high 3 assists for Squalicum.
BELLINGHAM (No.29, 2A) lost to Meridian on Wednesday, 65-59, but bounced back to beat Mount Baker on Friday, 63-49. On Wednesday, Bellingham sank 10 of 11 free throws and scored 20 points as the Bayhawks rallied in the fourth period before coming up short against the Trojans. Stephan had 10 of his 24 points, was 6 for 6 from the line in the fourth-period comeback, and finished with 13 rebounds and 6 steals. Junior Kincade VanHouten finished with 12 points and two 3-pointers plus 7 rebounds and 4 assists, and sophomore Myllo Wright had 8 points and a pair of 3s. On Friday, Bellingham’s defense limited the Mounties to 12 first-half points in building a 24-point halftime lead. Stephan had 12 of his 19 points and two of his three 3-pointers in the first half, Vanhofwegen hit three of his four 3-pointers and nine of his 15 points before intermission, senior Elias Togagae had six of his 8 points in the first quarter, and sophomore Joe Harward had 8 points for the game.
FERNDALE (No.55, 3A) beat Sehome on Monday, 58-55, but lost to Mount Vernon on Wednesday, 79-55, and to Lynden Christian on Saturday, 75-50. On Monday, Ferndale let a big lead slip away but rallied from five down with four minutes to go as Grewal hit a jumper and Ootsey sank a pair of free throws in the final 45 seconds for the winning points. Grewal had three 3-pointers among his 26 points; sophomore Mantaj Singh finished with 11 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 steals; and Ootsey and Brillowsky had 9 points each with Brillowsky adding 10 rebounds. On Wednesday, Ferndale kept within striking distance until the Bulldogs exploded for 24 points in the fourth period. Ootsey led the Golden Eagles with 15 points and a pair of 3-pointers, Brillowsky had 11 points, Singh had 10, and Lincoln Thomas added 7 points. On Saturday, a slow, 17-point first half proved too much to overcome as the Golden Eagles fell to the defending 1A state champs. Brillowsky had 16 points and connected on a trio of 3s, Singh had 12 points and a pair of 3-pointers, and Ootsey had 9 points. For the story on Monday’s game, click on Ferndale-Sehome boys.
NOOKSACK VALLEY (No.26, 1A) defeated Burlington-Edison on Monday, 56-46, but lost to Mount Vernon on Thursday, 81-56, and to King’s on Friday, 70-58. On Monday, Nooksack Valley held the Tigers to six first-quarter points to build up a 10-point lead they would keep until the end. Heutink had eight of his 15 points in the big first period and went 9 of 10 from the line for the game; Ackerman added 15 points and 14 rebounds; senior Wayne Silves had 9 points; senior Joey Brown had 8 points; and junior Colton Lentz had 7 points. On Thursday, the Pioneers couldn’t slow Mount Vernon’s offense and gave up the most points they have all season. Heutink had 17 points, Kamphouse had 15, and Ackerman had 6 points. In Friday’s wild non-league contest at King’s, Nooksack fell behind by 12 in the first quarter and could never make up the margin. Ackerman had 15 points, Heutink had 14 points and sank five of six free throws during a crazy, technical-filled sequence near the end of the game, Lentz had 12 points, and sophomore Cole Coppinger added 6 points for the Pioneers.
MOUNT BAKER (No.50, 1A) lost to Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 66-47, and to Bellingham on Friday, 63-49. On Tuesday, the Mounties put together a 23-point fourth quarter but it wasn’t enough to overcome a 10-point first half as they fell to the Cubs. Freshman Kell Reardon had 10 of his team-high 12 points in the final period and also had 12 rebounds, junior Darius Gilstrap had 11 points and 11 rebounds, junior Luke Smith had 9 points, and junior Peyton Abitia had 8 points. On Friday, Mount Baker had another slow start with only 12 first-half points before erupting for 37 in the second half to close the gap against the Bayhawks. Sophomore Jordan Bailey led the way with 14 points and a pair of 3-pointers all in the Mounties’ 25-point third quarter, Gilstrap had 12 and another two 3s, and Reardon added 9 points all in the second half.
BLAINE (No.45, 1A) lost to Mount Vernon on Monday, 78-53; to Burlington-Edison on Friday, 70-62; and to Anacortes, on Saturday, 86-47. On Monday, Tavis led the Borderites with 13 points and 7 steals, and sophomore Landon Melton had 11 points and three 3-pointers. On Friday, the Borderites battled back from a 21-point third-quarter deficit to close to within six with three minutes to go before falling to the Tigers. Leading the comeback was Tavis with 14 of his 15 points and both his 3-pointers after halftime. Kanagie had a breakout game with 15 points and 5 rebounds, Melton had 14 points and another three 3s, Dalry had 8 points, junior Jacob Dohner had 6 points, and senior Justin Minjarez had 9 assists and 7 rebounds. On Saturday, the Borderites couldn’t keep up with the high-scoring Seahawks. Dalry had 16 points, Tavis had 11, and senior Justin Minjarez added 6. For the story on Friday’s game, click Blaine boys.
SEHOME (No.37, 2A) lost to Ferndale on Monday, 58-55; to Lynden Christian on Thursday, 64-44; and to Lynden on Saturday, 64-47. On Monday, Sehome rallied from 13 down to take the lead in the fourth quarter but couldn’t hold off Ferndale in the final minute. Wright led the Mariners with 16 points, 7 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals; sophomore Cole Turrell had 12 points; senior Braddock Duckworth had 9 points; and senior Austin McKay added 7 points. On Thursday, the Mariners led after one quarter but couldn’t stop the high-powered Lyncs. McKay had four 3-pointers among his team-high 18 points; Wright had 12 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists; and Duckworth added 8 points. On Saturday, the Mariners rallied for 19 points in the fourth quarter, but couldn’t overcome a 17-point first half in losing to the defending 2A champs. Sophomore Cole Turrell led Sehome with 13 points, all but two of which came in the final period, and 6 rebounds. Braddock Duckworth had 9 points, Wright and McKay had 7 each with Wright also contributing 5 assists and 3 steals, and sophomore Carter Duckworth had 6 points. For the story on Monday’s game, click on Sehome-Ferndale 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 10
TOP GAMES
Leaders Lynden and Lummi Nation will get their biggest league tests in the final week of the regular season. The Lions will be hosting Mount Vernon on Thursday on Hall of Fame night and then wrapping up the week in the huge rivalry game at Lynden Christian on Saturday afternoon. On Tuesday, the Blackhawks will be facing their biggest rival, Tulalip Heritage, which also happens to be in second place right behind Lummi.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 29: Meridian at Lakewood, Mount Baker at Oak Harbor, Lynden at Burlington-Edison
Tuesday, Jan. 30: Burlington-Edison at Bellingham, Sehome at Blaine, Lynden Christian at Meridian, Ferndale at Lynden, Tulalip Heritage at Lummi Nation
Wednesday, Jan. 31: Lynden Christian at Squalicum, Anacortes at Nooksack Valley
Thursday, Feb. 1: Blaine at Ferndale, Lakewood at Mount Baker, Mount Vernon at Lynden
Friday, Feb. 2: Bellingham at Mount Vernon, Squalicum at Meridian, Sehome at Nooksack Valley
Saturday, Feb. 3: Lynden at Lynden Christian, Lummi Nation to host district playoff game
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lynden | 11 | 0 | 14 | 3 |
| Lynden Christian | 11 | 1 | 17 | 1 |
| Mount Vernon | 11 | 1 | 15 | 2 |
| Anacortes | 9 | 3 | 13 | 4 |
| Bellingham | 8 | 5 | 10 | 8 |
| Lakewood | 7 | 6 | 10 | 8 |
| Nooksack Valley | 7 | 6 | 11 | 8 |
| Squalicum | 7 | 6 | 9 | 9 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 6 | 7 | 9 | 9 |
| Burlington-Edison | 5 | 7 | 10 | 9 |
| Ferndale | 5 | 7 | 6 | 11 |
| Meridian | 5 | 7 | 10 | 8 |
| Sehome | 5 | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Blaine | 2 | 11 | 4 | 14 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 12 | 3 | 15 |
| Oak Harbor | 0 | 13 | 2 | 16 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 10 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 8 | 2 | 11 | 5 |
| Grace Academy | 6 | 6 | 6 | 7 |
| Providence Classical Christian | 5 | 6 | 7 | 6 |
| Shoreline Christian | 5 | 7 | 6 | 9 |
| Cedar Park Christian (Lynnwood) | 3 | 9 | 5 | 12 |
| Lopez Island | 1 | 9 | 2 | 11 |
