The end-of-the-year awards and accolades continue to pour in for Whatcom’s best girls and boys basketball players and coaches.
SB Live, a Sports Illustrated-sponsored high school website, announced its top 25 Washington state girls teams and its all-state teams and Class 2A state champion Lynden was honored on both lists.
The undefeated Lions were chosen as the second best team in SI’s Washington Power 25, which ranks all teams regardless of classification. Class 4A state champion Davis of Yakima was named the No.1 team.
And Lynden sophomore Finley Parcher was named to SB Live’s all-state first team, again for players regardless of classification. She also was named the Class 2A player of the year. Earning 2A all-state second-team honors was Parcher’s teammate, junior Payton Mills.
Two other Whatcom players earned all-state honors. Junior guard Ella Fritts of Lynden Christian was named to the Class 1A all-state first team, and junior post Grace DeHoog of Nooksack Valley was named to the 1A second team.
For a complete list of the all-state teams including those for each classification, click on SB Live All-State Teams.
Other all-state honors were announced recently:
* The Meridian girls also were recognized by the WIAA as the Class 1A scholastic champions. The team, coached by Bree Joy, had a 3.95 GPA, which was the highest among all 1A schools. Also recognized were the Ferndale cheerleaders, coached by Kelly Earl. The Golden Eagles were the 3A champions with a combined 3.698 GPA.
* The Washington State Girls Basketball Coaches Association had its senior all-state games in Seattle on Saturday, March 22.
Four Whatcom girls played in the Class 1A-2A game. Lynden Christian’s Allison Shumate was named the 1A team’s co-MVP after scoring 18 points, including the game-winning basket just before the buzzer of the 1A’s 93-91 victory.
Shumate’s LC teammate Danya Dykstra had 10 points and 5 rebounds, Nooksack Valley’s Kate Shintaffer made all three of her shots for 7 points and added 4 rebounds, and Lynden’s Kiki York had 9 points and 4 rebounds for the 2A team.
During the WSGBC’s event, coaches and players of the year were announced. Lynden’s Rob Adams was named the state coach of the year after leading the Lions to an undefeated season and the 2A state title.
* The Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association also had its senior all-state games on Saturday in Bellevue, and five Whatcom boys were selected to play. Nooksack Valley’s Caden Heutink, Lynden Christian’s Gannon Dykstra, and Meridian’s Talon Jenkins and Jaeger Fyfe were named to the Class 1A team, and Lynden’s Brant Heppner was named to the Class 2A team.
The WIBCA announced its boys basketball awards earlier and Heppner was named the Class 2A player of year and Jerome Toby Sr. of state champion Lummi Nation was named the Class 1B coach of the year.
* The WIAA honors several athletes each week and for Week 26 (March 3-8), Parcher and junior Jerome Toby Jr. of Lummi Nation were chosen.
* For those who might have missed the state all-tournament teams, Heppner was chosen on the 2A first team; Dykstra and LC sophomore Dawson Hintz were chosen to the 1A first team, and Fyfe and Jenkins were chosen to the second team; and Toby was chosen the MVP of the 1B tournament.
For the girls state all-tournament teams, Parcher was named the 2A MVP and was joined on the first team by Mills. Shumate and Dykstra were named to the 1A second team.
