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If the Pac-12 Conference ever wants to sell the rights to their slogan, panned exclusively and often by Bill Walton, I may have a buyer for it.

The Pac-12 “Conference of Champions” should rightly be renamed, “The Northwest Conference of Champions.”

If the Pac-12 Conference ever wants to sell the rights to their slogan, panned exclusively and often by Bill Walton, I may have a buyer for it.

The Pac-12 “Conference of Champions” should rightly be renamed, “The Northwest Conference of Champions.”

The Northwest Conference again showed off its prowess on the basketball courts last week in the Yakima SunDome. Nine NWC teams dropped sweat on the SunDome floors. Five were alive on championship Saturday, with their eyes on the prize.

In the four 1A and 2A boys and girls finals, Nooksack Valley and Burlington-Edison girls took home second place. The Pioneers were nipped in overtime by league rival, Lynden Christian for the championship. The Tigers lost to a very powerful team from Ellensburg.

On the boys side of the big black curtain, Lynden and Lynden Christian both won championships. The Lyncs and Lions have won the state championship in the same season three times; 2012, 2018 and 2022.

The Blaine and Lakewood boys were eliminated on day 1. Blaine’s season ended in the hands of the Quincy Jackrabbits, while the Cougars lost to a league rival, Sehome. The Lynden girls were eliminated on the first day by WF West.

The newest “Conference of Champions,” now has won the Gold Ball in the 1A and 2A classification for boys and girls combined, 20 times in the last 16 years, dating back to 2006. They also have finished in second place 18 times during those years.

Those numbers are an accumulation of several different NWC teams but led by the four that share the 98264-zip code. More on those four later.

37 Straight

The 2020 state tournament was my 36^th straight. At the conclusion of my report from “Over & Back, 2020,” I mentioned that I couldn’t wait for number 37. Well, we all had to wait, and it was excruciating.

At 8am Wednesday, the SunDome was a sight for sore eyes. However, me waiting two years to get back to the state tournament was nothing compared to those would-be participants who missed out all together in 2021.

The weather could not have been better, and I don’t think it ever has been better during those four days. Barely a puddle on Snoqualmie. Maybe that was part of the pay-back.

The 27½ hours spent under the cement roof over the first two days was certainly worth it. There were so many good teams in both boys’ tournaments that every game had intrigue. The depth of possible champions in 1A and 2A went beyond the semifinalists.

Attack the Bracket

The 1A boys had the morning shift. My recently adopted Annie Wright team dismissed District 2 runner-up, Seattle Academy. But the Borderites couldn’t keep up with a tough Quincy team in the second half and were eliminated.

The Borderites 14-7 record was very good but didn’t do them justice. Their December win over Lynden set them up for the rest of the season. And wasn’t a bad thing for Lynden either, as it turned out.

By the time the 2A’s took the floor at 345pm, it was only 5 hours-15 minutes until our NWC 2A reps would hit the floor.

Sehome and Lakewood didn’t meet during the regular season due to a covid cancellation, and even missed each other in the district tournament. Unfortunately, their first match-up was on elimination day at state. Sehome won a tight one, 42-40. That advanced the Mariners to a quarterfinal with Lynden, at 9pm on Thursday.

In the 1A quarters on Thursday morning, locals Zillah and Toppenish met for the fourth time this season. Toppenish advanced to the semis, with their third win over the Leopards, 58-54.

The news was not good for Annie Wright on this day, as Kings advanced to the semis with a 61-44 win. The Gators were eliminated the next day with a loss to Zillah. Keep an eye on the Gators in ’23.

Lynden Christian logged a comfy win over Quincy to reach the semis against Life Christian, and Lynden took down Sehome for the third time this season, 72-60, in a game that was about two hot shooting teams. The Lions would take on RA Long in their semifinal.

Earlier on Thursday, Olympic League rivals Port Angeles and North Kitsap met for the third time. The teams split two games, and PA beat NK by 17 on the last day of the regular season. The Vikings were a slight tourney favorite over a very deep 2A field. North Kitsap got their 17 points back in a 75-68 win.

In Friday’s 1A semis, Kings and Lynden Christian both had similar come-from-behind victories. The Knights were down by two starting the fourth quarter and won by seven. The Lyncs trailed the Eagles by four starting the fourth and won by four. That set up a rematch of the 2020 championship (and 2015), won by Kings.

In the 2A tournament, it was Lynden’s sixth straight appearance in the semifinals and their ninth appearance in the last 10 years. They played the #3 seed RA Long, who had not been to state since 2008. The Lions 46-44 lead in the final seconds held up against a potential game-winner by the Lumberjacks from just inside mid-court.

In 2020, the Lions went up against North Kitsap in the semifinals. You may remember that in that game, the Lions led by 14 points at the end of the third quarter, but the Vikings hit every shot they took in the final eight minutes, outscoring the Lions 29-9, and won 62-56. The Vikings beat Clarkston for the 2020 championship the following day.

I told you that story to tell you this story:

In the other 2A semifinal on Friday, North Kitsap went against Pullman, winners of titles in 2013 and 2014. North Kitsap led by seven at halftime and by one after three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Greyhounds did everything right, and outscored the Vikings 26-9 and won, going away, 69-53. It was the shocker of the 2A tournament.

Just like North Kitsap went through the boomerang-effect in 2020 and 2022, the same sort of thing happened with the 1A finalists in those years.

In the 2020 championship game, Lynden Christian had a nine-point lead over Kings with less than two minutes to go, but ended up losing in overtime, 70-67.

Fast forward to 2022, where the Knights had a 16-point lead over the Lyncs, early in the third quarter, and by nine starting the fourth. The Lyncs 25-13 fourth quarter rally got their name etched on the Gold Ball for the seventh time, with a 61-58 win.

Championship games begin at 3pm on Saturday and run every two hours, alternating boys and girls courts. Every year, the 2A boys switch times with the 1A girls, and the 2A girls switch times with the 1A boys. That means that the only championship times the 2A boys and 1A girls have had over the years is 3pm or 9pm. The 9pm time is fine if your classification plays in the second half of the day. However, one of those tournaments has to jump from late night semifinals to a 3pm championship the next day.

Semifinals are at 715pm and 9pm. If you play the 9pm game, you will be lucky to get back to your hotel by 11pm. Eat. Relax and come down emotionally. Finally get to sleep, and then get re-charged and play the earliest game that you have played all week, 3pm.

Even the team that won the first semifinal is in basically the same boat because they won’t leave the dome without watching their championship opponent.

The team that can muster more energy will have the advantage, and in the 2A championship, that was Lynden. But not by much.

Pullman missed their first 12 shots from the field in the 2A championship game, finally connecting with 44 seconds left in the first quarter. But the Lions really couldn’t take advantage because of their own missed shots, but they did lead 9-5 after eight minutes.

The shooting improved as the game went on, but both teams finished under 30%.

The Lions 51-34 win over Pullman was their eleventh state championship in basketball. In December of 2021, Lynden also won the football title, giving the school football and basketball titles in the same school year for the fifth time (1980-81, 1991-92, 2006-07, 2012-13, 2021-22).

Individuals

Even in a team sport, you need great individual play to get to this level. And there was. It’s amazing what these athletes can do now. Certainly bigger, faster, and stronger every few years. The instances where you raise your eyebrows and drop your jaw at the play you just saw, are plentiful.

Not only the accuracy of the outside shooters (in most games), but the distance from which they launch is, for some reason, deeper than what you see on their home floors during the season.

There are dunks and lobs for dunks. Amazing ball-handling with stop-and-go maneuvers to get open, which lead to mid-range jump shots! And defenders coming out of nowhere to swat a ball off the square on the backboard from what was a seemingly uncontested lay-in.

What I think was the greatest single-game performance, statistically, belonged to Pullman’s Grayson Hunt. In the Greyhounds semifinal win over North Kitsap, Hunt logged 22 points and 22 rebounds.

As far as individual performances by players from Northwest Conference teams, Lakewood senior Blake Conyers had 25 points in the Cougars loss to Sehome. Blaine senior Cole Thomas had 20 points and 9 rebounds against Quincy.

Lynden Christian junior Tyler Sipma scored 21 points against Quincy and was voted second team, all-state.

Lynden’s Jordan Medcalf was selected to the all-state first team and scored 19 points in the Lions semifinal win over RA Long. Teammate Dawson Adams had 15 points and 10 rebounds in the championship game win over Pullman.

That brings us to the final two players who had outstanding state tournaments, and each was voted as the Most Valuable Player.

Lynden Christian’s Andrew Hommes had three straight double-doubles, leading the Lyncs to the title, and his MVP award.

The senior had 24 points and 14 rebounds against Quincy. He followed that with 16/10 against Life Christian, and a championship game with 14 points and 11 rebounds against Kings.

For Lynden, it was sophomore Anthony Canales who was the 2A Most Valuable Player. He got the Lions going with 29-point, 7-rebound performance against Sehome. In the semifinals against RA Long, Canales had 19 points and 11 rebounds. In the championship game against Pullman, he scored 15 more.

Chalked Full of Seeds

How did the seeds hold up? In the 2A boys and 1A girls tournaments, the top four seeds were in the semifinals. 1A boys semifinals had seeds 1, 2, 3, and 5. That’s more “chalk” than a group of youngsters will use to color a driveway.

The 2A girls tournament was a different story. #2 Ellensburg and #4 WF West were joined by #8 Burlington-Edison and #11 Prosser in the semifinals.

In the 12 total tournaments (boys & girls B through 4A), no seed lower than #2 won a championship. In fact, if you were a #2 seed, you were most likely a big winner. Nine of the 12 championships were won by #2 seeds. Three #1 seeds took the other three.

Back to the Numbers

The Lynden boys now have five championships since 2007 and have won three of the last four. They have been in the semifinals in nine of the last ten tournaments, never finishing lower than third in that stretch. They have a total of 11 state championships.

The Lynden Christian boys have won two of the last four 1A titles and have been in the semifinals in four of the last five years and seven of the last eleven. They have now won seven state championships.

The Lynden girls have two championships in the last five years and have been in the semifinals in three of the last six years. They have won three championships.

The Lynden Christian girls have won four of the last six 1A championships and have been in the semifinals six straight years. They have won 14 championships overall.

Teams from the town of Lynden have won at least one state basketball championships in six consecutive years. They won three this year and two in 2020. They have combined for 11 championships in the last six years. All four played for championships in 2020 and 2012.

The Burlington-Edison girls finished second in 2017 and 2022. The Mount Baker girls won the 1A championship in 2017.

For ten straight seasons, from 2006 through 2015, the NWC had at least one team in the 2A boys championship game. In the last 16 years, since 2006, teams from the NWC have won eight championships and finished second, seven times. In the 24 years of the 2A boys tournament, the NWC has eleven championships and nine second place finishes.

Final Score

The Sehome Mariners will notice that they have a very full cupboard when they walk through the basketball kitchen next November. However, they will have a new varsity coach, as Skyler Gillispie is stepping down after his fourth season leading the Mariners. He announced this at the end of the state tournament. He will be pursuing a different dream with his family. All the best to Coach Gillispie in the future.

The Mariners will be one to watch in ’22-23.

The Ferndale Golden Eagles will start with a clean slate next year, and hopefully, a healthy one. On the positive side, they did get some youngsters very valuable playing time in some important games this season.

Hopefully, next year marks the return of the concession stand! Meridian has a good run of NWC championships going, so everyone needs to take notice and follow along. Let’s see who their top challenger can be.

For me, I saw what appears to be 74 games this season. It’s never a long year, and I could have stayed at the SunDome for several more days, or at least until the Lemonade stand packed up. The triple-berry drinks were awesome!

See you next year.

~ Ted House

The 2021-22 girls All-Northwest Conference basketball teams have been announced.

The Player of the Year in the NWC is Nooksack Valley sophomore, Devin Coppinger.

Coach of the Year honors also goes to Nooksack Valley's Shane Wichers.

The Pioneers finished the NWC schedule undefeated and earned second place at the 2022 state tournament. That equals the Pioneers best state tournament trophy of a second place finish in 1985.

For the complete list first and second teams, please see the attachment below.

The 2021-22 girls All-Northwest Conference basketball teams have been announced.

The Player of the Year in the NWC is Nooksack Valley sophomore, Devin Coppinger.

Coach of the Year honors also goes to Nooksack Valley's Shane Wichers.

The Pioneers finished the NWC schedule undefeated and earned second place at the 2022 state tournament. That equals the Pioneers best state tournament trophy of a second place finish in 1985.

For the complete list first and second teams, please see the attachment below.

The 2021-22 boys basketball All Conference teams have been announced.

The Player of the Year award in the NWC goes to Andrew Hommes, who led the Lyncs to the NWC title on the way to the 2022 1A state championship.

The Coach of the Year is Brett Farrar, who guided the Blaine Borderites to the 1A state tournament.

For the complete list of first and second teams, please see the attachment below.

The 2021-22 boys basketball All Conference teams have been announced.

The Player of the Year award in the NWC goes to Andrew Hommes, who led the Lyncs to the NWC title on the way to the 2022 1A state championship.

The Coach of the Year is Brett Farrar, who guided the Blaine Borderites to the 1A state tournament.

For the complete list of first and second teams, please see the attachment below.

Please see the attachment below for the Boys Swim & Dive All-Northwest Conference team for 2021-22.

Please see the attachment below for the Boys Swim & Dive All-Northwest Conference team for 2021-22.

Blaine 50, Wahluke 48

The Blaine Borderites withstood a furious comeback by the Wahulke Warriors, but hung on in the final seven seconds, for a 50-48 win, in the 1A regionals Saturday, in the Mount Vernon Gym. The win sends the Borderites on a trip to the SunDome in Yakima.

The Borderites will take on the Quincy Jackrabbits, who lost to Kings, 81-57 on Saturday. That game will be an elimination game at 2pm on Wednesday.

Blaine 50, Wahluke 48

The Blaine Borderites withstood a furious comeback by the Wahulke Warriors, but hung on in the final seven seconds, for a 50-48 win, in the 1A regionals Saturday, in the Mount Vernon Gym. The win sends the Borderites on a trip to the SunDome in Yakima.

The Borderites will take on the Quincy Jackrabbits, who lost to Kings, 81-57 on Saturday. That game will be an elimination game at 2pm on Wednesday.

Trailing 17-13 in the middle of the second quarter, the Borderites went on a 23-0 run that went to the four-minute mark of the third quarter, and a lead of 36-17.

Leading 43-32 early in the fourth quarter, Borderite junior Carson Lehnert hit his third 3-pointer of the game, and the Borderites built the lead back up to 16 with six minutes left.

The Warriors trimmed the lead to ten with 3:35 left, and then really put the pressure on the Borderites.

Consecutive steals and lay-ins accounted for five Warrior points, and suddenly the wild Warrior crowd was re-energized, with their team back in the game, trailing 48-43 with less than two minutes to play.

After a Borderite turnover, Wahluke 5-11 junior Orlando Nunez scored inside to cut the lead to three with 1:45 left. Then, after a Borderite miss, sophomore Andrew Yorgesen nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner that tied the game at 48-48 with :45 seconds to play.

With 15 seconds to shoot, and 19 seconds on the game clock, the Borderites worked the ball to senior Scott Baldwin, who took advantage of an open lane on the right wing. He drove to the basket, jumped, hung in the air, brought the ball around a defender, and cleared himself for the game winning score with seven seconds left.

Wahluke could not get in position for a game winner as the Borderites extended zone effectively covered the perimeter. A 30-foot shot did not come close, and the Borderites celebrated.

Lehnert, who’s first two 3-pointers were long bombs near the end of the first half, led the Borderites with 14 points. Baldwin added 10 points, and senior Cole Thomas scored 10 and pulled down literally hundreds of rebounds.

The Jackrabbits and the Borderites will both be making their first 2A appearance in Yakima since 2004.

Lakewood 61, Sammamish 53

The Lakewood Cougars defeated the Sammamish Totems 61-53 in a 2A regional game at Everett Community College on Saturday.

The Cougars will be making their second ever, and second consecutive, trip to Yakima, but will be playing a familiar foe, the Sehome Mariners. The #9 Cougars will take on the #8 Mariners at 9pm on Wednesday in the SunDome. It is an elimination game, with the winner advancing to play #2 Lynden, at 9pm on Thursday.

After a quick start, and a 21-7 lead after one quarter, the Cougars lead slowly diminished, but a 4-4 stretch at the free throw line by senior Blake Conyers, helped to keep the Totems at arm’s length.

The Cougars got 23 points from senior Justice Taylor and 12 from senior Andrew Molloy. Conyers finished with seven.

Due to covid cancellations, the Mariners and Cougars have not played yet this season.

~ Ted House

Do you know that person who doesn’t talk much, but when he does, you know better listen? Lynden Lion senior guard Kaleo Jandoc doesn’t shoot much, but when he does, you better watch.

Jandoc scored two points through the first three quarters of the Lions 2A regional basketball game against Port Angeles but nailed two crucial 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter. The second-seeded Lions played from behind all night, but survived the Roughriders, 58-48, in front of a big crowd in the Mount Vernon High School Gym.

Do you know that person who doesn’t talk much, but when he does, you know better listen? Lynden Lion senior guard Kaleo Jandoc doesn’t shoot much, but when he does, you better watch.

Jandoc scored two points through the first three quarters of the Lions 2A regional basketball game against Port Angeles but nailed two crucial 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter. The second-seeded Lions played from behind all night, but survived the Roughriders, 58-48, in front of a big crowd in the Mount Vernon High School Gym.

The Roughriders (18-6) were the #7 seed, but in this extremely balanced tournament, they could easily have been in the top four.

The teams banged on each other through the first four minutes to a 5-5 tie. Then the Roughriders broke through on offense, as 5-11 senior guard Xander Maestas and 6-5 senior forward Wyatt Dunning scored all 16 of their teams’ points in the first quarter.

Maestas used his quickness to get free of the Lion defense for nine points, while Dunning added seven more. The Lions could muster only eight points in the first eight minutes, with senior Dawson Adams hitting two 3-pointers for six of the eight.

Lynden senior forward Jordan Medcalf swung the momentum to his team with a steal and dunk starting the second quarter. After a bucket by Maestas, Medcalf pick up another theft, and with a sizzling 360 spin move down the key, scored on a lay-in. Adams added his third 3-pointer of the half, the Lions trailed just 18-15 with 5:30 left in the half.

But every time the Lions got close, the Roughriders had an answer.

Leading by three, Port Angeles went on a 6-0 run to close the half. They got two buckets in the low post by 6-9 senior John Vaara. Dunning and Maestas had 14 and 11 points, respectively, by halftime.

It was a physical but clean first half, as the Roughriders led 31-22. Only three fouls were whistled in the first half, resulting in only two free throws by the Lions.

The third quarter was more of the same, as far as the Roughriders control of the game, consistently holding a 7 to 11 point lead. The difference was in the fouls, as 14 were called in the third quarter alone, as both teams attacked the basket on a regular basis.

A buzzer-beating jump-shot by Lion junior Coston Parcher brought the Lions to within 41-34 at the end of the third quarter.

Early in the fourth, Adams scored on a tip-in, and after a Port Angeles turnover, Medcalf scored on a drive to cut the lead to three with 6:50 to play.

Vaara scored inside for the Roughriders, but sophomore Anthony Canales got a bucket back for the Lions

A steal by Jandoc and a pass up the floor to a driving Medcalf led to two free throws that tied the game at 44-44 with 4:53 left.

A few possessions later, and the same score, Jandoc found himself open against the Roughrider zone. His 3-point shot gave the Lions their first lead of the game, 47-44, with 2:45 left.

Vaara scored at the other end to cut the Lynden lead to one. Then after misses by each team, there was Jandoc again with space to shoot. His second 3-pointer gave the Lions a four-point cushion with 1:33 left.

At that point, the Lions had outscored the Roughriders 16-5 in the fourth quarter. After a Roughrider miss, the lead went to six on an Adams hoop inside. After that, the Lions put the game away, hitting a perfect 10-10 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter. They were 18-21 for the game, and outscored the Roughriders 24-7 in the fourth quarter. All that, while shooting a cool 17-60 from the field for the game (28%).

Maestas finished with a team-high 17 for the Roughriders. Dunning did not score in the second half and took only a couple shots against the Lion defense, mostly against Medcalf.

The 6-1 Adams was assigned the front side of the 6-9 Vaara on defense. Vaara finished with 11.

Medcalf led the Lions offense with 17 points. Adams added 13. Parcher’s 11 was followed by Jandoc’s 10, eight of which came in the last 2:45 of the game.

The win skips the Lions to the quarterfinal round on Thursday. They will play at 9pm in the Yakima SunDome. Their opponent won’t be known until late Wednesday night. Sehome who lost to North Kitsap on Friday at Foss High School, 73-42, is one possibility. The Mariners will play the Sammamish-Lakewood winner at 9pm on Wednesday, in the SunDome. Sammamish and Lakewood play at Everett Community College, Saturday at 4pm.

~ Ted House

Blaine, Lynden Christian, Lakewood, Lynden, and Sehome will represent the Northwest Conference in this weekend’s regional round, on the boys side. Here is a quick scouting report of their opponents.

Blaine, Lynden Christian, Lakewood, Lynden, and Sehome will represent the Northwest Conference in this weekend’s regional round, on the boys side. Here is a quick scouting report of their opponents.

Friday, February 25, 6pm at Foss High School

#8 Sehome (15-6) vs #1 North Kitsap (21-3)

About the Vikings:

North Kitsap won the 2020 2A state championship after a regional loss to Tumwater.

This year, they have been the team most would consider the 2022 favorite. They tied for the league title with Olympic League rival, Port Angeles, with 13-1 records. The Vikings won a 2-pointer at home in January, then the Roughriders took a 17-point win on the last day of the regular season.

The Vikings two other losses were to Mount Spokane by two, and Jackson by one point. They defeated Enumclaw in the District 2/3 semifinals, and White River in the final, 49-38. The Vikings average 81 points per game. Their previous low was 63.

North Kitsap defeated visiting Sehome on January 17, 81-58.

The Vikings are making their sixth straight state tournament appearance.

Probable starters:

#0 Johny Olmsted, 6-3 senior

#3 Aiden Olmstead, 6-4 senior

#4 Jonas La Tour, 6-4 senior (Scored 57 points in a game this year).

#10 Cade Orness, 6-4 sophomore

#11 Noah Sorensen, 6-2 sophomore

The Sehome-North Kitsap winner advances to a quarterfinal game on Thursday, at 530pm. The loser plays in an elimination game in the SunDome on Wednesday, at 9pm. The opponent in that game will be the Sammamish-Lakewood winner.

Friday, February 25, 8pm at Mount Vernon High School

#7 Port Angeles (18-5) vs #2 Lynden (19-2)

About the Roughriders:

Port Angeles tied North Kitsap with 13-1 Olympic League records, beating the Vikings on the last day of the regular season. They lost three games in a row in a three-day adventure before Christmas, in Tacoma. Their losses were to three 4A schools, Jackson, Kentwood, and Tahoma. The last of which is the #5 seed in the 4A state tournament.

Their fifth loss was in the district semis to White River, 57-54. A strong case could be made that the Roughriders are closer to a #4 seed, than a #7.

The Roughriders average 70 points per game. Their last state tournament appearance was in 2011. They had a win and a loss in a two-game regional format.

Probable starters:

#3 Quanah Wheeler, 6-3 senior

#11 Xander Maestas, 5-11 senior

#23 Michael Soule, 6-1 senior

#30 Wyatt Dunning, 6-5 senior, *Their most versatile offensive player, from the 3-point line and in.

#40 John Vaara, 6-9 senior, *Big body takes up room in the key defensively, and scores around the hoop. Keeping him from offensive rebounds will be a big key for the smaller Lions.

Winner to the quarterfinals, Thursday, at 9pm. The loser plays Wednesday, in the SunDome at 530pm in an elimination game against the WF West-Franklin Pierce winner.

Saturday, February 26, 4pm at Everett Community College

#16 Sammamish (14-10) vs #9 Lakewood (14-6)

About the Redhawks:

Tied for second in the KingCo 2A League with Highline, behind first place Renton. They won three straight elimination games to qualify. They knocked off Renton in the final game, 64-54, after losing to them three times during the regular season.

Sammamish has won six of their last seven games. They are very balanced and play good team basketball. Their best win was their last one. Their win over Renton and two wins over Highline were their only wins over teams with a winning record.

The Redhawks last state appearance was in the 2015 regionals.

Probable starters:

#0 Adi Suskic, 6-3 junior

#3 Nate Alessi, 5-11 senior

#5 Zakarie Abudulkadir, 6-0 junior

#11 Rehan Luthra, 6-3 senior

#40 Reuben Kizer, 6-4 senior

The winner plays the loser between Sehome and North Kitsap, Wednesday, at 9pm in the SunDome.

Saturday, February 26, 4pm at Mount Vernon High School

#16 Wahluke (12-9) vs #9 Blaine (13-6)

About the Warriors:

Finished second in the SCAC East to Royal. Went 3-1 in their district tournament to claim the second and final spot. Won seven of their last eight games. The Warriors have made one state appearance, in the 2018 regionals.

They remind me of Anacortes in the way they play offense. They do something with the ball when they get it. Shoot, pass, or attack the defense with the dribble. Small in verticality, but quick with the hands and feet. Four players between 6-0 and 6-3.

Probable starters:

#2 Arnoldo Ramos, 5-6 senior

#11 Maximilaiano Urrutia, 6-0 senior

#22 River Buck, 5-11 freshman

#23 Orlando Nunez, 5-11 junior

#32 Andrew Yorgesen, 6-1 sophomore

The winner goes to the SunDome for a Wednesday 2pm elimination game against the Quincy-Kings loser.

Saturday, February 26, 8pm at Mount Vernon High School

#7 Annie Wright (18-4) vs #2 Lynden Christian (18-1)

About the Gators:

Finished second in the Nisqually 1A behind Life Christian. This seems to be the second year of the boys program for the Gators. Their roster is filled with six freshmen, four sophomores, and two juniors. Yet, they averaged 77 points a game. They scored 94 points or more in four of their first five games of the season, with a high of 104. They had a 2-7 record during the 2021 spring season.

Certainly, a team of the future, who’s goal should be to be a team of the present. They have plenty of size for a 1A team. They are young but seem very disciplined. They just need to play and finishing in the top eight is a good start, as they are not in an elimination situation.

Probable starters:

#1 Reggie Lester, 6-2 freshman

#2 Jeremiah Harshman, 6-1 freshman

#11 Hunter Carter, 6-5 sophomore

#21 Martin Kaupanger, 6-4 freshman

#23 TJ Marshall, 6-3 sophomore

The winner heads to the quarterfinals, Thursday at 2pm. The loser moves to a Wednesday, 10am game in the SunDome against the Eatonville-Seattle Academy winner.

All the best to our Northwest Conference representatives. Hopefully all nine boys and girls teams still remaining can play deep into next week, and add to their trophy cases.

Friday at Mount Vernon High School

(G) Sequim vs Lynden (6pm)

(B) Port Angeles vs Lynden (8pm)

Saturday at Everett Community College

(B) Sammamish vs Lakewood (4pm)

Saturday at Foss High School

(B) Sehome vs North Kitsap (6pm)

Saturday at WF West High School

(G) Burlington-Edison vs Tumwater (6pm)

Saturday at Mount Vernon High School

(G) Colville vs Nooksack Valley (2pm)

(B) Wahluke vs Blaine (4pm)

(G) Seattle Academy vs Lynden Christian (6pm)

(B) Annie Wright vs Lynden Christian (8pm)

~ Ted House

The Ferndale Golden Eagles traveled to Kennewick High School for a “regional play-in” game with the hometown Lions. The teams literally traded 3-point shots through the first 16 minutes, but the Lions prevailed in the second half, ending Ferndale’s season, 80-62.

The Ferndale Golden Eagles traveled to Kennewick High School for a “regional play-in” game with the hometown Lions. The teams literally traded 3-point shots through the first 16 minutes, but the Lions prevailed in the second half, ending Ferndale’s season, 80-62.

Kennewick advances to a regional game at Bellevue College on Friday, against Lake Washington. The play-in round for 3A is due to that classification having more teams than the other classifications, allowing a 20-team tournament.

The Lions hit seven 3-pointers in the first quarter, and ten for the half. The Golden Eagles kept things close, hitting nine of their own in the first half. Kennewick led 41-37 at intermission. The Golden Eagles trailed by ten at the end of the first quarter, but tied the score at 29-29, though could never pull ahead.

Senior Mark Schlicting hit four threes in the first half, five for the game, and had a team high 17 points. Junior Damian Toney worked well around the hoop and scored 14. Seniors Luke Wells and Jazen Guillory netted 11 and nine points, respectively. Junior Jewelz Terry added eight points off the bench. And Sophomore Conner Walcker finished with three.

Kennewick senior Daniel Dickinson, who averages 14 points per game on the season, nailed seven 3-pointers, and scored 27 points.

The Golden Eagles finish the season with a record of 11-12.

~ Ted House

Told ya I had nothing clever for that yet.

The Lynden Christian Lyncs and the Blaine Borderites completed the crossover portion of their Bi-District tournament with victories, sending both to the regional round of the state tournament.

Told ya I had nothing clever for that yet.

The Lynden Christian Lyncs and the Blaine Borderites completed the crossover portion of their Bi-District tournament with victories, sending both to the regional round of the state tournament.

The Lyncs crushed the Sultan Turks 82-53, while the Borderites pulled away in the second half and hung on to eliminate the Overlake Owls, 51-44. Both games were played at Kings High School on Saturday.

The Lyncs, who should end up as the top seed in 1A (though tournament brackets have not been released as of this writing), were never in jeopardy in their elimination contest with the Turks.

The highlights began when junior guard Tyler Sipma, launched a long lob pass from beyond the top of the key to 6-6 senior Andrew Hommes, who was headed toward the rim from the right baseline. Hommes went airborne and slammed it through for an 8-4 LC lead.

Shortly thereafter, Hommes tipped a pass at midcourt, and went uncontested to the rim for another dunk, and an 18-4 lead.

The Lyncs led 38-24 at halftime, but the feisty Turks played hard and stayed competitive.

The Turks even nailed four 3-pointers in the third quarter, but Hommes went on his own 13-0 run, and scored the Lyncs first 14 points of the period. The Lyncs had a 20-point lead at the end of three.

Hommes led the Lyncs with 26 points, all coming in the first 24 minutes. Senior Crew Bosman added 20 of his own, with ten more coming off the bench from 6-6 sophomore Jeremiah Wright.

If the Lyncs (18-1) end up as the top seed in 1A, they will be the host team and play the eighth seed, somewhere close to home (hopefully MVHS) on Friday or Saturday.

The Borderites (13-6) had a much more difficult time getting past the Owls.

After a 14-11 lead for Blaine after one quarter, the offensive pace slowed to a crawl over the next eight minutes. The Borderites zone defense made the Owls spend most of the shot clock working the perimeter, but the Blaine offense was also kept in check.

The game was tied at 17-17 at the six-minute mark of the second quarter and was 19-19 at halftime.

The action picked up in the third quarter, as Borderite junior forward Carson Lehnert nailed three 3-pointers. The third of which gave his team a 34-27 lead with 2:30 left in the period. Blaine led by eight as the fourth quarter started.

Starting the fourth quarter on defense, Blaine senior Scott Baldwin scored on a tremendous steal and a bucket. He stole a pass near the centerline. With a much bigger defender in his back pocket as he drove down floor on the right side, he went in the air and crossed over to the left side of the rim to avoid the defender and scored.

Shortly after that, senior Avery Dohner penetrated from the top of the key, drawing the defense in, and hit Baldwin on the right wing. He nailed a 3-pointer, giving the Borderites a 12-point lead with 6:20 to play.

However,

With 1:05 left, Lehnert split a pair of free throws to give the Borderites a 47-39 lead. The missed free throw was rebounded by the Borderties’ senior forward Cole Thomas. As Thomas attempted to rise up and score near the hoop, he was fouled, which knocked him to the floor. An intentional foul was called on the Owls.

Thomas missed both free throws, but the Borderites would still have possession with 1:00 left due to the intentional foul rule.

The Borderites missed a shot attempt off an inbounds play, and Overlake freshman Brandon Douvia knocked in a 3-pointer with :48 seconds left, cutting the Blaine lead to five.

After a Blaine turnover in back court, the Owls scored again, and it was 47-44 with :38 left.

Next, nearing a ten second violation in back court, the Borderites called timeout with :28 on the clock.

The Borderites did end up turning the ball over again, and after a Blaine foul, Douvia was on the free throw line for the Owls. However, he missed the front end of a one-plus-one, and the Borderites secured the rebound.

In the final possessions, junior guard Lucas Smith hit two free throws, and Dohner added two more for the final score of 51-44.

This will be the first state tournament appearance for the Borderites since 2004. The intensity and the will to win and to get to state that this Borderite team has shown, is as visible as a full moon rising over a snow-filled field on a clear winter night. It’s certainly the whole team that is involved, but special recognition has to go to the Blaine coaching staff, led by Brett Farrar, and seniors, Jaxon Kortlever, Cole Thomas, Scott Baldwin, Avery Dohner, and Anden Holley.

The Borderites look to be the 10-seed on the 1A list. Again, nothing is official yet. The #10 would host the #15 in a loser out, regional game. Site to be determined (see above). A win there puts the Borderites in Yakima, for a Wednesday loser out game.

Next on the list: 1230pm BRACKET CHECK.

~ Ted House

This time of year, only the really good teams are still around, and in order to prevail, you have to be playing your best. On Friday night at Mount Vernon High School, Lakewood and Lynden may have put together their best all-around efforts of the year.

This time of year, only the really good teams are still around, and in order to prevail, you have to be playing your best. On Friday night at Mount Vernon High School, Lakewood and Lynden may have put together their best all-around efforts of the year.

The Cougars got past the Burlington-Edison Tigers, 71-58, in an elimination game for third place, and a spot in next weekend’s regional round. The Lions cruised past a very good Sehome Mariner team, 76-49, to win their third straight district championship.

A winner-to-state, loser-out game, may be the most exciting and intriguing events to watch. That is, if you have no skin in the game. If you are a coach, or have someone special to you in uniform, it can be an ulcer-fest from the time the teams hit the bracket.

The Tigers and Cougars both came off victories in the elimination round on Wednesday and had not played each other during the regular season.

Both teams were on the attack throughout. It was fast paced, with lot of great individual action. The Tigers had a quick start and took a 13-7 lead in the first five minutes.

At that point, however, the tables turned, as the Cougars began to get shots to fall. Two free-throws by Cougar sophomore Ben Rucker, gave his team a 17-16 lead with a minute left in the quarter. Then he hit a 3-point shot, and the Cougars had a 20-18 lead at the end of the quarter.

When teams play Lakewood, they center their defense around limiting the shots by the Cougars senior 3-point-ace, Blake Conyers. When that happens, the powerful 6-1 senior guard, Justice Taylor, takes over with his strong game around the rim. Conyers did get loose for three bombs in the first half, and Taylor scored 13 points, all around the hoop.

On the other side, Tiger senior guard duo of Zach Watson and Connor Anderson, are two handfuls for any team with their ability to get into the paint and use their springs to score above the crowd. Watson scored 12 first half points, and dished out two amazing assists to junior post, Bennett Howe, for lay-ins along the way. Howe scored nine points in the first half, but the Cougars led, 36-34.

This game tipped in the direction of the Cougars in the middle of the third quarter. In a wild, and I mean wild, scramble for the ball near the center line, the Cougars finally got possession. With players still on the floor, Conyers was in the right place at the right time. He received a quick pass and was all too ready to catch and fire. That 3-point shot gave the Cougars their biggest lead, to that point, 45-38.

A few seconds later, Taylor splashed another three for a ten-point Cougar lead.

In the fourth quarter, a five-point run by the Tigers cut the lead to 54-49 with six minutes to go. But Conyers and Taylor nailed back-to-back threes to push the lead quickly to 11.

With just under four minutes to play, Anderson hurt an ankle, and did not return until the final minute. By that time the Cougars had pushed their lead to as much as 16 points.

Anderson is a 5-10 guard, who plays like he’s 6-foot-six. He is one of the most gifted all-around athletes in the league. His leaping ability on a basketball floor is amazing to watch. When he returned to the floor in the last minute, hobbling, he still went airborne for an offensive rebound, and finished it with a score on a high jump-shot from short range. When the play was over, he was hobbled even more.

Speaking of players who play much above their listed height, let’s talk about Justice Taylor again. He had 13 points at halftime, then added eight more in the third quarter, which included two 3-pointers. But that was nothing, compared to the 15 more he scored in the final eight minutes. He stroked three more 3-pointers, to give him five for the second half, and finished with 36 points.

Conyers hit five treys of his own in the game and finished with 19.

For the Tigers, who finish the year with a record of 13-8, Howe led them in scoring with 20, with Watson adding 12. He did not score in the second half. Anderson was only able to hit for nine points.

The Cougars have reached the regional round, which will be their second consecutive state tournament appearance. Their first ever state tourney appearance was in 2020.

The district championship game between Sehome and Lynden was a rematch. The Lions took the regular season game 62-44 in early January.

As stated after the Mariners beat Burlington in the semi’s, it was their first district championship appearance since the 30-0 Mariners won the 4A state title in 1996. It was the fourth straight district championship game for the Lions, and the win was their third title in a row.

The way things went for the Mariners in the first few possessions, I wonder if this was a case of tradition winning out. There was no district championship game last year, so only the Lion seniors, who got time as sophomores, know firsthand what this game is about. But they do have the long tradition and history of post-season success to fall back on.

The Mariners missed several very short shot attempts in their early possessions. They may have been 0-5 from the field, the first time they had the ball. That could have been a little tightness, but that is something you can’t measure with a statistic.

It took nearly two minutes for the Lions to get on the board, and that was a 3-pointer by senior marksman Dawson Adams. Lion senior Jordan Medcalf scored three times near the rim, and by the time the first eight minutes were up, the Lions held a 16-7 lead.

The Mariners scored much better in the second quarter, as their gunner off the bench, junior Isaac Lawrence, hit two 3-pointers. The Mariners trailed 22-10 early in the period but scored nine straight over a three-minute span. From there, the Lions had an 11-3 run and held a 37-24 lead at halftime.

Any thoughts of a come-back by the Mariners were erased early in the third quarter, as Lion slithery sophomore, Anthony Canales, scored at the rim, squeaking through two Mariner defenders. On the next possession, Medcalf banked in a three from the top, and you know things are going well. The Lions led by 22 at the end of the third quarter and ballooned the lead to as much as 30 in the fourth.

The Lions played free and easy. Shooting, running, and especially defending. Sehome averages 65 points a game on the season. They have been held under 50 points twice, both times in losses to the Lions.

Junior Mathew Storms scored 15 of his team high 16 points in the second half for the Mariners. He was their only player in double-figures.

Medcalf led the Lions with 21. Adams, Canales, and junior guard Coston Parcher all scored 15.

Now, the wait begins.

Regional matchups will be announced on Sunday by the WIAA. They will use the state RPI rankings to seed all 16 teams (20 in 3A) who qualify in each classification. There will also be a committee that will give final approval. It is my understanding that, if possible, the committee will keep teams from the same league in having to play each other in the regional round. They will also make sure that the RPI list is accurate.

My guess on the landing spots of Lynden, Sehome and Lakewood:

Traditionally, Mount Vernon has been a host for a regional site. Lynden, being the top team from District 1, could have a regional game there, if that gym is again being used. The Lions have been rotating between first and third in the RPI rankings with White River and North Kitsap. Those two teams play each other, Saturday night, for the District 2/3 championship. As of this writing, White River is first in RPI by the slimmest of margins over Lynden. That championship winner from tonight will probably be the top seed.

Right now, Sehome is #9. If they stay at that number, they would host the #16 seed. That could be at MVHS as well (if they host), or it could be at another reginal site, probably in District 1. That game for Sehome would be a loser out contest. If the Mariners were to crack the top 8, meaning a team or two in front of them would have to lose, then they would travel to play a higher seed in their regional game, but it would not be a loser out.

Lakewood is currently #13. If they stay at that number, they would play on the road at #12, which is currently Grandview. However, the Greyhounds have an elimination game with Ellensburg tonight. Lots of things can change for the #9 through #16 teams today. Nothing is for sure, for anyone, as far as seed, travel, or where they may play.

Stay tuned, come Sunday.

As for today, I think a trip to Shoreline is in need.

~ Ted House

This time of year, there is a popular phrase, or cliché, that is used for teams that are fortunate enough to advance to the state tournament. This channel does not “punch tickets,” but I haven’t found a clever way to use a “scan” or “QR” code to do the trick.

This time of year, there is a popular phrase, or cliché, that is used for teams that are fortunate enough to advance to the state tournament. This channel does not “punch tickets,” but I haven’t found a clever way to use a “scan” or “QR” code to do the trick.

On Monday, Sehome and Lynden qualified for regionals with their wins in the 2A District 1 Tournament. The Mariners and the Lions will face off for the second time this season, Friday, at Mount Vernon High School. Anyone who, like me, thinks of the MVHS gym as, “The Palace,” most likely also thinks that the actual state tournament is when you play in the Spokane Arena, the Yakima SunDome, or the Tacoma Dome. However, let’s not split hairs. Getting to regionals alone, gives your team an official state tournament appearance.

With that said, Sehome has made 15 state tournament appearances since 1983, but this is their first time in a district championship game since the 30-0 Mariners of 1996, who won the 4A state championship that year.

The Mariners cleared that hurdle with a convincing 72-56 win over Burlington-Edison on Monday.

Sehome shot out to a 15-2 lead, thanks for the most part, to the play of junior Grant Kepley. He is certainly the straw that stirs this drink and does whatever is necessary to get his team going early. Kepley may have the most intangible skills in the league, not to mention the tangible ones.

Late in the first quarter, Kepley was directly responsible for eight consecutive points for the Mariners, starting with back-to-back, no-look short dishes to Gavin Ortega for open lay-ins, then a couple buckets of his own after that.

The Tigers clawed back a little bit in the second quarter and trailed by ten at halftime. It could have been much closer had it not been for the Mariners 6-6 forward, Grey Garrison scoring nine of his teams eleven second quarter points.

A steal and a lay-up by Tiger senior Zach Watson cut the Sehome lead to 44-37 in the opening seconds of the fourth quarter, but then the Mariners scored eight straight points to go up by 15.

The trigger was junior Isaac Lawrence. He hit two 3-pointers in that stretch, as one of those was part of a five-point possession. Lawrence went on to hit two more bombs in the quarter, where he scored 14 of his team high 20 points.

Mathew Storms, another junior, scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. Ortega added 11, and Kepley kept stirring, and also scored 15. With Garrison’s nine points, five Mariners scored, with four in double-figures.

The Tigers also had five players score, with four in double-figures. Senior guard Connor Anderson scored 11 of his game-high 22 points in the fourth quarter. Watson and 6-5 junior Bennett Howe added 11 each, with junior Blaine Granberg scoring ten.

The loss sent the Tigers to an elimination contest with Squalicum on Wednesday, while the Mariners awaited their district championship opponent. The Storm eliminated Anacortes, 70-68 in overtime, on Monday.

Sehome’s next opponent would be Lynden. The Lions 57-41 win over Lakewood sends the Lions to the district championship game for the fourth straight year. They have won the last two.

The Lions also got out to a big early lead and had a 21-10 advantage at the end of the quarter.

The Lions offense was on fire, hitting their first five 3-point shots, three of those by senior, Dawson Adams. Their defense was also stellar, except for some fouls, which the Cougars turned into a 7-7 showing at the free throw line. The Cougars hit only a single field goal over the first 10:20 of play.

The Lions mustered only 21 more points over the next two quarters, and the Cougars used that time to make things interesting. Trailing by eight at halftime, the Cougars got as close as four, 32-28, over the first three minutes of the third quarter.

Lion senior Kaleo Jandoc hit a big 3-pointer to stretch the lead to seven. That was followed by a three by Adams, who had gone cold since the since his hot first quarter.

Adams started the fourth quarter by hitting his fifth 3-pointer of the game, then hit another one at the 5:32 mark, and the Lions led by 15.

Lakewood seniors Justice Taylor (16) and Blake Conyers (21) combined for 37 of the Cougars 41 points. They scored all of their teams’ 23 over the middle two quarters. Adams led the Lions with 18. Sophomore Anthony Canales added 14.

Continuing with the 2A tournament, we come to Wednesday’s elimination games which were switched from Mount Vernon to Lynden due to the Bulldogs having a 3A district tournament game on their home floor that night.

Archbishop Murphy took the floor against Lakewood, with the winner advancing to the consolation final on Friday. The Cougars nipped the Wildcats by a point in a non-league game in January, and came away with 57-50 win on this day, ending the Wildcats’ season.

The Wildcats have a very young squad, who had been bitten by the injury bug, but still managed to be ahead 42-40 starting the final quarter.

With Conyers unable to get loose against the Wildcats tight man-to-man defense, it was Taylor who was able to use his strength and ability to drive inside, who carried the Cougars in the first half.

Taylor drove to the rim time and time again, scoring 16 points in the first half, but the Wildcats led 28-27 at halftime.

Down by two, the Cougars scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and never gave up the lead. Although the Wildcats fought back to trail 49-48 with three minutes left.

The shot of the game was a quick catch-and-shoot by Conyers, deep on the left wing, near the end of the shot clock. That gave the Cougars a 52-48 lead with 1:48 left.

Taylor finished with 25 points. Conyers scored all 11 of his in the second half. Andrew Molloy, a 6-3 senior post, scored eight of his ten points in the first half.

Lakewood will play Burlington-Edison for the final spot to regionals, Friday at 530pm, at Mount Vernon. The two teams were not able to play each other during the regular season.

The Tigers were too much for Squalicum on Wednesday, eliminating the Storm, 56-41.

Zach Watson had a big night for the Tigers, scoring 21 points. Connor Anderson and Bennett Howe each scored 11. Storm junior, Ashton Englehart was the only player in double-figures, with 11.

The only game in the 1A tournament this week happened on Tuesday at Nooksack. The “visiting” Pioneers took on the Blaine Borderites. Blaine came away with a 3-point win in their matchup on February 1.

The Borderites ability to dominate the early minutes of each half led them to a 58-37 win.

Blaine had a 12-0 lead before NV junior Bennett DeLange scored for the Pioneers with 1:10 left in the opening quarter. The Borderites led 20-9 with 2:44 left in the half, when freshman Brady Ackerman hit two free-throws, followed by five quick points from sophomore Joey Brown.

In the third quarter, the Borderites had another run of 11 straight points, opening a 35-18 lead. Then it was Joey Brown time again, as he hit two quick 3-pointers in the last minute of the quarter to spark the Pioneer crowd.

The Borderites still led by 13 entering the fourth quarter. The reason I haven’t singled out any Borderties yet, is because they were all involved in this one. Their defense held the Pioneers to single digit scoring in three of the four quarters. Their transition offense was effective, and they shot 15-18 at the free throw line.

In the end, senior Scott Baldwin scored in every quarter, and led the Borderites with 13 points. Fellow seniors Cole Thomas and Avery Dohner each scored 11. Junior Matthew Russ added nine.

While the future is bright for the young Pioneers, the Borderites in the present need one more win to go to get to regionals. Then probably another must win game to get to Yakima.

On Saturday, the Borderites will play Overlake, who was the #4 team from the District 2 tournament. That game will be at 6pm at Kings High School. At 4pm, the Lynden Christian Lyncs will take on Sultan (14-8), with a regional spot on the line. The #9 seed Turks took fifth in their district tournament by beating #5 Bear Creek 56-47.

Overlake is 15-7 and was the #2 seed to their district tournament. They are coming off of a 54-24 loss to Cedar Park Christian.

When Ferndale started the season at 1-7, didn’t I say they would recover and play for a district championship? Well, no. I didn’t. But I could also see that record was not indicative of their talent. And I hope no team ever has to endure what that team has gone through this season. So decimated with injuries that only five players saw the floor in their 72-65 semifinal win over Stanwood on Wednesday.

That’s one less club in the bag than Lynden Christian’s Six-Iron Lyncs had to win the 1976 1A State Championship. Damian Toney, a 6-2 junior, has been steadily improving throughout the year, and now, with additional playing time, has scored 35 points in Ferndale’s last two tournament games.

The #7 seed Golden Eagles will take on #4 Mountlake Terrace in the 3A district championship game, Saturday at 6pm at Everett Community College. Both teams will have a spot in the regional round.

The news was not as good for Mount Vernon. The Bulldogs lost all three games in the district tournament. They were eliminated with a 68-56 loss to Cascade on Wednesday.

In a nutshell, 2A championship and consolation games at MVHS on Friday. 1A crossovers at Kings on Saturday, along with the 3A championship at Everett CC.

~ Ted House

The first week of the post-season for Northwest Conference teams has flown by, with just about everything following according to seeding. Top 1A seed, Lynden Christian, won the 1A district title. The top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals in the 2A tournament. The only real “bracket-buster” was in 3A, where #7 Ferndale handled #2 Shorecrest on Tuesday, giving the Golden Eagles to the quarterfinals.

The first week of the post-season for Northwest Conference teams has flown by, with just about everything following according to seeding. Top 1A seed, Lynden Christian, won the 1A district title. The top four seeds have advanced to the semifinals in the 2A tournament. The only real “bracket-buster” was in 3A, where #7 Ferndale handled #2 Shorecrest on Tuesday, giving the Golden Eagles to the quarterfinals.

Also, in the 3A tournament, Oak Harbor was eliminated by Monroe, 71-62 on Tuesday. Mount Vernon was knocked off by Mountlake Terrace 61-55, but recovered to win an elimination game over Monroe on Thursday, 58-51. The Bulldogs are now in the quarterfinals, at Stanwood on Saturday.

Ferndale hosts Cascade at 7pm on Saturday. If the Golden Eagles and the Bulldogs both win or lose, they will play each other in the next round.

In the Ferndale win over Shorecrest, Golden Eagle senior, Mark Schlicting nailed a shot from foul line-extended, yes, in back court, at the end of the first half. That gave his team a three-point lead. Even at 70 feet, you still better get a hand up!

The 1A’s began the week with #4 Meridian’s 66-46 win over Mount Baker, which eliminated the Mountaineers. That set up a #4 versus #3 game, as the Trojans were the visitors on their home floor against Nooksack Valley on Thursday.

I have not counted up how many games I have seen this season, but this one was one of my very favorites to watch.

It even made me feel somewhat nostalgic, knowing that the Trojans and Pioneers have played dozens of district tournament games against each other over the decades. The only thing missing was, of course, the filled wooden seats in the Mount Vernon gym.

Due to seeding and home court rules on the girl’s side of the tournament, this game was in the Meridian gym, but the Pioneers, being the higher seed, were the home team. Only three seniors were on the floor at the start of the game, so both teams are on the youthful side, and gaining experience.

For basically the entire 32 minutes, the Trojans used a zone press and a zone half-court defense, while the Pioneers went end-to-end, man-to-man style. I also felt that, even though it was an elimination game, that both teams were comfortable playing each other. No more playing up a classification or two against other NWC teams.

Even though the Pioneers finally crept out to a ten-point lead by the end of the third quarter, this was a very hard fought, competitive game. The Pioneers 58-36 win certainly was not relative of the fight and intensity displayed on the floor.

NV junior Bennett DeLange was Mr. Offense, early for the Pioneers, scoring nine points in the first quarter. But the Trojans kept it close, trailing by only a point after eight minutes.

The Trojans three guard perimeter defense was effective in the Pioneer passing lanes, keeping the ball out of the hands of freshman post, Brady Ackerman, holding him to just three points in the first half.

The offense slowed in the second quarter for both teams, with only two points scored in the first three minutes by the Trojans. The Pioneers first points of the quarter came on a 3-pointer by freshman Caden Heutink, with 4:40 left in the half. Heutink then broke a 19-19 tie by hitting a runner in the key. Then DeLange used a beautiful hop-move to free himself along the left baseline for a jumper which turned into a 3-point-play. The Pioneer’s lead was 26-21 at halftime, as the Trojans netted only six points in the second quarter.

Through the first half, and beyond, the players on the floor had plenty of help from their student sections, when it came to the time left on the shot clock. There were many times when the defenses were making the offenses work the entire 30 seconds, and the crowd would help the countdown. However, sometimes, when the opposing student section tried to help, I don’t think they were being very truthful!

In the first 50 seconds of the third quarter, DeLange scored on another 3-point-play, then got a steal on the press. Heutink then scored, giving the Pioneers a ten-point lead.

Not to be “out-freshmaned,” the Trojans own ninth grader, Jaeger Fyfe, scored five straight points over the next minute, to cut the Pioneer lead in half.

Yes, there were several, “He’s-a-freshman” chants, in between shot clock countdowns.

When Ackerman scored inside in the final seconds of the quarter on an inbounds play, the Pioneers had a 41-31 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Nooksack 6-3 sophomore Joey Brown, who came of the bench but had yet to score, single-handedly doubled the Pioneers lead over the next four minutes.

He scored his first bucket on a lay-in on the Pioneers first possession. Ackerman then hit a free-throw, but missed the second, and Brown knocked down a tip-in. Then he hit three more shots in a row, scoring ten of the Pioneers first eleven points of the fourth quarter. The lead went to 52-31, before Fyfe hit a free throw for Meridian, with 3:28 remaining.

Fyfe finished with nine points for the Trojans, and junior Hunter Jones led the team with 13.

Ackerman finished with 15 for the Pioneers, scoring 12 of those in the second half. DeLange scored 12 of his 15 in the first half. Brown’s ten points was followed by Heutink’s nine.

While the season ends for the young Trojans, the even younger Pioneers will play again. They will take on the #2 seed, Blaine Borderites on Tuesday, at 7:30pm. The game will be at Nooksack, but the Borderites will be the home team. That will be an elimination game, with the winner advancing to the Bi-District crossover game against the #4 team from the Emerald Sound tournament.

Blaine is in that game due to their 86-57 loss to Lynden Christian on Friday, a game played at NVHS. The Lyncs take the district title and will play in the crossover next Saturday against the #5 team from the Emerald Sound. The Lyncs will play at 4pm at Kings High School. The Blaine-Nooksack winner will play at 6pm, also at Kings.

The 2A tournament as gone according to seed. The play-in games on Tuesday were down to the wire. #7 Cedarcrest held on to eliminate #10 Sedro-Woolley, 49-46. After a double-digit deficit in the second half, the Cubs had two chances for the lead in the final minute but could not convert. A final attempt for a tying 3-pointer at the buzzer did not fall for the Cubs.

The other play-in game was #9 Bellingham at #8 Squalicum. The Storm eliminated their rivals, 39-38, in a real grudge match.

With neither team able to get more than one possession ahead on the scoreboard through the entire game, Storm senior Reed Richardson split a pair of free throws with 1:35 left, to end the scoring. The Bayhawks final chance was with nine-tenths of a second left. On an inbounds pass from the sideline, a 30-foot shot would not fall.

Bayhawk sophomore Wyatt Stephan, scored 13, with 6-8 junior, Henry Sheldrup, adding 11.

For the Storm, senior Leyton Smithson, was the only one in double-figures, with 11. Richardson was held to just three points.

That sent the Storm to the double-elimination, quarterfinal round, and a visit to #1 seed, Lynden, on Friday.

The Lions advanced to the district semifinals with a 64-50 win over the Storm. But it certainly wasn’t easy.

The Storm led 20-17 after eight minutes, and the Lions had just a two-point lead at halftime. With a slim five-point lead going to the fourth, the Lions pulled away. The Lions defense improved as the game went on, but the Storm’s Richardson was still able to toss in a game-high 26 points.

Lion sophomore Anthony Canales was close behind with 24, and senior Jordan Medcalf added 16. The Lions will play #4 Lakewood, who was a 61-50 winner over #5 Anacortes. That game will be at Mount Vernon High School, on Monday at 7:15pm. The Storm will play an elimination game against the Seahawks, at Anacortes, on Monday at 7pm.

With #2 Sehome’s 75-49 win over #7 Cedarcrest, the Mariners will play #3 Burlington-Edison, at MVHS, Monday at 5:30pm. The other elimination game will have Cedarcrest at #6 Archbishop Murphy, Monday at 7pm.

Lakewood defeated Anacortes 70-37 on December 7. The Seahawks were on a five-game win streak when they hit the floor at Lakewood, Friday night. But they had a much different game plan for the rematch.

The Seahawks defense on this night was centered around stopping Cougar senior sharp-shooter, Blake Conyers. Conyers is 6-3, and has the quickest, and one of the most accurate shots in the league. He starts his shot nice and high, which helps get it quickly above the outstretched arms of defenders.

Anacortes used a “box-and-one” defense against Conyers and the Cougars. They played a four-man zone and used their fifth defender as a face-to-face guardian of Conyers. They did not allow Conyers to touch the ball. In fact, Conyers had only one shot in the first half, which missed. It was the only time the Seahawks went to a regular 2-3 zone in the first half.

However, their ability to eliminate Conyers from the Cougars offense was offset by the strength of senior Justice Taylor. At just 6-1, but with strong and broad shoulders, Taylor was able to manipulate himself into the middle of the Seahawks four-man zone and score inside. He had nine points in the first quarter, and for good measure, added a couple three-pointers to his repertoire in the second quarter. He damaged the Seahawks to the tune of 17 first half points.

Double-however, the Cougars were on the short end of a 27-24 halftime score to the Seahawks. That’s because, not only did Seahawk 6-1 junior John-Fitz Von Hagel do the job chasing Conyers around most of the first half, he also carried the Seahawks offense.

Von Hagel scored eight points in each of the first two quarters, including three 3-pointers. The Seahawks found themselves ahead 25-18 with 2:45 left in the half.

Von Hagel was able to score only three more points in the second half. Meanwhile, the Cougars found some offensive balance in the third quarter and outscored the Seahawks 24-10.

Conyers got open on their first possession of the half against the Anacortes 2-3 zone and hit a 3-pointer from the corner. He didn’t score again until the final shot of the quarter, also a 3-pointer. In between, Taylor hit three more 3’s and eleven points. The Cougars led by eleven starting the final frame.

The Seahawks could get no closer than seven over the final eight minutes. Taylor finished with 29 points. Conyers was next with eight. Von Hagel finished with 19, and 6-4 junior Jacob Hayes added 12 for the Seahawks.

All the local tournaments will be complete by Saturday, February 19. Plenty of Northwest Conference tournament action and intrigue between now and then. Don’t miss it!

~ Ted House

Like the “An-tis-a-pa-shun” of Heinz out of a ketchup bottle, we await the unfolding of the post-season. The final regular season games have been played for the 2021-22 season of the Northwest Conference. Most teams were able to play 13 or 14 games. Ferndale was able to play all 15, but Lakewood only nine. Given the unbalance of the season, all 16 teams will have a post-season.

Like the “An-tis-a-pa-shun” of Heinz out of a ketchup bottle, we await the unfolding of the post-season. The final regular season games have been played for the 2021-22 season of the Northwest Conference. Most teams were able to play 13 or 14 games. Ferndale was able to play all 15, but Lakewood only nine. Given the unbalance of the season, all 16 teams will have a post-season.

The final week of the season did have some intrigue, of course.

On Monday, Nooksack Valley endured yet another three-point loss. This time to the Blaine Borderites, 52-49.

The Pioneers had a strong first quarter, taking a 15-10 lead, but the Borderites recovered, and took a four-point lead at halftime. After falling behind by 11 in the third quarter, the Pioneers made things interesting.

The Borderites zone press and zone defense made the Pioneers use up precious time getting shots up the entire game, but they slowly crept back in it, and after a 3-pointer by Bennett DeLange, the Blaine lead was only two points, with 2:40 left.

The shot of the game came in the next minute, as Blaine’s Avery Dohner nailed a 3-pointer at the end of the shot clock, giving his team a five-point lead.

The Pioneers only senior, Dawson Kimball, answered that shot, with a three of his own with 50 seconds left, to trim the Blaine lead back to just two points.

The Pioneers then had to foul twice to get Blaine to the bonus. A missed free-throw by Scott Baldwin was rebounded by teammate, Cole Thomas, who was also fouled. Thomas split two free-throws, giving the Pioneers one last chance to tie with a 3-pointer. The final shot missed at the buzzer, giving Blaine the win.

The Borderites will be the #2 seed to the five-team 1A District Tournament. They will play the #1 seed, Lynden Christian. That game will be played on Friday, February 11, at Nooksack Valley High School. The 1A district games are being played at the home sites of the girls teams of same seeds.

That means that the #1 girls seed, Nooksack Valley, is hosting #2 Lynden Christian on that same night. The NV boys will be the home team for their district game, on Thursday, February 10, at Meridian High School. They will play the winner of the Mount Baker-Meridian game, which is on Tuesday, February 8, at Blaine High School.

It’s much clearer if you just look at the brackets!

The Blaine-LC winner advances to play the Emerald Sound #5 seed, at Kings High School, on February 19. That winner goes to regionals. The eventual #2 team from the NWC also advances. They will play the Emerald Sound #4 seed, same day, also at Kings, for a regional spot.

Before we leave the Pioneers, it is easy to see the potential coming from that group. All they need is more steak and potatoes. Watch out for Brady Ackerman, from now through the next three years. He is already a solid low-post player, with a go-to move. As a former scout, I will not let you in on what it is, but it’s a good one. He was 4-4 from the field with that move against Sehome on Thursday. But the Mariners were too much, overall, and beat the Pioneers, 62-40. Grey Garrison had a tremendous all-around game for the Mariners, scoring 21 points.

Sehome junior Isaac Lawrence has been coming off the bench, busting zones for his team all season. Against Nooksack, he hit four 3’s in a row in the second quarter, and added another one in the fourth, shooting 5-7.

The next night, the Mariners took another trip to the Peninsula, to play highly rated 2A, Port Angeles. The Roughriders had just suffered a 2-point loss to 2A #1 North Kitsap, a team the Mariners lost to, three weeks ago.

After Lawrence nailed back-to-back 3’s in the second quarter, the Mariners had a 30-18 lead. However, the lead was down to just two by halftime. PA controlled the second half, and even though the Mariners had some chances late, the Roughriders won, 68-64.

After a Tuesday win over Meridian, on Wednesday, Lakewood visited Lynden in a non-league game, which was really more than a non-league game.

This was a covid cancellation from early in January, which the league does not reschedule. The teams still agreed to meet.

It was more than a non-league game because Lakewood missed six league games this season, mainly against the top teams. They did not play Lynden, Mount Vernon, Blaine, Sehome, or Burlington-Edison.

For this game, the Lions were missing starters Kaleo Jandoc and Jordan Medcalf.

Lakewood senior Blake Conyers is one of the best 3-point shooters in the league. He showed that, and then some, in the first half.

Conyers stroked a pair of 3’s in the first quarter, and then unleashed three more in the second quarter. At one point, he had scored 11 straight points for the Cougars, as they went from one-point behind to ten points ahead. The lead grew to 13, before the Lions scored the last ten points of the half, to trail 28-25.

Conyers totaled 19 points by halftime, however, he was held to a single free-throw in the second half. The Lions held Lakewood to 23 points in the second half and took a 61-51 win. Sophomore Anthonly Canales scored 14 of his 21 points in the fourth quarter.

The Cougars played a third straight day, winning at Squalicum, 57-54, on Thursday. This game was tight throughout, with the Storm leading 44-41 starting the final period.

The lead changed hands several times as the minutes ticked toward zero. Reed Richardson’s bucket gave the Storm a 52-50 lead with 2:40 remaining. But 20 seconds later, Cougar sophomore Ben Rucker hit a 3-pointer to put the Cougars up for good.

Conyers added two free-throws with eight seconds left. The Storm’s final chance was off a well-designed inbounds play, but Richardson could not fully square up for the tying shot, which missed.

It was an eventful Saturday, for the final day of the regular season. The Borderites visited Ferndale for the final game in the Golden Eagles gym, after 47 years. A new gym will debut next year as part of a new Ferndale High School.

There was a large ceremony held and memories shared, which included senior day for the Golden Eagles.

Ferndale will be the #7 seed in the District 1 3A Tournament. They will travel to play #2 Shorecrest on Tuesday, February 8. The Golden Eagles lost to the Scots, 82-58, on December 1. Win or lose, the Golden Eagles will host a district tournament game on either Thursday or Saturday.

Every team has endured their sufferings this season. None more than the Golden Eagles. Junior Isaiah Carlson has missed the entire season. They lost senior Sean Morrison shortly after Christmas. Now, due to an injury, senior Jesse Sapp’s season is in question. Sapp was not available against the Borderites.

So, with all that, you can understand why the Borderites ran out to a 23-5 lead, late in the first quarter, right?

Sapp’s absence had a lot to do with that, as the Borderites press and defense came up with tips and steals that led to easy baskets. Mark Schlicting got the Golden Eagles out of part of the gaping hole, drilling back-to-back 3’s, late in the quarter, to cut the Borderite lead to 12.

Schlicting did not get a shot to fall in the second quarter, and the Borderite lead grew to as much as 19. It was 43-26 at halftime.

In the first half, seniors Cole Thomas and Scott Baldwin did most of the damage for the Borderites, scoring 13 and 11 points, respectively.

The third quarter was a grind, as each team scored only ten points, and the Borderites led 53-36 after three.

In the first 90 seconds of the fourth quarter, seniors Luke Wells and Jazen Guillory connected on 3-pointers, and the Golden Eagles found some life, cutting the lead to 11. Junior Carson Lehnert answered with a three for the Borderites, but Schlicting re-answered, twice, for the Golden Eagles. He hit two in a row, cutting the Blaine lead to 56-48 with 5:25 left.

Thirty-seconds later, Guillory competed a 3-point-play, and the lead was down to five. Lucas Smith’s 3-pointer pushed the Blaine lead back up to eight, with 4:27 remaining.

Ferndale junior Damian Toney scored inside to cut the lead to six, then Lehnert hit a big three for the Borderites with 1:20 left, and the lead was back to nine.

A three by Guillory made the score 64-60 with 40 seconds left. A missed free throw by the Borderites was followed by a three by Schlicting with 20 seconds to go, and it was 64-63.

Lehnert was fouled with 16 seconds left. He hit one of two free throws, and the Golden Eagles had a chance.

But the Blaine zone defense held up, and forced a long desperation attempt by Guillory, which fell short at the buzzer, for Blaine’s seventh straight win.

Thomas and Smith had 15 each for the Borderites. Baldwin added 12, and Lehnert 11. Schlicting’s five 3’s and 15 points led the Golden Eagles. Guillory added 14, and Connor Walcker had 12.

Then, it was off to Burlington, where the Tigers hosted Lynden. The only missing starter for either team was Kaleo Jandoc for Lynden, as Jordan Medcalf had returned for the Lions.

The Lions jumped on the back of Canales, in the first eight minutes. The slithery sophomore scored 14 of the Lions 22 first quarter points, as they took a 22-13 lead.

The Tigers chipped away at the Lions lead, thanks to Tiger senior Zach Watson’s 10 second quarter points, and the Tigers trailed 31-29 at halftime. Watson scored 14 in the half, while Canales ended up with 18.

A three by Watson gave the Tigers a 35-33 lead, early in the third. Still trailing 43-40 with two minutes left in the third quarter, the Lions went to work.

Back-to-Back 3-pointers by Dawson Adams gave the Lions a 48-43 lead entering the fourth quarter. The Lions scored the first eight points of the fourth quarter, and in all, had a 19-0 run before Watson scored for the Tigers with five minutes left in the game. The Lions won 69-53, securing the #1 seed to the 2A District Tournament.

Canales finished with 30 points for the Lions. Medcalf scored 11, with Adams and Coston Parcher adding ten points each.

The Lions will play a home game on Friday, February 11, against the winner of #9 Bellingham against #8 Squalicum, which will be played Wednesday, at Squalicum.

Burington-Edison is the #3 seed, and will host #6 Archbishop Murphy, on Friday.

Sehome is the #2 seed, and on Friday, will host the winner between #10 Sedro-Woolley and #7 Cedarcrest.

Also on Friday, #5 Anacortes will be at #4 Lakewood.

In the 3A District Tournament, #5 Mount Vernon will play at #4 Mountlake Terrace on Tuesday, February 8. On the same day, #12 Oak Harbor will host #13 Monroe in a loser out game.

~ Ted House

The game of the week was certainly the Lynden Christian-Lynden battle on Friday night at Jake Maberry Gymnasium. The two teams keep that date on the schedule in backs of their minds from the first day of practice in the fall, when they start on 6-foot hoops at age five. The Lions won a typical thriller, 63-60, but other things happened on the way to that night.

The game of the week was certainly the Lynden Christian-Lynden battle on Friday night at Jake Maberry Gymnasium. The two teams keep that date on the schedule in backs of their minds from the first day of practice in the fall, when they start on 6-foot hoops at age five. The Lions won a typical thriller, 63-60, but other things happened on the way to that night.

It seemed as though those two teams were headed for a winner-take-all battle for the Northwest Conference title. They had both beaten the other top contender, Mount Vernon. The Lyncs accomplished that on Monday and were 11-0 in the conference. The Lions had a loss at Blaine, and a 9-1 record, until they let one get away at Ferndale, on Wednesday. So, even with that loss, the Lyncs will still win their third outright conference championship in the last four years if they go 2-0 against Mount Baker and Meridian this week.

On Monday, the Lyncs hosted the 9-1 Bulldogs. After a quick 10-2 start for LC, the Bulldogs fought back to trail 22-21, as junior guard, DaVari Davis had two quick scores early in the second quarter.

With the score tied at 24-24, Lyncs junior Griffin Dykstra started a 12-0 run for his team by draining a long 3-pointer over the outstretched arms of 6-6 Lucas Rodio. Right after that, Lyncs senior William Colwell, also hit a 3-pointer, as the Lyncs found the open man against the Bulldogs trapping defense. The Lyncs had a ten-point halftime lead.

That ballooned to a 19-point lead eight minutes later, but the Bulldogs gave it one more run.

Davis hit back-to-back 3’s for the Bulldogs to close the score to 61-50, with 3:50 left, but committed his fifth personal foul 45 seconds later.

The Bulldogs never got closer than eleven, and a three-point-play by LC senior, Andrew Hommes, closed the door with two minutes left.

Six players scored for the Bulldogs, but five were in double-figures. Freshman Michael Johnson led with 14. Davis, along with sophomore Quinn Swanson, and seniors Rodio and Alex Fast, all scored ten.

Hommes led the Lyncs with 18. Junior guard, Tyler Sipma, scored 12 of his 16 in the second half. At that point, the Lyncs could set their sights on Friday’s rivalry game.

Meanwhile, on the east side of town, the Lions had to deal with a trip to Ferndale on Wednesday, which is a rivalry of its own. Of course, this rivalry is centered around football, but it trickles down from there. Have you ever seen a third-grade volleyball match between these two? Okay, that’s an exaggeration for effect, but not by much!

Remember when the Golden Eagles were 1-7? I do, but I knew that wasn’t them. In their next six games, they won five, with a nine-point loss to Mount Vernon. When the Lions came to town, the Golden Eagles were 6-8 on the season, and up to 6-5 in the conference, and they came from behind in the fourth quarter to win 55-52.

Through a tight first quarter, the offenses struggled to a 10-9 lead for the Lions. From there, the Lions were able to stretch the lead to 30-21 at halftime, but there were subtle signs that the Golden Eagles were going to hang around. While they still trailed by nine, they were able to drive the ball inside at times and pick up a few second chance opportunities on the offensive glass.

On the scoreboard, the Lions defense was on pace, giving up only 21 first-half points, and limiting Ferndale shooting ace, Mark Schlicting, to no points, and only one shot in the first half (by my memory).

The Lions were playing without senior starter, Dawson Adams, but 6-3 junior, Trey Smiley, helped fill the scoring gap. Smiley scored ten points, hitting two 3-pointers. One of which beat the halftime buzzer.

In the third quarter, things went along about the same way, but Ferndale slowly began to create some momentum in front of a big home crowd. Senior guard, Jesse Sapp, nailed two 3-pointers, and Schlicting got loose in transition for his first three of the game, and Lynden’s lead was 42-35, after three quarters.

Early in the fourth quarter, Ferndale senior, Jazen Guillory, scored inside to bring his team to within 46-43. Smiley drained a 3-pointer for the Lions, but that was answered by Golden Eagle senior guard, Luke Wells, and it was 49-46 with four minutes left.

From there, the Lynden offense went dry with four straight turnovers and a miss at the end of the shot clock. Meanwhile, a Guillory putback gave Ferndale their first lead since the first quarter, 50-49 with 1:44 left.

Sapp added to that with a 2-pointer with a minute to go. Lion senior, Jordan Medcalf, then tied the game with a long 3-pointer from the top with 40 seconds left.

On the Golden Eagles next possession, Schlicting, who got very few open looks, or looks at all, finally got one, and cashed in. He drained a 3-pointer with 21 seconds left, which turned out to be the game winner. The Lions had two more possessions, but could not score, and managed only three points over the games last four minutes.

The Golden Eagles and their fans celebrated on the court, their team’s first win over the Lions after 14 straight losses, going back to 2009.

Unfortunately, for Ferndale, their trip to Burlington didn’t go well the next night. They lost to the Tigers, 55-43. With that win, and their overtime win over Nooksack Valley, Burlington is now 9-2 in the conference, tied with Lynden, who they host on Saturday, the last day of the season.

In Burlington’s win over the Pioneers, Tiger senior, Zach Watson, scored 33 points, with 27 of those coming after halftime.

And, speaking of the Pioneers, they’ve been getting closer and closer to that big win. After their OT loss at Burlington, they beat Bellingham 50-39, in the only league game played on Saturday.

With wins over Squalicum and Oak Harbor last week, the Blaine Borderites have won five in a row, and seven of their last eight.

Since returning to the hard wood last Friday, Lakewood went 3-0 this week with two conference wins. They are up to 6-1 in the NWC.

Okay, we are now back to the Friday night festivities. The Lions hosting the Lyncs, in the 3000 seat Jake Maberry Gymnasium, and a game won by the Lions, 63-60. It was decided that attendance would be limited to 2250 fans, and presale of tickets only. Even 2250 made the Jake look plenty full, on Coaches Vs. Cancer night.

The Lyncs, who were a perfect 15-0 on the season, had beaten the Lions in three of their last four meetings. Prior to that, the Lions had won 13 of 14 over the Lyncs.

Tyler Sipma got the Lyncs going by scoring their first six points, on a 3-pointer and a 3-point-play.

Down 10-9, the Lions Trey Smiley came of the bench and contributed two quick baskets to give the Lions a 13-10 lead. Andrew Hommes scored the last seven points of the quarter on a long 3-pointer and four free throws, to give the Lyncs an 18-13 lead after eight minutes.

Both teams shot nine free throws in the first quarter, and combined for 29 attempts in the first half.

Lyncs senior, Crew Bosman, exploded to the rim for two lay-ins, and Sipma added another, as the Lyncs lead grew to 24-15.

Lion Sophomore, Anthony Canales, scored inside, but Bosman, again, returned the favor at the other end. Then Jordan Medcalf scored twice, inside for the Lions, to cut the lead to 26-23, with 3:50 left in the half.

Lion junior guard, Coston Parcher, hit a jumper, for two of his ten points in the second quarter, go hold the deficit at three. A few possessions later, Hommes nailed one from 28-feet on top, and LC was back to a nine-point lead. The Lyncs held a 38-31 lead at halftime, as they shot 13-17 from the free throw line, compared to Lynden’s 6-12.

Dawson Adams, who was back in the lineup for the Lions, did not score in the first half, but got the second half going with a 3-pointer. Bosman got that back with a three of his own, showing he could do more than finish at the rim.

Medcalf got a bucket inside as he maneuvered around the 6-6 Hommes, but there was Bosman again, at the other end, with another finish at the rim. After a 3-point-play by Sipma, the Lyncs had their nine-point lead back, at 46-37, with 4:40 left in the third quarter.

Medcalf went to the bench after picking up his fourth foul with 2:52 left I the quarter. A 3-pointer by Adams brought the Lions to within 49-45, and the quarter finished with a whirlwind.

Lyncs senior, Jamison Hintz, nailed a 3-pointer out of the deep corner for the Lyncs at the end of the shot clock, with ten seconds left in the quarter. That bought the LC faithful to a frenzy, but while celebrating that, Canales nailed one at the other end at the buzzer for the Lions, and both fan bases were on their feet. The Lyncs led 54-50 with eight minutes of regulation play to go.

As the clock ticked, the Lions, ever so slowly, chipped away. It was a wonder, through three quarters, if the Lions defense, as good as it is, could come up with enough stops to give their offense a chance.

With four minutes left, the Lyncs had only scored two points in the quarter, but the Lions had managed only five, and still trailed by three.

Two free throws by Medcalf cut the lead to one, 58-57, with 3:04 to play.

On a baseline inbounds play, LC junior guard, Griffin Dykstra, got loose for an uncontested lay-in, giving the Lyncs a 60-57 lead with 2:55 remaining.

As the heat in the building continued to increase, Parcher found himself open, 23-feet out on the right wing. Well, it seems that most are open when they are that far out. Without hesitation on a quick catch-and-shoot, he netted a game-tying 3-pointer from that spot, and the game was knotted at 60-60, with still 2:39 left on the clock.

With the score still tied, Hommes missed on a 3-point shot from the top of the key, and the long rebound was ran down by Dykstra, to give the Lyncs another possession, with under a minute to go.

After a timeout, the Lyncs set up a play to get the ball to Hommes in the left low post. Guarded by Lion junior, Kobe Baar, Hommes went to work toward the baseline, but defensive help came from Medcalf, who blocked Hommes’ shot, and came away with the ball for the Lions, with 42 seconds left.

After a Lion timeout with 34 seconds left, and 23 to shoot, the Lions faced the Lyncs zone defense, one more time.

Parcher held the dribble until there were 12 seconds on the shot clock, then after a pass to Jandoc on the left wing, got a return pass and split the gap at the top of the Lyncs zone. Inside the free throw line, he slipped a pass to the right wing to Medcalf.

Seeing he had two Lyncs defenders running at him, Medcalf immediately rotated the ball to the right corner, where Adams had slid out from the low post. Before Lyncs defenders could recover to Adams, he had the ball in the air. The shot swished with 18 seconds left, giving the Lions a 63-60 lead, their first lead of the game.

After a timeout, the Lyncs had 14.7 seconds to work for a tying 3-pointer. The Lions were also under the team foul limit of seven, so that could also come into play.

With the clock ticking, Sipma started a hard dribble from high on the left side. He got a screen from Hommes, who then followed Sipma’s dribble to the right wing. Parcher shut Sipma off at the 3-point line, and Sipma dropped a pass off to the trailing Hommes. His 22-footer from the right wing fell short, but the ball went out of bounds, still in possession of the Lyncs.

After a defensive timeout by the Lions, they Lyncs would inbound on the right-side baseline.

On the final play, it was again Medcalf, getting his hands on the inbounds pass, and he tossed the ball toward the other end of the floor as the final horn sounded.

Parcher’s 17 points was tops for the Lions. Adams added 16, all of which came in the second half. Anthony Canales added another 12, and Medcalf finished with eight.

Bosman led the Lyncs with 19. Hommes was next with 17, and Sipma finished with 12.

It was the first loss in 16 games on the season for the Lyncs, who still have an NWC title in their sights. Both teams should be grateful to have each other, as both will prosper from the event.

As of the weekend, Lynden Christian dropped from #1 to #2 in the 1A state RPI, behind Zillah. That RPI only comes into play once qualified for state. The Lions remained #3 in the 2A state RPI. In the District 1 RPI, they regained the top seed. The District RPI will not be the only tool used for seeding teams to district tournaments, due to the uneven league schedules teams have played this year.

The Lions finish the regular season with league games at home against Sedro-Woolley on Monday, and at Burlington-Edison on Saturday. In between, they will play a non-league game, at home, on Wednesday, against Lakewood. That game was originally postponed due to covid reasons, and the league is not rescheduling those games. That is why this one in a non-league game. Though, it may be used as another eye-test for both teams.

Burlington plays Mount Vernon on Monday. Both teams have only two league losses. The Bulldogs are currently the #4 seed in the 3A District 1 RPI. Ferndale is #9, and Oak Harbor is #12. All three will qualify for the district tournament.

Sehome is also among the league leaders and will finish conference play with games against Oak Harbor and Nooksack Valley. Then, on Friday, they will take another trip to the peninsula, and take on Port Angeles. The Roughriders lost a 2-pointer at North Kitsap on Thursday.

One week to go, and still, plenty to sort out.

~ Ted House

The biggest story of the week has to be the return of the Lakewood Cougars. On Friday, their trip to Lynden Christian was their first game since December 29. The virus positives, plus quarantine time rolled through their team over that span of 23 days. Though their first game back was an 83-51 loss to the Lyncs, I think they would take that situation as a “win.”

The biggest story of the week has to be the return of the Lakewood Cougars. On Friday, their trip to Lynden Christian was their first game since December 29. The virus positives, plus quarantine time rolled through their team over that span of 23 days. Though their first game back was an 83-51 loss to the Lyncs, I think they would take that situation as a “win.”

Frankly, the way they played, they didn’t look like a team that had been off for over three weeks. The lapses were few, but the Lyncs don’t need many to cash in. I think any coach would agree that it’s tough to run your press-break via a virtual meeting.

Seniors, Blake Conyers and Justice Taylor, led the Cougars with 16 and 15 points, respectively. Conyers’ quick release from the outside connected on four three-pointers.

However, they did play the undefeated Lyncs on their home floor, and the Lyncs did what the Lyncs normally do. Four players in double-figures, this time led by senior “post,” William Colwell, who hit six 3-pointers, and scored 13 of his game-high 22 points in the third quarter.

A Conyers 3-pointer with 5:28 left in the half, brought the Cougars to within seven, but that is as close as the Cougars could get. The last three minutes of the half, the Lyncs got hot, and Cougars seemed to lose their legs for a short period of time as the play seemed to continue without a whistle. The Lyncs lead was 14 points at halftime.

The next night, the Cougars eked out a 66-65 win over Archbishop Murphy.

Hopefully, and this is a big “hope,” that the teams all around the state have been though the bad stuff and can get their legs under them for the final two weeks of the regular season and be at 100 percent for the post-season.

Going back to Monday, Sehome took a trip to the peninsula to take on the defending 2A champions from 2020, the North Kitsap Vikings. The Vikings came away with an 81-58 win. The Vikings went 3-0 on the week and have a record of 13-2. They had last minute losses to 3A Mount Spokane and 4A Jackson.

The day after their game with Sehome, they beat league rival, Bainbridge, 97-56. In that game, 6-5 senior, Jonas La Tour, broke the school record by scoring 57 points. He was 23-27 from the field, and 4-4 from the free throw line.

The Vikings are no stranger to offense, averaging 81.9 points per game. La Tour was on their championship team in 2020 as an up-and-coming sophomore wing shooter. He certainly can do more than that now. He will play collegiately at Seattle Pacific University.

Also on Monday, Lynden got a win at home over Lake Stevens, 72-50. The Vikings were available as just about every team in the state is below the 20 game maximum at this point. Lakewood was supposed to be in Lynden that night, but were not done with their quarantine.

Senior Jordan Medcalf led the Lions with 22 points, while sophomore Anthonly Canales, twisted and turned is way around the rim for 20 more.

Ferndale’s 57-46 win over Oak Harbor was the Golden Eagles fifth win their last six games. After a loss to Mount Vernon, and a win over Mount Baker to finish off the week, Ferndale is one game ahead of the Wildcats, 6-5 in the NWC, and 6-8 overall. They started the season 1-7. The Golden Eagles will host Lynden on Wednesday.

Mount Vernon was 8-0 in the NWC when they went to Lynden on Wednesday. The Lions were 7-1. Leading 12-8 in the first quarter, the Lions scored 12 straight points, on their way to a 25-5 second quarter. A buzzer-beating 3-pointer by Dawson Adams gave the Lions a 42-13 lead at halftime.

In their 82-40 win over the Bulldogs, Adams led the Lions with 18 points. Jordan Medcalf added 17, Anthony Canales 16, and Coston Parcher 15. Bulldog sophomore, Quinn Swanson, led his team in scoring with 17. He scored 15 of those in the second half.

Blaine defeated fellow 1A Mount Baker, 67-32. The Borderites led by 14 points at halftime, and have won five of six games, and are now 6-4 in the NWC. They are well positioned to grab the number two seed to the 1A, five-team district tournament.

The Bellingham Bayhawks have won three in a row, with the last being over rival, Squalicum, 57-50 on Saturday. The Bayhawks are now 3-6 in the NWC, one game behind the Storm.

Also on Saturday, Lynden hosted Arlington in a game that postponed from late December. The Lions were supposed to play at Nooksack Valley that night, but the Pioneers had to cancel. Due to a wrestling tournament at Lynden High School, the game with Arlington was played at the 3-year-old Lynden Middle School, or the “first born” of Jake Maberry Gymnasium. It is a beautiful facility, which holds about 800 fans.

The Lions won easily, 75-45, but the Eagles had their moments. Arlington, which leads the 3A Wesco with a 7-1 league record, took a brief lead, 21-20, at the 5:40 mark of the second quarter. Then the Lions went on an 11-0 run, and the lead was never challenged again, although they led by only eight at halftime.

Canales and Medcalf were again, both at 20 or more points. Canales had 24, and Medcalf finished with 20. The two combined to make 17-21 free throws on the night.

There are some huge games this week, beginning with Mount Vernon (9-1), at Lynden Christian (10-0) on Monday. Tuesday, Nooksack Valley is back on the schedule at Burlington-Edison. Wednesday gives us Lynden at Ferndale. And watch out for Friday. We have Squalicum at Sehome, and Lynden Christian at Lynden.

Here’s a stat for you, and remember that this is coming from the Elk’s Lodge 1972 Hoop Shoot, sixth in the state finalist in 1972. Yes, the free-throw line was 15-feet away in those days.

Ellensburg, as a team, is shooting 71.1% from the free-throw line, in games played through January 18. That’s pretty good.

JT Fenz, a 6-2 senior who averages 14 points per game, is hitting a robust 92.6% from the free-throw line. He has made 25 of 27 on the season.

However, his is being outshot by 6-5 senior, Emmett Fenz. Emmett averages 15 points a game, and has made all 30 of his free-throw attempts this season. If in fact they are brothers, their driveway hoop must have been very busy as they were growing up. Coahces: find someone else to foul in the final seconds.

There are two full weeks remaining in the regular season. Due to the cancellations so far, and unbalanced schedules, several tools will be used to make sure teams are seeded as true as possible for their respective district tournaments.

The 1A’s will have a five-team tournament, with the top two playing off. That winner goes straight to a crossover game with the #5 seed from District 2. The loser will have another chance for a win to also get to a crossover game with the #4 team from District 2. Crossover winners advance to Regionals.

The 2A’s and 3A’s will have all-inclusive tournaments. Ten teams in 2A and 16 in 3A. District RPI, standings, coaches and Athletic Directors will help determine the seeding order of teams.

~ Ted House

We’ve been through a lot this winter. Some, more than others. But no group has dealt with more in our area than those in the Northeast part of Whatcom County. From 100+ temps in the summer of 2021, to the depths of floods in the fall, to the freeze of the winter. From all of that, maybe something beautiful has began to grow. More on that later.

We’ve been through a lot this winter. Some, more than others. But no group has dealt with more in our area than those in the Northeast part of Whatcom County. From 100+ temps in the summer of 2021, to the depths of floods in the fall, to the freeze of the winter. From all of that, maybe something beautiful has began to grow. More on that later.

First, to finish up on last week’s conversation about defense.

I said that there were 15 times that teams in the NWC had defensive scoring averages under 50 points per game for the season. Lynden did it nine times. Next in line in defense over the years has been Anacortes. They had two seasons of under 50 points per game in 2016-17, and 2017-18 seasons.

The Seahawks have generally been in the top three in defensive scoring on a yearly basis, at about a bucket or less above 50 points. They were in the top three for four straight years, from 2017-17, through 2019-20.

Lynden Christian has been in the top three, four times. Several other teams have rotated near the top of the league on occasion.

Transitioning to offense, 70 points per game is my benchmark for elite status. Lynden Christian has won the offensive title each of the last four seasons, over 70 each year. So far this season, they are scoring at 73.6. Lynden is next at 68.4.

Squalicum has won the NWC scoring title five times, scoring over 70 a game twice. They scored 74.1 a game in 2009-10, and 71.5 in 2015-16. Those were the only times that 70 points a game was reached, until LC’s run began in 2017-18.

The 1A teams will be following the post-season plan that was laid out in fall sports. They will have their own five-team league tournament, and the top two from that will advance to take on the fourth and fifth place teams from the Emerald Sound League. Winners there will advance to regionals.

On Monday, in a battle of the top two 1A teams, Lynden Christian won at Blaine, 64-51. The Lyncs built a 19-point lead in the third quarter and continues to have very balanced scoring from their top six players.

The Lyncs stayed undefeated on the season by narrowly escaping Sehome, 63-60, foiling the Mariners attempt to tie the game in their final possession. They finished the week with a home win over 3A Stanwood, 76-55 on Saturday, and are now 12-0 on the season.

The Lyncs go to Anacortes on Tuesday, then hopefully, host the return of the Lakewood Cougars on Friday. Lakewood has not played a game since December 29.

Blaine’s 60-38 win at Sedro-Woolley on Saturday, was their third win in four games since their win over Lynden. Their league games this week are against 1A’s Mount Baker and Meridian.

After wins over Oak Harbor and Anacortes last week, Lynden (7-1/9-1) will host Mount Vernon on Wednesday. The Bulldogs are 7-0 in the NWC, and 8-1 on the season.

Remember, back at the top of the show, I mentioned some good things are beginning to grow where there’s been a long run of bad lately? You don’t have to look any farther than the Nooksack Valley basketball teams. The Lady Pioneers have one of the top teams in the state in 1A, and are 8-0 in the NWC, and have a 10-2 season record. The boys team can’t match that, but there is still plenty of good.

Due to the reasons listed at the top, they began their season a week late, and struggled to even be able to get to their gym. By Christmas break, they were 1-5 with a roster that included only a single senior.

After that, the Pioneers won three straight games, all by double-digits. Two of those were over 1A rivals Mount Baker and Meridian. After a pair of 3-point losses to Squalicum and Oak Harbor last week, which can be labeled as “moral” victories at this point, Nooksack Valley is now a “player” as we head toward the 1A post-season.

Let us remember that moral victories have a place, but a short shelf-life. From my view, that’s what I would label those two losses. The Pioneers are building, and certainly getting better. Grabbing a win in a similar game would be the next step in the process.

On Monday, the Pioneers hosted Squalicum. The Storm had a 7-to-10-point lead for most of the game, but the lead was down to 40-37 after three quarters.

Leading 40-37, a missed free throw by the Storm gave the Pioneers a chance to tie the game with ten seconds to play.

After a timeout with six seconds left, the Pioneers went for the tying shot, but a fall-away 3-point attempt from the right corner by Bennett DeLange went long. Defensive credit goes to Squalicum’s Reed Richardson, who came off of his man to get a hand up on DeLange at the last second.

Two days later, the Pioneers found themselves in another sticky situation, at Oak Harbor.

However, instead of trailing by just three points with eight minutes left, the Pioneers were down to the Wildcats 48-33, after three quarters.

The lead was 18 for the Wildcats, before NV 6-3 freshman, Brady Ackerman, scored on an inbounds play, and knocked down a free-throw to cut the lead to 15 with 6:40 left. That started a 7-0 run by the Pioneers, until the Wildcats 6-4 senior, Will Rankin scored on a put-back with four minutes left.

With the Pioneers still down by ten with just over two minutes left, the game could have quickly been put out of reach.

While applying back court pressure, the Pioneers came away with a steal, and a bucket there could have cut the lead to eight. However, the Wildcats came up with a steal, seconds later, and found Rankin ahead of the pack, for a 2-hand dunk, and a twelve-point lead.

But that wasn’t the final nail.

The Pioneers went on another 7-0 run over the next minute. Two more free-throws by Ackerman, another two by senior, Dawson Kimball, and a steal and a lay-in by DeLange off of a steal, brought the Pioneers to within six with 50-seconds left.

A second later, Oak Harbor’s Brock Boyer hit a free-throw, and the Wildcats led 56-49. Then Kimball hit two free-throws and scored on a lay-in from a Pioneer steal, and the lead was down to three points with 21-seconds left. Then Boyer hit two free-throws to push the Wildcat lead back to five with 14-seconds remaining.

A Kimball 3-pointer with a second left cut the lead to 58-56. After a timeout, the Pioneers were able to commit a foul, and only run a half-second off the clock. Kaito White hit the second of two free throws, for the final margin.

Gage McLeod, a senior, shared scoring honors for Oak Harbor with junior, Brock Boyer, with 15 points each.

DeLange, a junior, led the Pioneers with 18. Kimball, the only senior for the Pioneers, finished with 15. He had seven of those in the last 1:30 of the game.

Ackerman also scored 15. He was 9-11 from the foul line, including 6-7 in the fourth quarter.

The schedule doesn’t do the Pioneers any favors, as their next three games are against Mount Vernon, Lynden, and Burlington-Edison, who are three of the top five teams in the conference.

With a team that young, the conference will toughen them up, and any experience they can gain in the post-season, will carry into the future.

It’s still winter everywhere else. But maybe, the sun is beginning to shine in The Valley.

Monday, January 17, in Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. There is a variety of basketball action. The headliner is Sehome’s trip to North Kitsap, which has a start time of 2pm. The Vikings are the defending 2A champions from 2020.

~ Ted House

For the past two weeks, Northwest Conference basketball teams have been dodging snowflakes and covid. Though there were cancellations, it seems like the schedule is starting to come together again.

Ferndale’s 76-56 win over Sedro-Woolley on Saturday, was the Golden Eagles first game since December 21. Bellingham was on the floor Saturday for the first time since December 16, in a 74-40 loss at Lynden Christian. Lakewood is still waiting. The Cougars last game was in the Yakima SunDome on December 29, in a loss to Brewster. They are scheduled to play Mount Vernon this Friday.

For the past two weeks, Northwest Conference basketball teams have been dodging snowflakes and covid. Though there were cancellations, it seems like the schedule is starting to come together again.

Ferndale’s 76-56 win over Sedro-Woolley on Saturday, was the Golden Eagles first game since December 21. Bellingham was on the floor Saturday for the first time since December 16, in a 74-40 loss at Lynden Christian. Lakewood is still waiting. The Cougars last game was in the Yakima SunDome on December 29, in a loss to Brewster. They are scheduled to play Mount Vernon this Friday.

There are still individual players missing games, here and there. So, as a fan, you never know if your roster will be a full strength. It reminds me of summer tournaments. Hopefully, every team will be good to go, very soon. Contingency plans are being created by the league to give every team a fair shot at the post-season if games are not able to be rescheduled.

Basketball, like all sports, has its ebbs and flows. It evolves and it changes. Back in the late 1980’s, when the three-point line was introduced, few used it as s tool. Most used it as a last resort. But as time has gone by, it has grown to be a major part of every team’s offense. Players now grow up with the arc painted to the floor. To see a basketball floor without a 3P line would be like us older folks when we look at the way the key looked, pre–Wilt Chamberlain.

The three-point line has changed offenses. It has also changed defenses. Now, you need a hand up on everyone who is toeing the line. But the outside shot has taken its toll on low post play. For the most part, you don’t have to guard both with the same tenacity.

Defenses in high school have gone from heavy for zones, to more and more man-to-man. There are still several “zone” teams, but you see a lot more man-to-man defense being played today, than in previous years.

No team, since the formation of the Northwest Conference has been better at man-to-man defense, and defense in general, than Lynden. They play man-to-man almost exclusively.

If you want numbers, there have been 15 teams in the history of the NWC, who have had a defensive scoring average below 50 points per game for a season. Lynden has nine of those teams, including the lowest ever of 40.5 points per game in the 2012-13 season.

Many factors go into a teams’ defensive scoring average, from defensive rebounding to how deliberate your own offense is, which helps to limit your opponents’ possessions. Everything in between those items are your team defensive fundamentals and schemes.

Sehome is a team that has done very well on offense this season, as they have a plethora of 3-point shooters, and a very sturdy, 6-5 lineman in the low post. They have diced up opponents with that combination.

Staying out on their shooters, opens up the inside for their big guy, Gavin Ortega. When they dump the ball into the low post, Ortega has the ability to hit a teammate cutting to the hoop, or he can spot an open 3-point shooter, as the defense collapses. And, by using dribble penetration, the Mariners create easy opportunities for Ortega on a drive and dish.

On Monday, in a big game between two of the top 2A teams in the league, Sehome visited Lynden, a team that likes to take away the things you like to do.

Lynden’s long armed, quick, and athletic defenders, limited Ortega’s touches in the low post and, at the same time, did not allow dribble penetration. The only thing the Mariners had left was outside shooting, which they did not have an eye for on this night. The Mariners hit only three 3-pointers, which all came in the fourth quarter. The Lions used an 18-4 second quarter for breathing room, on their way to a 62-44 win.

Never an easy thing to do is to win at Anacortes unless you are Anacortes. However, the Blaine Borderites continued to be a 2A wrecking ball. On Monday, they overcame a nine-point deficit after three quarters, and edged the Seahawks, 44-43.

With 4:25 left, Jacob Hayes scored the last points of the game for Anacortes, as they led 43-40. The Borderites cut the lead to one with 4:05 left on a lay in by Avery Dohner. Then Cole Thomas scored the game winner on an inbounds play with 1:20 left. The Seahawks had a couple good looks at the hoop in the final seconds, but nothing would fall.

There was another tight one in Burlington that night, as the Tigers upset attempt against Lynden Christian was foiled by a buzzer beater.

Burlington’s Bennett Howe got the shooters bounce on a 3-pointer with ten seconds left to tie the game at 66-66. However, LC’s Will Colwell came to the rescue for the Lyncs.

LC guard, Tyler Sipma created the opportunity as he dribbled down the floor, and penetrated the left wing, drawing a double-team. Colwell spotted up, took a pitch from Sipma, and nailed the game winner, for a 69-66 Lyncs win, and to stay undefeated.

Saturday was a catch-up day for the conference, as three league games were on the schedule. Sehome held off Anacortes 62-58 in the early game, at Sehome.

Gavin Ortega logged 25 points on 11 field goals. You can notch an assist on each of those field goals, whether he scored on the end of the press break, or off a dish from a driving teammate, usually Grant Kepley.

Kepley is becoming an amazing all-around player. His ability to see the floor and hit the open teammate is exceptional. Add that to his body control on the way to the hoop, as evident by a couple inside scores he created for himself, that took a considerable amount of twisting body, and, seemingly, double-jointed elbows.

The Mariners held an eight-to-ten-point lead through most of the second half. Isaac Lawrence was a spark in the first half, hitting three 3-pointers for the Mariners. Ortega scored 19 of his points in the second half. Jacob Hayes had a strong second half for the Seahawks, scoring 12 of his team-high 16.

Ferndale had not seen the floor in a while and got a 76-56 win at home over Sedro-Woolley. Jesse Sapp scored 15 of his 20 in the first half. Jazon Guillory scored 11 of his 19 in the third quarter. Mark Schlicting hit a 3-pointer in each quarter and scored 14 points. Hayden Birkle came off the bench with a solid game for the Cubs, scoring 16 points. Jerome Mathias added 12 for the Cubs.

The Golden Eagles led 19-5 after eight minutes, but the Cubs scored the first nine points of the second quarter to cut the lead to five. Ferndale answered with an 11-2 run and opened the game up from there.

Mount Vernon got a 67-54 win over Squalicum on Monday, with sophomore guard, Quinn Swanson tossing in 19 points. The Bulldogs are tied with Lynden Christian with 6-0 league records. The Bulldogs also beat Mariner on Wednesday, for their fifth straight win.

If there is little to dodge this week, it should be a good one. Four weeks left in the regular season. Positioning begins now for the post-season. I positioned myself at three games on Saturday. That’s a long way from “state endurance,” but it’s a good start.

~ Ted House

It was a shortened script in the Northwest Conference basketball race last week. But that doesn’t mean it was short on intrigue. There are now three teams that remain undefeated in league play, Mount Vernon, Lynden Christian, and Lakewood. We had an upset that was years in the making, and you can hand out the league’s Most Inspirational Player award, right now.

It was a shortened script in the Northwest Conference basketball race last week. But that doesn’t mean it was short on intrigue. There are now three teams that remain undefeated in league play, Mount Vernon, Lynden Christian, and Lakewood. We had an upset that was years in the making, and you can hand out the league’s Most Inspirational Player award, right now.

The short week began with a bang, as Blaine knocked off Lynden, 46-41. That score ignited the history buffs to go back in time. Way back in time.

The Lions had beaten the Borderites 21 consecutive times, over the past 17 seasons, from 2004-05 through the spring of 2021. The teams did not play for 11 seasons, from 1993-94 through 2003-04, as Lynden had gone up a classification to 2A. The teams did not play during the Luke Ridnour seasons.

That takes us back to the 1992-93 season in the Whatcom County League. League Champion, Blaine (11-1), defeated the Lions twice that year, on their way to an eighth-place finish in the 1993 1A State Tournament. The Lions finished fourth in the WCL (6-6). They also qualified for state that year and were eliminated on the third day of the tournament.

The award for “Most Inspirational” goes to Ferndale senior, Sean Morrison, who played the final game of his high school career, Tuesday night, at Lynden Christian. In the coming days, Morrison will undergo major surgery to relieve a serious condition in his brain. But, instead of me telling the story, I encourage everyone to go to Jim Carberry’s article at WhatcomHoops.com.

There, you will find a very informative and inspiring review of what Morrison and his family, and team, has gone through so far. And, what the future holds.

On Tuesday, Lynden Christian stayed undefeated (4-0/7-0), with a 73-65 win at home over Ferndale (1-4/1-7). Two things here: Ferndale’s record is not indicative of how good they are; and the score does not begin to indicate how close this game really was.

Before this night, I had seen Ferndale play three times. Except for a loss at Sehome, they had played very well in losses to Arlington and Lakewood. But, it seemed like they were missing something. That “something” appeared in this game, and it’s the shooting of senior, Mark Schlicting.

Late in the first quarter, trailing LC 14-9, Schlicting got a “shooter’s bounce” on a long 3-pointer. That’s the kind of thing that can get a shooter on a roll. H then swished one seconds later, giving the Golden Eagles a 17-16 lead. His shooting eye could be what gets Ferndale going in the games to come.

The Golden Eagles went on to forge a 23-18 lead with two minutes gone in the second quarter. Then Sean Morrison, who at 6-1, normally does his work near the hoop, connected on a 3-pointer for a 26-18 lead for Ferndale.

The Lyncs then proceeded to go on a 12-2 run over the next three minutes, sparked by ten points from the LC bench.

Senior Jamison Hintz connected on a 3-pointer, then a steal and a dunk by sophomore, Jeremiah Wright, cut the lead to 26-23. Wright scored again, inside, then Hintz nailed another 3-pointer to tie it. Senior, Andrew Hommes added another bucket, and the Lyncs took a 30-28 lead.

Schlicting ended the LC run by hitting his third 3-pointer of the half and gave the lead back to the Golden Eagles. After the Lyncs went back up by four, the half ended tied at 35-35 when Ferndale senior, Luke Wells, beat the clock on a 3-point shot.

At 6-1, Morrison does quite well for his team providing inside offense and defense. He picked up his fourth foul of the game, just 1:30 into the third quarter. That was followed by Schlicting’s third personal, a few seconds later. Both players went to the bench.

Three-pointers by LC junior guards, Tyler Sipma and Griffin Dykstra, were a key part of a Lyncs run that created a 49-40 lead.

However, Golden Eagle senior, Jazen Guillory, started a 10-0 run with a couple scores inside, along with another inside bucket by 6-2 junior, Damian Toney. Two free throws by Guillory brought the Golden Eagles within a point with 2:20 left in the quarter. Schlicting came off the bench with 1:34 left and promptly hit a 15-footer for a 50-49 Ferndale lead. Senior Jesse Sapp arced in lay-in off the glass, at the buzzer, and Ferndale led 54-53.

The score stayed close through the fourth quarter, until Hommes scored on a drive, then Sipma added two free throws, and LC led 64-58 with 2:14 left.

Morrison scored inside for Ferndale, then Wells hit a 3-pointer, and the LC lead was down to one, with 1:34 left.

At 1:14, Schlicting picked up his fifth foul on a rebound, and Lyncs senior Will Colwell hit two free throws. Guillory cut the lead back down to one with a score in the post with one minute left.

With the Lyncs leading 66-65, senior Crew Bosman hit the shot of the game. It was a three from the top of the key, that gave the Lyncs a four-point lead. Ferndale could not connect after that, and free throws by LC added up to the 73-65 final.

Bosman led five Lyncs in double-figures with 15 points. Schlicting had 18 for the Golden Eagles. Morrison finished with nine.

The Lyncs stayed undefeated with the win, something that Sehome tried to do on Wednesday, in a matinee game against Mount Vernon. But it was the Bulldogs that kept their zero in the “L” column, as they took a 70-59 win on the Mariners floor.

Lakewood is 4-0 in the NWC and had games with Burlington-Edison and Archbishop Murphy cancelled during the week.

Lynden rebounded from the Blaine loss by defeating Mariner (4A Wesco), 73-61. The Lions built a halftime lead by outscoring the Marauders 18-3 in the second quarter.

After a 21 point third-quarter lead, the Lions had to withstand a 30-point fourth quarter by Mariner, but the game was never in jeopardy.

Jailin Johnson, a 5-11 junior, led Mariner with 26 points. Lion sophomore, Anthony Canales led the Lions with 24.

This week there are lots of good non-league match ups, starting with Sehome traveling to North Kitsap to take on the defending 2A champs from 2020.

Blaine will host a Holiday Classic on Tuesday and Wednesday. On the same days, the Yakima SunDome will again host the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout. Teams attending from the NWC include Burlington-Edison, Oak Harbor, Meridian, Lynden, Anacortes, and Lakewood.

The state RPI for boys and girls basketball has been released, and can be found on the WIAA website. Remember, it only comes into play to seed teams that have qualified for state through their district tournaments. But, fun to talk about all season.

On Monday, the RPI for District 1, 2A and 3A will be released. They are a combination of teams from the NWC and Wesco, which will be used for seeding into their respective district tournaments.

~ Ted House

Headlining the week for me, was the Tiger-Hawk Challenge. Wednesday’s event between Burlington-Edison and Anacortes was a double-header for the girls and boys teams, and the third one that I have attended.

I love it because the gym is packed for both games. Student sections are large, loud, and proud. And along with the events on the floor, there are also competitions between student sections and drumlines.

Headlining the week for me, was the Tiger-Hawk Challenge. Wednesday’s event between Burlington-Edison and Anacortes was a double-header for the girls and boys teams, and the third one that I have attended.

I love it because the gym is packed for both games. Student sections are large, loud, and proud. And along with the events on the floor, there are also competitions between student sections and drumlines.

The Tigers 42-39, come-from-behind win over the Seahawks, not only gave the Tigers an important NWC victory, but also crowned them as champs of the Tiger-Hawk Challenge.

Prior to Wednesday’s game, the Seahawks got a big 64-51 win over Ferndale, on Monday, to improve their NWC record to 2-1. The Tigers were coming off of an 80-63 loss, at home to Sehome, on Tuesday.

Even though the scoring was low, the intensity was especially high, as both teams drew immeasurable amounts of energy from their crowds. The best plays of this game were made on defense.

Early on, the action centered around post players, Anacortes 6-4 junior, Jacob Hayes, and Tigers 6-5 junior, Bennett Howe. They were both extremely active early on, though they go about it in slightly different ways.

Hayes scored nine points in the first half with strong and aggressive play. While Howe played at a little higher elevation and finesse, scored ten first half points.

A 3-pointer by Tiger senior, Connor Anderson, late in the first quarter, gave his team a 14-7 lead. The Tigers led 14-9 after eight minutes. That’s when things got very defensive.

A put-back by Seahawks senior, Eli Hankey, tied the score at 14-14 with 2:30 left in the half. The Seahawks won the second quarter 9-3, as both defenses caused several turnovers by tipping passes and disrupting dribblers using quick hands. No hands were quicker than Anderson’s, as he consistently harassed anyone who dared to come near him with the ball. Unfortunately, for both teams, they were unable to capitalize in turning their defense into offense. Because of the other team’s defense!

An 18-17 halftime lead for the Seahawks ballooned to 31-17 by the middle of the third quarter. At that point, the Seahawks had outscored the Tigers 24-3 over the last 12 minutes. What changed? For one, the Seahawks were finally able to drain some outside shots. Two 3-pointers by junior, John-Fritz Von Hagel, and another by junior, Braden Thomas were keys. The Seahawks were also able to keep the Tigers away from the rim during that time. However, before the half ended, the Tigers got a couple sparks off the bench.

A three-point-play by Hayes gave the Seahawks a 34-19 lead with 2:13 left in the half. Then the Tigers closed the half on a 7-0 run, that could have been more.

Tiger senior, Will Corcoran started the run with a 3-pointer. Then, Evan Ruiz, the Tigers 6-3 junior, scored twice from inside in the last 90 seconds of the quarter, and the Tigers trailed 34-26, after three.

Tiger senior, Zach Watson, who averages 13 points per game, did not score through the first three quarters, but scored five quick points early in the fourth, on a 3-pointer and a steal for a layup. Anacortes led 37-31 with 6:43 left.

At this point, both teams continued to play on high emotion. The game was very physical and fast paced. Case in point, was a close to a ten player scrum for a loose ball that started under the B-E basket, and ended near the center line. With 5:34 left in the game, the teams had combined for only five team fouls. The officials did an outstanding job of “letting them play,” while, at the same time, keeping the game under control.

With just under four minutes to go, Anderson connected on a 3-pointer to cut the Seahawks lead to 37-34. Anderson’s 13-point average was also held in check by the Seahawks defense.

Anacortes would not score in the games last three minutes-plus, and with 2:40 left, Tiger junior, Blaine Granberg, hit two free throws, to get the Tigers to within a point, at 39-38.

Possibly the biggest play of the game came via the Tigers defense, specifically, Anderson, with 1:40 to play.

The powerful, 6-4 Hayes attacked the rim for a would-be layin, but the 5-10 Anderson had different ideas. Anderson quickly elevated and blocked the shot of Hayes, spiking it straight into the floor.

Both teams had empty possessions after that, until Howe scored inside, in heavy traffic for the Tigers. He missed on a 3-point-play opportunity, but his bucket gave the Tigers a 40-39 lead with 36 seconds left.

At the other end, Howe then stepped in front of Hayes and intercepted the attempted entry pass. The Seahawks then had to foul twice to put the Tigers on the free throw line. With seven seconds left, Watson sank two free throws, and the Seahawks missed a 30-footer at the buzzer.

Howe was the only Tiger in double-figures, with 14 points. Von Hagel led the Seahawks with 16, and Hayes added 12. The Tigers outscored the Seahawks 16-5 in the fourth quarter.

On Thursday, in Ferndale, the Golden Eagles hosted the Lakewood Cougars. The Cougars were off to a good start, winning four of their first five. While the Golden Eagles have played well, they entered this game with a record of 1-4.

Ferndale scored the first two points of the game. Lakewood scored the next eight, but that run would pale in comparison as to what was to come, in the Cougars 62-58 victory.

Trailing 8-2 with 4:33 left in the first quarter, the Golden Eagles would use that time to complete a 15-0 run, for a 17-8 lead.

That 15-0 run was fueled by the strong inside play of Ferndale senior, Sean Morrison, who scored six in the quarter, as all five starters got on the board.

However, zero Ferndale starters scored in the second quarter, and the hot shooting and scrapy defense of the Cougars sparked a 23-0 run by Lakewood. The Golden Eagles were shut out until sophomore, Connor Walcker scored inside with 1:30 left in the half, breaking the run by the Cougars. Walcker went on to score two more field goals, tallying all six of his teams points in the quarter. The Cougars led 32-23 at halftime.

Cougar seniors, Blake Conyers and Justice Taylor, lead their team on offense. Conyers had three 3-pointers and 14 first half points. Taylor added ten in the first half.

Late in the third quarter, Golden Eagle senior Jazen Guillory, scored six straight for Ferndale, closing the gap to four points. Lakewood led 47-41, entering the final period.

With 3:23 left, the Golden Eagles trailed 53-52 after senior, Jesse Sapp scored inside, and was fouled. He missed the free throw, but Sean Morrison battled over and over, and finally scored to give the Golden Eagles a 54-53 lead.

The 6-1 Morrison rebounded the missed free throw and tried to score inside. He missed, but got his own rebound, and missed again, but again, got his own rebound, and scored on the third time-charmer.

Senior Luke Wells connected from beyond the arc to give Ferndale a 57-55 lead. Then Morrison added a free throw for a 58-55 lead with 1:53 left.

Conyers scored with 1:41 left to get the Cougars to within one. Then the teams combined for five empty possessions until Conyers sank three-of-four free throws with :22 seconds left. Those included free throws for a technical foul called on Ferndale, which also gave Lakewood possession of the ball.

With eleven seconds left, Cougar junior Mason Weller added a free throw for a three-point lead. After a missed 3-pointer by Wells, Weller added another free throw, for the 62-58 final.

Conyers scored 29 for the Cougars, hitting on six 3-pointers. Taylor added 15. Wells led Ferndale’s scoring with 16. Morrison added 13, and 12 for Guillory.

The Sehome Mariners are off to a great start, undefeated in six games overall, and 4-0 in the NWC. They have a tendency for hot starts, which is something every coach loves to see. They had a lively rivalry game against Bellingham this week. The Sehome stands were full and the boisterous student sections certainly did their part.

The Mariners scored the first ten points of that game, on the way to a 64-46 win. Against Blaine, in their second game of the season, the Mariners took a 22-9 lead early in the second quarter. Against Ferndale, the Mariners held a 15-0 lead in the first four minutes. And those are just the one’s I know about.

Lynden is up to 3-0 in league play, in which they reached 40-point leads on each opponent. They got a stiff challenge from Eastlake, of the 4A KingCo League on Saturday night. The Lions used a big second quarter to take a double-digit lead, on the way to a 70-52 win.

Lynden Christian stayed undefeated on the season by beating 3A Enumclaw on Saturday, 73-42. Oak Harbor improved to 2-2/4-3 with a home win over Sedro-Woolley. Ferndale lost another close one, at Lake Stevens, 72-69.

The conference goes into a four-corner offense for the next couple weeks as games are spread out for the holidays. There is a mixture of league and non-league games through Wednesday, then they reappear after Christmas for a bunch of great non-league competition. On December 28 and 29, Burlington-Edison, Oak Harbor, Meridian, Lynden, Anacortes and Lakewood, take their talents to the Yakima SunDome for two days of games in the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout.

~ Ted House

This was the second full week in the 16th season of the Northwest Conference. It was the beginning of conference games, and there were several team and individual highlights in the six games that I was able to take in.

With 15 NWC seasons in the books (yes, including Spring ’21), I thought it was about time to reveal some historical records that our teams have achieved over that period of time.

This was the second full week in the 16th season of the Northwest Conference. It was the beginning of conference games, and there were several team and individual highlights in the six games that I was able to take in.

With 15 NWC seasons in the books (yes, including Spring ’21), I thought it was about time to reveal some historical records that our teams have achieved over that period of time.

First, a little history. For decades, area teams in Whatcom and Skagit Counties participated in the 1A Whatcom County League, or the 2A Northwest League. In the early 2000’s, the North Cascade Conference was created for 1A teams, which was a mix of the WCL and the Cascade League.

After reverting back to the WCL for two years, the five 1A schools joined the Northwest League and created the Northwest Conference, which was 14 teams made up of 1A, 2A, and 3A teams for all sports. The NWC, is currently the home of its now, 16 residents.

Mt. Vernon was a founding member of the NWC as a 3A school but moved to the Wesco Conference for several years in the 4A classification. Now, back in 3A, the Bulldogs rejoined the NWC in the 2020-21 school year. Oak Harbor, also a 3A school, left the Wesco for the NWC at the same time as the Bulldogs.

Lakewood vacated the Cascade Conference five years ago and spent four seasons in the NWC, before temporarily relocating to the Wesco last school year. The Cougars back in the NWC this year.

There are two boys’ basketball coaches who have endured the entire tenure of the NWC with their respective teams. Meridian’s Shane Stacey is in his 17th season with the Trojans, and Lynden’s Brian Roper is also in his 17^th season with the Lions. Head Coach Brett Senff of Anacortes is in his 15^th season leading the Seahawks. Those are the only three in double-figures.

Below is the overall league standings for Northwest Conference Boys Basketball for it’s 15 seasons (2006-2007 through Spring 2021):

I may throw a few more things like this at you as the season goes along.

I spoke of Lakewood’s 2021-22 return to the NWC. When last we saw the Cougars, they had just finished their greatest season in school history. In the 2019-20 season, they finished fourth in the NWC with a 9-4 record. They took second place in the district tournament, which sent them to their first ever state tournament appearance. They got a regional win over Franklin Pierce, but their season ended at 15-10 with a first-round loss in Yakima.

That season, they started four seniors, including NWC MVP, Alex Jensen. The question was, would that be it for the Cougars? Were they just a one-year wonder? The answer to those questions is, “No!”

Last spring, the Cougars went 9-1 in the Wesco, and this year, they are off to a 3-0 start, with wins over Stanwood, Anacortes, and Oak Harbor.

Also undefeated in league play, are the Lynden Christian Lyncs. The Lyncs went 12-0 last spring, and 11-2 in 2019-20. That’s a current NWC run of 25-2.

On Wednesday, the Lyncs beat Squalicum 80-46. Junior guard, Tyler Sipma got the Lyncs rolling early, hitting three 3-pointers in the first quarter, and finished with 22 points. Sipma’s junior running mate, Griffin Dykstra, was also sharp from the outside, hitting three 3’s, and 13 points. Versatile senior, Crew Bosman, also tossed in 13, and senior, Andrew Hommes added ten.

Hommes had the night’s highlight, ramming home a one-handed tip-jam, in the first quarter. I was so amazed because I could not remember seeing such a thing happen around here. The closest thing I could remember, was Casey Bauman shattering that very backboard in the LC gym three seasons ago.

When I complimented Hommes a couple of days later, on what I had thought was an astonishing feat, he mentioned that was the second game in a row that he had done that!

Well, make it three!

On Saturday, the Lyncs were locked in a battle with another 1A power, Seattle Academy. In the second quarter, at the same hoop, Hommes went up and flushed a teammates miss, with two hands this time. So, no big deal, I guess?

Hommes and Sipma combined for all of the Lyncs 19 first quarter points against the Cardinals, but the Lyncs would need more balance than that to get a “W” on this day. And they did, 71-63. But it took a while.

The Cardinals did an excellent job of setting up their 3-point shooters against the Lyncs man-to-man defense. Four different Cardinals hit a 3-pointer in the first quarter, and they hit four more in the second period. That’s when Cardinal 6-5 senior, Logan Britt, started sizzling.

Britt scored 14 points in the second quarter, as Seattle Academy rolled to a 35-29 halftime lead.

The opposite was happening to the Lyncs offense, as shots that would normally go down, spun their way out. I was trying to figure out whether the 3-point shot was as much a part of the normal Cardinal offense as I was witnessing. Or, if they were just having a hot first half.

After the first four minutes of the third quarter, I was a believer. The Cardinals hit three more 3’s and built a 46-32 lead. Britt scored ten more in the quarter but picked up his fourth foul in the last minute of the quarter. By then, however, the Lyncs had gained the momentum from seven quick points from Crew Bosman, and timely 3’s from Griffin Dykstra, Will Colwell, and Jamison Hintz. It was 50-50 after three periods.

In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals had lost their touch. They didn’t hit a three in the last eight minutes, and Britt was limited to just two free throws. With the score tied at 58-58, the Lyncs went on an 11-2 run over the next two and a half minutes, to put the game away. It was Colwell who saved the day for the Lyncs, as he scored ten of his 15 points in the fourth quarter.

Hommes scored 20, with Sipma also adding 15. Britt poured in 29 for the Cardinals, as they dropped to 3-1 on the season.

Sehome (2-0/4-0) has emerged as an NWC title contender with impressive wins over Blaine and Ferndale this week. Quick starts and balanced scoring were common traits of the Mariners.

Against Blaine, All-NWC lineman, 6-5 senior Gavin Ortega, was a force inside, scoring 17 points. When his mates weren’t driving the lane and dishing to him for layins, he was using his post presence to feed open shooters and cutters for scores.

The Mariners starting lineup includes one senior and four juniors. Grey Garrison scored 18 points in both those games.

Against Ferndale, the Mariners took advantage of several early Golden Eagle turnovers and tough-luck shots, to take a commanding 15-0 lead in the first four minutes. Matthew Storms connected early on a couple corner three’s, as the Mariners shared the ball nicely and finished with five players in double-figures. The lead grew to as much as 32 points early in the fourth quarter, before settling for a 76-56 win.

That was an impressive win for the Mariners due to the fact that Ferndale is a very good team. They didn’t play well on this night, but I expect them to make noise as the season progresses. Their five senior starters will take them a long way, possibly to a rematch with Arlington in the post-season.

The Golden Eagles hosted the Eagles on Tuesday, with Arlington taking an 80-72 victory. Each team drained ten 3-pointers on the night, but the 21 points each from Eagles’ David Zachman and Ethan Martin were too much for the Golden Eagles to overcome. Ferndale did get four players in double-figures, with Jesse Sapp leading the way with 19.

With the scored tied at 34-34 at halftime, the Eagles built a lead that stayed at or near double-digits the rest of the way, thanks mostly to their exceptional passing. On a couple of scores, they could have given assists to two players, as with a goal in hockey! They not only rotated the ball to the open man, but often passed, not to where their teammate was, but where he would be.

Meridian is one of five teams with 2-0 league records. They got a home win over Mt. Baker on Monday, then eked out, well let’s just say it, stole a win at Sedro-Woolley on Thursday.

A close game throughout, the score was tied at 46-46 after three quarters. The Cubs scored the first six points of the fourth quarter to lead 52-46 with 3:35 left.

The Trojans cut the deficit in half on a 3-pointer by freshman, Jaeger Fyfe, with 2:45 to play. The score stayed that way until the final seconds.

With 13 seconds left, the Trojans scored on a put-back to cut the lead to one. Then, an inbounds pass by the Cubs toward half court was intercepted by the Trojans’ Hunter Jones.

With four seconds left, following a missed shot by the Trojans, Tucker Harrison was fouled on the rebound. Harrison nailed two free throws, giving the Trojans a 53-52 lead. But the Cubs had one final chance

The Cubs set up a great final play, as a full court inbounds pass found the Cubs Jerome Mathias alone in the middle of the key. He caught the ball and went for what appeared to be an uncontested and game-winning layin. However, Harrison hustled in from mid court and swatted the would-be winner off the glass to preserve the Trojans victory.

Fresh off their 2A football state title, the Lynden Lions were able to squeeze in the necessary five practices for their gridiron mates, and win their first game of the season, 67-20 over Bellingham.

The Lions are about seven feet shorter than last year, but their length and speed on defense will be trouble for their opponents. The Lions roared to a 49-14 lead by halftime and finished with four players in double-figures.

The most notable games coming up this week include Wednesday’s matchup of Anacortes at Burlington-Edison. I could be wrong, but that sounds a lot like a Tiger-Hawk Challenge! Also watch out for Lakewood at Ferndale on Thursday.

~ Ted House

The 2021 2A All Northwest Conference Football team has been announced. Congratulations to Burlington-Edison senior, Zach Watson, who was voted the league's Most Valuable Player.

The Coach of the Year is Blake VanDalen, of state champion, Lynden.

For the complete list, please see the list below.

The 2021 2A All Northwest Conference Football team has been announced. Congratulations to Burlington-Edison senior, Zach Watson, who was voted the league's Most Valuable Player.

The Coach of the Year is Blake VanDalen, of state champion, Lynden.

For the complete list, please see the list below.

The Northwest Conference 2021 Girls Soccer All-League team has been announced.

The league champion Burlington-Edison Tigers, took home the top hardware. Senior, Sydney Reisner, was voted the Defensive Most Valuable Player. Senior, Emma Smith, is the Offensive Most Valuable Player. And Coach of the Year honors goes to Tiger heaad coach Ryan Kuttel.

For the complete list, please see the list below.

The Northwest Conference 2021 Girls Soccer All-League team has been announced.

The league champion Burlington-Edison Tigers, took home the top hardware. Senior, Sydney Reisner, was voted the Defensive Most Valuable Player. Senior, Emma Smith, is the Offensive Most Valuable Player. And Coach of the Year honors goes to Tiger heaad coach Ryan Kuttel.

For the complete list, please see the list below.

Here is some clarification on advancement into the 3A Girls Soccer and Volleyball District Tournaments, from the Wesco and Northwest Conferences:

Wesco and NWC teams qualify based on position in their own league standings. The top 10 qualify from the Wesco. In the NWC, two of the three 3A teams will qualify, based on their league records.

Once the ten teams from the Wesco, and the two from the NWC are known, they will then be seeded into the district tournament based on their RPI scores. It is also possible, for example, that Team-A finishes higher in the standings than Team-B, but Team-B could have a higher RPI.

The same format will be used for all team sports (other than football) for the rest of the 2021-22 school year.

~ Ted House

Here is some clarification on advancement into the 3A Girls Soccer and Volleyball District Tournaments, from the Wesco and Northwest Conferences:

Wesco and NWC teams qualify based on position in their own league standings. The top 10 qualify from the Wesco. In the NWC, two of the three 3A teams will qualify, based on their league records.

Once the ten teams from the Wesco, and the two from the NWC are known, they will then be seeded into the district tournament based on their RPI scores. It is also possible, for example, that Team-A finishes higher in the standings than Team-B, but Team-B could have a higher RPI.

The same format will be used for all team sports (other than football) for the rest of the 2021-22 school year.

~ Ted House

We are reaching the halfway point in the fall high school sports seasons, and it’s time to lay out what will be happening for Northwest Conference teams in football, girls’ soccer, and volleyball.

We are reaching the halfway point in the fall high school sports seasons, and it’s time to lay out what will be happening for Northwest Conference teams in football, girls’ soccer, and volleyball.

The WIAA is using an RPI system to seed teams in all sports, once they have qualified for their respective state tournaments. The statewide RPI standings are currently available on the WIAA website.

https://wiaa.com/DirRPIz14.aspx?SPID=4

Here are the basics of what the post-season will look like for Northwest Conference teams:

1A Football: The top two teams in the standings will advance to the state tournament. 1A teams play each other only once in league play, and if games are cancelled during the season, there is a make-up possibility when we reach week 10, which is November 5-6.

2A Football: The NWC 2A classification will send it’s top two teams to the state tournament, based on their final standings, with the same week 10 possibility of make-up games.

3A Football: Ferndale, Mt. Vernon, and Oak Harbor compete in the Wesco 3A North Division. Between the three Wesco divisions, they will send seven teams to the Week 10 playoffs, based on winners of division crossover games in Week 9. The top two teams in the North and South divisions will play each other in Week 9 (1 vs 1 and 2 vs 2), and all four will advance to Week 10 playoff games. Three other division crossover games will determine the final three teams to Week 10 playoffs. Week 10 winners advance to state.

1A Girls Soccer and Volleyball: All five teams will qualify for the league tournament. The top two from that will advance to “Glue Crossover” games with District 2. The NWC #1 will play District 2 #4, and NWC #2 will play District 2 #3. Those winners will advance to state.

2A Girls Soccer and Volleyball: There are eight 2A teams in the NWC, and two in the Wesco (Archbishop Murphy and Cedarcrest). An RPI system is being used to rank all ten teams. There is an RPI link on the volleyball and girls’ soccer pages to see the current standings.

http://www.nwcathletics.com/index.php?pid=0.1.0.11.223

http://www.nwcathletics.com/index.php?pid=0.1.0.10.223

All ten teams advance to the post-season, with the top six teams in the RPI advancing directly to bracket play. There will be play-in games with #10 vs #7, and #9 vs #8. Those two winners will then advance to the first round of the tournament. The top three finishers in the district tournament will advance to state.

3A Girls Soccer and Volleyball: An RPI will be used to rank the 17 3A teams in the Wesco and NWC (Ferndale, Mt. Vernon, and Oak Harbor). The top 12 based on RPI will advance to the district tournament. The top four teams in the district tournament will advance to state.

These plans continue to be a work in progress, as Northwest Conference athletic directors try to prepare contingency plans for every scenario.

~ Ted House

Many of the video streams that Northwest Conference schools used last year for athletic events are being carried over to the 2021-22 school year. You can find all 16 NWC schools video streams for various sports over three different platforms.

NFHSNetwork.com is home to the following schools: Burlington-Edison, Lynden, Mount Baker, and Sedro-Woolley.

Justagame.com carries: Bellingham, Lynden Christian, Meridian, Sehome, and Squalicum.

YouTube has streams for: Anacortes (AHSLive), Blaine (BorderitesLive), Ferndale (Eagles Nest Network), Nooksack Valley (Nooksack Valley High School or Chris Bartl), Oak Harbor (Wildcats Media), Lakewood (Lakewood High School), Mount Vernon (MVHSTV).

NFHS and Justagame may charge fees by the game, month or year.

The home team handles the stream for various sports.

Many of the video streams that Northwest Conference schools used last year for athletic events are being carried over to the 2021-22 school year. You can find all 16 NWC schools video streams for various sports over three different platforms.

NFHSNetwork.com is home to the following schools: Burlington-Edison, Lynden, Mount Baker, and Sedro-Woolley.

Justagame.com carries: Bellingham, Lynden Christian, Meridian, Sehome, and Squalicum.

YouTube has streams for: Anacortes (AHSLive), Blaine (BorderitesLive), Ferndale (Eagles Nest Network), Nooksack Valley (Nooksack Valley High School or Chris Bartl), Oak Harbor (Wildcats Media), Lakewood (Lakewood High School), Mount Vernon (MVHSTV).

NFHS and Justagame may charge fees by the game, month or year.

The home team handles the stream for various sports.

Could you use some extra income? Because we could use some extra help. Here’s a win-win: Sign up to become a high school official today! You’ll earn a few extra bucks, fill a critical need and have a lot of fun too! #BecomeAnOfficial

http://www.washingtonofficials.com/

Could you use some extra income? Because we could use some extra help. Here’s a win-win: Sign up to become a high school official today! You’ll earn a few extra bucks, fill a critical need and have a lot of fun too! #BecomeAnOfficial

http://www.washingtonofficials.com/

The All Northwest Conference Boys Basketball Teams have been announced for the 2021 season.

The Coaches have voted Lynden Lion junior, Jordan Medcalf, as the league's Most Valuablel Player.

Co-Coaches of the year are Brett Senff of Anacortes, and Brian Roper of Lynden.

Teams played an unbalanced schedule with a maximum of 14 games, including non-league.

For a complete list of players on First and Second teams, and Honorable Mention, please visit the link below.

The All Northwest Conference Boys Basketball Teams have been announced for the 2021 season.

The Coaches have voted Lynden Lion junior, Jordan Medcalf, as the league's Most Valuablel Player.

Co-Coaches of the year are Brett Senff of Anacortes, and Brian Roper of Lynden.

Teams played an unbalanced schedule with a maximum of 14 games, including non-league.

For a complete list of players on First and Second teams, and Honorable Mention, please visit the link below.

While everything outside the lines was different, in the 2021 Northwest Conference basketball season, as far a I could see, everything inside the lines was as normal as it could be.

Credit first goes to the coaches and parents for keeping their players and kids focused. I did not see any drop in intensity over the final days of the season, despite seniors having graduated, and hosted and attended grad parties. Their only link left to their school colors was on the basketball floor.

Most of all, credit to those seniors, and every player on every school’s roster, at every level of play. The made the best of an impossible situation and remained committed.

While everything outside the lines was different, in the 2021 Northwest Conference basketball season, as far a I could see, everything inside the lines was as normal as it could be.

Credit first goes to the coaches and parents for keeping their players and kids focused. I did not see any drop in intensity over the final days of the season, despite seniors having graduated, and hosted and attended grad parties. Their only link left to their school colors was on the basketball floor.

Most of all, credit to those seniors, and every player on every school’s roster, at every level of play. The made the best of an impossible situation and remained committed.

The game of the week was also the game of the year. Lynden and Lynden Christian met on the Lions floor with perfect 10-0 NWC records. The attendance of about 400 was about 2600 less than what would have been expected in January.

This hard-fought rivalry game was like it always has been. For 32 minutes there was physicality, hard fouls, but always a help-up hand extended. Extreme hustle for every loose, and about to be loose ball. And, exhausted players, often bent over often with hands on knees.

In the end, the Lyncs fourth quarter play was the difference in their 51-48 win, and their eventual perfect 12-0 conference record, after a win over Meridian two days later.

The athleticism at the defensive ends, made it extremely difficult for each team’s offense to function. They both have defenders with fast hands and feet, combined with physical inside play. They also know each other well enough to anticipate the next move.

The Lyncs led 6-3 with 3:40 left in the first quarter, before the offenses came on a little bit. The Lyncs were up 15-11 at the end of eight minutes and extended the lead to 21-11 early in the second quarter on a baseline drive by LC sophomore, Tyler Sipma.

Lion junior Jordan Medcalf turned the momentum toward his team with a nifty steal and dunk that brought the Lions to within six points. He tracked a loose ball to the sidelines in front of the scorer’s bench, and tapped it inbounds and up the sidelines. He reestablished his feet inbounds and took the ball to the rim.

That was answered by the Lyncs, as they regained a ten-point lead at 25-15 when senior Cole Moorlag scored inside. Moorlag does not possess the height of the typical inside player but was able to use his strength to hurt the Lions as he scored 12 points on the night, all within a step or two of the hoop, as he also grabbed several offensive rebounds.

From there, the Lions were able to run off ten straight points and tie the game at 25-25 with a minute left in the half. The dazzling play of that run was set up by Lion sophomore guard, Coston Parcher.

The Lions got an offensive rebound, and the ball was passed to Parcher on the right wing. He saw an opening to drive the ball inside, but it quickly closed as he got inside the key. However, he spotted 6-11 Liam Hanenburg rumbling down the lane, and dished a beautiful drop off pass him which led to another 2-hand dunk.

Lyncs sophomore Griffin Dykstra then scored in the final seconds to give his team a 27-25 lead at halftime.

Both teams play great man-to-man defense. Had I mentioned that? Both teams plan to take away your best offensive threat. On this night, two matchups were the most interesting. Lion 6-0 senior, Kobe Whitman was saddled with the task of slowing down, possibly the most skilled offensive player in the league this year, LC 6-5 junior Andrew Hommes.

Hommes is a 3-point threat, and can also pull up in the middle, and get to the rim. Whitman’s speed and savvy held Hommes to just two field goals on the night, and eight total points, with only a free-throw after halftime.

At the other end, Lyncs 6-5 senior post, Logan Dykstra, had the 6-11 Hanenburg. Dykstra did a great job, doing everything he could do to keep Hanenburg from catching the ball where he wanted to. Hanenburg scored 13 points, as he can also hit 15-footers, but nothing came easy.

Dykstra, who did look winded on occasion, managed to have enough gas left in the tank to score eight crucial points in the fourth quarter, and a game-high 16.

With the Lions leading 36-35 with 1:12 left in the third quarter, Sipma was called for an intentional foul (not flagrant), as he grabbed Lions junior, Dawson Adams around the waist from behind on a drive to the basket.

Adams made one of two free throws, then with the ball again, Clay Kochuten hit a 3-pointer to put the Lions up by five. Medcalf then scored on a lay in with five seconds left to give the Lions their biggest lead of the game, 42-35, at the end of the third quarter.

The Lions outscored the Lyncs 17-8 in the third quarter, but the tide would quickly turn.

That defensive athleticism picked it up a notch over the next few minutes, as there were several empty possessions. Logan Dykstra scored two buckets, sandwiched around a Moorlag score, to bring the Lyncs to within a point. Hanenburg then scored to get the lead back to three, but that would be the only Lynden score for nearly the first six minutes of the final period.

A Hommes free-throw capped a 12-2 Lyncs run, and a 47-44 lead with 2:17 to play. Hanenburg got the Lions to within 47-46 with a baseline jumper. After Moorlag missed the front end of a 1-and-1, the Lions worked the ball from side to side until Hanenburg opened up for a lay in off a feed from Kochuten with 1:17 left. That gave the Lions the lead, 48-47. It also gave Hanenburg six points in the quarter, all the Lions would score in the eight-minute period.

Lyncs senior Shale Whittern scored only two points in the game, but they came with just 55 seconds left, and gave the Lyncs the lead for good, 49-48. He caught a pass in the right corner, but took the ball to the basket, and scored on a tough shot over Hanenburg.

The Lions had multiple chances after that to regain the lead but came up empty. Logan Dykstra hit two free-throws with 3.1 seconds left, to give the Lyncs a 51-48 lead.

Then, all 400 fans held their collective breath, as Medcalf launched a shot from the left corner, just inside half court. The ball caught rim and bounced away, giving the Lyncs a well-deserved victory.

In games like this, whether it be a rivalry, or just two great teams going at it, it is often someone you may not expect, who comes through for the winning team. On this night, it certainly was Cole Moorlag, who’s strength was key to his inside scores and getting the Lyncs extra offensive opportunities.

Another unusual aspect of the 2021 season was the standings. While teams did not play an even league schedule, there was a large gap between the top two teams and the rest of the league. The second place Lions were 11-1, and the next group included Anacortes at 8-3; Ferndale and Sehome at 9-4; and Mount Vernon at 8-4. The Seahawks game against the Lyncs was cancelled, not due to virus reasons, and was not able to be made up.

Right next to that group were the Mount Baker Mountaineers. The Mountaineers had the largest gain in the standings from the 2019-20 season. That year, the finished 2-11, and in 2021, they went 8-6. Their final game was a 20-point win over Squaliucm. They also had one-point losses to Meridian and Anacortes, and a buzzer-beating 3-pointer happened in a loss to Mount Vernon.

There was plenty of strong play from some outstanding seniors this year. The Lyncs Logan Dykstra, and the Lions Liam Hanenburg were two. Hopefully, you also got to see Mount Vernon 6-5 wing, Liam Johnston. A great outside shooter and was the one who nailed the winner at the buzzer to beat Mount Baker.

Braedan Hart was also a shooting specialist for the Mountaineers, racking up several big games. Cody Coppenger was an all-around threat for the Nooksack Valley Pioneers. And last, but not least, Blaine’s 6-3 senior, Josh Russ, should put a patent on that step-back 3-pointer.

But there will be more to come in the 2021-22 season. Some of this year’s top juniors include 5-10 Zach Watson, of Burlngton-Edison, who is a clutch shooter in his own right. Get a hand up if you see Ferndale’s Mark Schlicting catch the ball on the wing. Jordan Medcalf can do everything between the 3-point line and the rim. And Andrew Hommes may be the toughest player in the league to guard next year. He may have been this year.

Two more individuals need some recognition.

Ferndale’s 6-2 junior starting guard, Jazen Guillory, missed the season due to a football injury. While on crutches during the basketball season, Guillory never missed an opportunity to be involved and encourage his teammates. He was always a part of their starting lineup introductions, and always met his team when they came to the bench. Excellent work, Jazen!

Before the last bit of recognition, we need a special round of applause for all the referee’s who worked night after night to make this season work. Many worked almost every night of the week and did both boys and girls games. Thank you, REFEREES!

Speaking of referees, I would like to give the a special, “Golden Shoelaces” award to Kelly Heutink. Heutink has been a referee for many years in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. He was also part of the 1974 Nooksack Valley Pioneers championship team.

On the last night of the year, Heutink was part of the crew who worked the Lynden-Blaine game. The game’s outcome had been decided, and with 1:11 to play, the Lions and Borderites had all their seniors on the floor. There was also a long lineup of players waiting to get in the game at the next dead ball.

Heutink noticed this and did something that I have seen done by officials before, but I would like more people to know about it. As the ball was being walked out of back court, Heutink blew his whistle, and bent down to tie his show, which I am sure, did not need it. With the dead ball, the subs were motioned in, and that’s when the most touching moment of this season happened.

As the seniors for both teams came off the floor, the Borderite and Lion fans gave those players one of the longest ovations I can remember happening at a high school basketball game. It went on well after they had all come off the floor, and for a while after that.

If you made a list of the plusses and minuses that happened this year, the ladder would beat the former by a mile. That moment at Blaine was a plus, and the fact that the teams got a season in at all, would be another.

I saw 79 games in person in the 2019-20 season. I saw 16 this year. My thanks to the NWC athletic directors for allowing that.

To the seniors: Thank you! Your efforts will not be forgotten.

To the underclassmen: Enjoy the short off-season!

~ Ted House

It’s the final week, or “finals week.” As of this writing, 12 of the current 15 teams in the Northwest Conference will have “grad students” on their respective basketball floors this week. Two of the remaining three will have graduation ceremonies during the week.

Also, just in case they throw a last-minute state tournament together in Yakima, there is ZERO chance of snow on Snoqualmie Pass. I’d like to see January, or even February or March do that!

It’s the final week, or “finals week.” As of this writing, 12 of the current 15 teams in the Northwest Conference will have “grad students” on their respective basketball floors this week. Two of the remaining three will have graduation ceremonies during the week.

Also, just in case they throw a last-minute state tournament together in Yakima, there is ZERO chance of snow on Snoqualmie Pass. I’d like to see January, or even February or March do that!

Last week had a great start, as far as exciting games go. Of the two that I saw on Monday and Tuesday, one went down to the final seconds, and the other involved the buzzer.

Monday’s Kings-Lynden game was the best 32 consecutive minutes I’ve seen this season. Solid offensive displays, and spectacular defensive efforts. The Knights came away with a 61-54 win, in a game that was decided in the final minute.

The Knights the defending 1A boys champions, came in with an 8-1 record, which included a 12 point loss to Seattle Academy. The Knights averaged 65 points per game, as they took the floor against the Lions’ defense that gives up less than 40.

Tyler Linhardt, the Knights junior, 6-7 swingman, and state MVP scored six quick points on moves to the hoop against smaller Lion defenders. But really good teams are not about just one player. Defensive adjustments helped on Linhardt but opened up another area.

Knights senior, Will Pohland, got open for two 3-pointers in the first quarter, and three more in the second, for his 15 first half points.

Meanwhile, the Lions kept pace, trailing by three at the quarter, and led 29-28 at halftime with junior, Jordan Medcalf, scoring 11 of his team-high 19 points in the second quarter.

In the third quarter, Linhardt went to work again, scoring eight points. The only other scorer for the Knights over those eight minutes, was junior, Jordan Hanson, who nailed two 3-pointers. The teams were tied at 42-42 after three quarters.

Hanson then scored the first seven points of the fourth quarter and that was the Knights lead with 6:57 left.

The margin stayed between four and seven until a pair of free-throws by Medcalf got the Lions to within three points with 1:41 left. After a Linhardt free-throw, Medcalf scored again on a lay-in with 1:10 to play, and the Knights leading 56-54.

The Lions could not score in the final minute, and when the Lions went to a trapping defense, the Knights found junior, Lucas Prendergast, alone for a lay-in and a four-point lead. A few more Knights free-throws in the final seconds produced the final seven-point margin.

The 61 points by Kings was the most given up by the Lions this season, and they were only the second team to reach 50 or more. The very next night, the Lions hosted Mt. Vernon, and held the Bulldogs to only five points in the first half.

The Lions, who are now tied with Lynden Christian with 9-0 league records, have held four of their last five opponents to 38 points or less. That includes holding Anacortes to season low of 30 points in a 73-30 win on Thursday.

On Tuesday, Burlington-Edison beat Blaine 62-60, and featured a real one-of-a-kind ending.

Borderite senior, Josh Russ, got his team going early by hitting a quick 3-pointer and scoring nine points in the first quarter, as Blaine took a 13-10 lead.

Tigers junior guard, Connor Anderson, hit two 3-pointers in the opening minutes. Then found his way through the seams of the Borderites zone defense, scoring eight points in the key in the second quarter. His scoring helped the Tigers go on a 9-0 run to start the second quarter, and the teams were tied 28-28 at halftime.

In the fourth quarter, Tigers junior guard, Zach Watson, hit a 3-pointer from the right wing to tie the score at 52-52 with 3:57 left. The shot was set up by Tigers senior, Hector Ruiz, who had the weak side boxed out and rebounded a missed shot by Anderson. From the middle of the key, Ruiz found Watson open on the wing for the tying shot.

Senior Isaac Donovan broke a 54-54 tie with a nifty left-handed jump hook with 1:50 left. Russ then hit a step-back 3-pointer from the top to give the Borderites a 57-56 lead with 1:35 to play.

In the final minute, and the score tied, and against the Tigers man-to-man defense, Russ dribbled twenty seconds off the clock and then buried another 3-pointer to give the Borderites a 60-56 lead with 38 seconds left.

Watson then answered with a long 3-pointer to pull the Tigers to within a single point, 13 seconds later.

At that point, neither team had reached the limit of team fouls in the half (remember that point). So, the Tigers had to commit three quick ones in a span of three clock seconds. The third, put Russ on the line with 16 seconds left, and his team leading 60-59.

Russ missed the free-throw, and in the scramble, the Tigers were whistled for an offensive foul, which gave the Borderites the ball back with 12 seconds left.

The inbounds pass by the Borderites was knocked loose, and the Tigers dove on it and called timeout with 10 seconds left.

And that’s not the crazy part.

Remember the low amount of team fouls? Well, the Borderites had only two in the half, so they went to work playing “Hack-a-Shaq” on the Tigers. Each time the Tigers inbounded the ball, they would commit a foul on the dribbler, so the Tigers would have trouble getting anything going toward the basket.

The Borderite fouls came with 6.5, 5.2, 3.8, and 2.6 seconds left on the clock. Those four fouls put them at the limit of six, and the Tigers were inbounding at the left sideline, just inside half-court.

Watson tossed the inbounds pass to Anderson, who was coming off of a screen, moving toward the ball along the left sideline. As Anderson caught the pass, he was quickly trapped by Borderite defenders. However, there were probably too many defenders around Anderson at the time, as he was stopped by a triple-team, about 28 feet from the basket. But, aware of his surroundings, Anderson was able to split the defense, and slip a pass to Donovan, who had moved to the open area, near Anderson, on the left wing. Donovan calmly made a pivot and stroked the game winner. Just like you do it in your driveway, growing up. Buzzer goes off when the ball is at its apex, and nothing but net.

The Borderites lost to Mt. Vernon, 75-63, in their next game, and are now 6-4. The Tigers improved to 5-5 with the win.

On Wednesday, Squalicum hosted Oak Harbor, and got a 57-41 win. Juniors, Reed Richardson and Kai Posey, got the Storm off and running. Posey scored seven of his ten points in the first quarter. Richardson scored in every quarter and led the Storm with 19 for the game.

This was my first live look at the Wildcats, and even though they now have a 1-9 NWC record, and 2-9 overall, I see good things with them.

The Wildcats had won only ten games total over the previous three seasons in the Wesco Conference. Former Anacortes assistant, Nate Sullivan, is in his second year with the Wildcats, and building a new culture. You can bet that there will be at least a little bit of the Seahawks style of play mixed in with the Wildcats, as they grow.

The Wildcats list only one senior on their roster. Look for names like Brock Boyer, Will Rankin, Gage Mcleod, and Kaito White, to become more familiar in the NWC next season.

The Storm is playing its best basketball of the season. They have won five straight games, after an 0-5 start.

On Saturday, via video, I watched as Seattle Academy raced passed Lynden Christian, 80-62. That 62 was the lowest point total for the Lyncs this season. But the Cardinals win was more about their offense than their defense. The Cardinals only loss this season, was on a 40-foot shot at the buzzer, to Kings. They had beaten Kings by a dozen earlier in the season.

The teams played an even early on, with the Lyncs trailing 19-18 after one quarter.

In the second quarter, however, the Cardinals offense really got rolling. They raced the ball down the floor, scoring in transition several times, even after made LC baskets. Senior guard, Leo DeBruhl hit three 3-pointers in the second quarter, where he scored 13 of his game-high 25 points.

LC junior, Andrew Hommes, scored 12 of his 18 in the first half for the Lyncs, while senior, Logan Dykstra, scored 14 of his 20 in the second half.

The Lyncs fell behind by 12 at halftime. The Cardinals opened the second half on an 11-2 run, for a 52-31 lead.

A Dykstra 3-pointer brought the Lyncs back to within 13 points, with 3:47 left in the game, but the gas tank was on empty by then.

There will be one big final exam this week, as the Lyncs will visit the Lions on Wednesday, in the battle of NWC undefeated. The Lions will start the week by hosting Ferndale on Monday. The Golden Eagles are 7-3. The Lyncs will host that red-hot Storm team on Monday.

Nearly all the current seniors will be grad students at some point this week. Don’t flip those tassels too soon!

~ Ted House

Much of basketball is about rebounding. Coaches frequently talk about its importance. Being effective at team rebounding means extra possessions on offense, which could mean a better chance for that big win.

Off the subject for a moment, there is something else that is noticeable in Juneuary basketball that you do not see in January basketball. The answer will be at the end. See if you can think what it is along the way.

Much of basketball is about rebounding. Coaches frequently talk about its importance. Being effective at team rebounding means extra possessions on offense, which could mean a better chance for that big win.

Off the subject for a moment, there is something else that is noticeable in Juneuary basketball that you do not see in January basketball. The answer will be at the end. See if you can think what it is along the way.

In getting back to rebounding, there is another type of rebounding in basketball, and other sports, and even in life in general. How you rebound after a setback or a loss, also defines teams, as well as people.

On Saturday of last week, Bellingham notched its first win of the season by beating Sedro-Woolley. The Cubs rebounded and got their first win in their next game with a victory over Oak Harbor. The Wildcats rebounded from that and got their first ever Northwest Conference win by beating Bellingham.

Anacortes rebounded from a 13-point loss to Mt. Vernon with a 17-point win over Sehome. Sehome rebounded on Saturday with a win over Bellingham.

Lynden rebounded from a 41-40 loss to Port Angeles, to defeat Squalicum, in overtime, the next day. They continued that with a 36-point win over Meridian and a 25-point win over Burlington-Edison.

Earlier in the week, the Tigers rebounded from a loss to Sehome by giving Ferndale its first loss of the season. Mt. Vernon did exactly the same thing, losing to Sehome, and then winning at Ferndale.

After four straight wins, Blaine lost at the buzzer at Squalicum, and then bested Meridian on Wednesday, Lummi Nation on Thursday, and Mt. Baker on Friday.

Squalicum’s overtime loss at Lynden led to that win over Blaine, followed by W’s over Nooksack Valley and Sedro-Woolley.

In the Squalicum-Blaine game, the Storm held a ten-point lead at halftime. The Borderites closed to within one at the end of the third and held a 60-57 lead in the final minute.

With ten seconds left, Storm junior, Kai Posey nailed a 3-pointer from the right corner to tie the score. Following that, the Borderites turned the ball over at mid court with four seconds left.

Storm junior and leading scorer, Reed Richardson, took the inbound pass near the center line, on the move to his left. He saw an open lane and stormed hard to the rim and a left-handed lay in at the buzzer for the win.

All of that happened between the last two Saturdays.

One team that has kept its rebounding strictly to the basketball floor so far, is Lynden Christian. The Lyncs are now 8-0 after wins this week over Bellingham, Oak Harbor, and Ferndale. The Lyncs are averaging 84.5 points per game, and a 36-point differential. This week, they averaged 89 points per game. Five of their eight wins have been by more than 40 points. Their closest games were an eight-point win at Mt. Vernon, and by 22 at Burlington.

In LC’s 2020 post-season run to a second-in-state finish, a notable improvement in the Lyncs at that time was the play of Lyncs big-guys, Logan Dykstra and Andrew Hommes. This season, with Dykstra a senior and Hommes a junior, they are certainly one of the toughest duos in the state to deal with. Both have the ability to score from inside or outside. Many of LC’s fast breaks begin with their effective outlet passes. Defensively, they make it difficult for opponents to get to the rim or get second shot opportunities.

Against Ferndale on Saturday, an 88-47 win, their scoring nearly mirrored each other. Both hit 3-pointers in the first three minutes in opening on a 10-4 run. Two minutes later, the Lyncs led 16-4, and then 23-10 at the quarter, as six Lyncs had scored.

Dykstra and Hommes each scored seven in the first quarter and 13 in the first half. Hommes finished with 20, while Dykstra had 19.

The Lyncs defense held down the Golden Eagles top two weapons. Solid defense on top by Cole Moorlag, Shale Whittern, and Tyler Sipma, made it difficult for Isaiah Carlson to drive the middle, where is has been very effective this season.

Meanwhile, Whittern and Crew Bosman clamped down on Ferndale’s 3-point specialist, Mark Schlicting, holding him to just a single 2-pointer in the second quarter.

Junior, Luke Wells, was a bright spot for the Golden Eagles, scoring a team-high 15 points. He hit eight of those in the second quarter. Wells hit their first 3-pointer of the game, early in the third quarter. Conner Walcker hit the only other 3-pointer for Ferndale and scored 11 points off the bench.

There was no let down for the Lyncs in the second half as their 16-point halftime lead grew to 24 by the end of the third and reached 40 in the final minutes.

After four games this week, and three straight losses, the Golden Eagles will try to rebound against Sehome on Thursday.

LC goes to Sehome on Tuesday, and then travels to play Seattle Academy who owns a 9-0 record which includes a 12-point win over Kings. The Lyncs were supposed to play Anacortes on Wednesday of last week, but the game was cancelled, and has not yet been rescheduled.

On Wednesday, Sehome rebounded from a tough first half to defeat Mt. Vernon, 57-53. The Bulldogs held leads of 10-2 and 21-9 in the first quarter. After the Mariners closed to 25-23 in the middle of the second, the Bulldogs scored 12 straight, and led 37-25 at halftime.

The Mariners scored four quick points to start the second half, prompting a Bulldog timeout. Mariner senior, Elliott Tanovan, scored on a lay-in for two of his ten second half points, to further close in on the Bulldogs. Micah Daheim then hit a 3-pointer to finish a 9-0 run. A Tanovan 3-pointer with 2:47 left in the third tied the game a 40-40. Liam Johnston’s 3-point play in the final minute, gave the Bulldogs a three-point lead at the end of the quarter.

With the score tight throughout the fourth quarter, two free-throws by senior, Jake Ortega, gave the Mariners a 54-52 lead with 1:17 left. Down by the same score, the Bulldogs missed tying the game by inches with 22 seconds left, as a well-designed inbounds lob pass to Johnston rolled off the rim. Sophomore Matthew Storms hit three of four free throws in the final seconds to secure the win for the Mariners.

Storms and Gavin Ortega scored 13 points each for the Mariners, and Tanovan and Jake Ortega added ten points each. Liam Johnston scored 28 for the Bulldogs but he was their only player in double-figures.

On Friday, Lynden traveled to Burlington to take on a Tigers team that was fresh off a win at Ferndale. The score was tied at 13-13 after eight minutes before the Lions defense began to assert itself. Some tipped passes by the quick hands of Koby Whitman and Jordan Medcalf led to easier offensive opportunities for the Lions.

Lion junior, Dawson Adams, hit a 3-pointer in transition after a steal to give the Lions a 31-20 lead with 1:17 left in the half.

The lead was seven points at halftime and went to 20 by the end of the third quarter. The quick hands and feet of Whitman led to steals, and at the other end, Whitman drove hard on the baseline for a couple scores, including a 3-point play.

Liam Hanenburg mopped up around the rim for 17 points. Clay Kochuten added 13. The Lions (7-0 / 7-1), host 1A power, and defending champion Kings, on Monday. The Lions lead the NWC in defensive points per game at 38.8.

The Knights are 8-1, with the loss being to undefeated Seattle Academy. They still have state tournament MVP Tyler Linhardt, along with a returning supporting cast that includes Shane McGaughey-Fick, Jordan Hansen, and Will Pohland.

In looking at 1A and 2A teams around the state, I have picked out a few that would be given consideration as Top 10 teams. Here is what I found:

As said earlier, Seattle Academy and Kings are leading the newly formed Emerald Sound League. In the Trico, Kings Way Christian is 10-0. In the SCAC, Zillah is 11-1, with a loss to 2A Prosser. Toppenish is 9-2, with two losses to Zillah.

Cashmere leads the Caribou Trail at 6-0. Freeman is 8-0 in the Northeast 1A.

In the 2A SPSL, Franklin Pierce defeated White River last night to take over first place. The teams were undefeated in conference play prior to the game, and each had only one loss on the season.

In the Olympic League, Port Angeles avenged an early season loss to defending 2A champion, North Kitsap, with a ten-point win at home. That puts PA one game up on NK with one game left.

RA Long went undefeated in the Greater St. Helens 2A League, which included two wins over archrival Mark Morris. I would love to see that rivalry, some day! The Lumberjacks finished the season with a 10-1 record, while the Monarchs went 11-3.

In the Evergreen 2A, WF West is in the lead (9-1 / 9-3), with Tumwater owning a 10-3 record.

In the CWAC, it’s all Selah at 11-0. Viking senior forward, and CWU commit, Noah Pepper, became the team’s all-time rebound leader, gaining his 1000^th rebound in this shortened season. You will remember his older brother, Elijah, who graduated in 2019 as the team’s all-time leading scorer.

In the Greater Spokane League, Shadle Park, Clarkston, and Pullman share the top of the league.

And finally, the answer you have been waiting for, to the question, “What does Juneuary basketball have that January basketball doesn’t?”

Tan lines.

Oh, and by the way…much better job at the free-throw line this week gentlemen. Much better!

~ Ted House

I mentioned last week that it was impressive to watch teams play as hard as they are with no end result to the 2021 season. The sense of urgency has been on display on every basketball floor. That deserves a “Job Well Done” to all players and coaches from the C-Teams, on up.

Offenses are in gear now. Defenses can be stingy. Three-pointers are flowing. But there is one part of their game that, maybe, has not come on strong yet. And, for good reason. That would be free-throw shooting!

I mentioned last week that it was impressive to watch teams play as hard as they are with no end result to the 2021 season. The sense of urgency has been on display on every basketball floor. That deserves a “Job Well Done” to all players and coaches from the C-Teams, on up.

Offenses are in gear now. Defenses can be stingy. Three-pointers are flowing. But there is one part of their game that, maybe, has not come on strong yet. And, for good reason. That would be free-throw shooting!

First, I must say that I think this week’s free-throw shooters were improved from last week. And I must also add that this feeling comes from only the games I have attended (7), and what I have picked up, and scored, on video.

In tallying up that free-throw percentage, it comes to 60.5%, which actually fooled me. I thought it would be lower than that. A percentage in the upper 60’s is pretty good for a high school team. An individual who shoots 80% will shoot technical free throws for me all the time.

So, to all of the free-throw shooters out there, here is some advice from the sixth best in the state of Washington, in the 1973 Elks Lodge Hoop Shoot:

• Take the ball before you step to the line.

• Fingertips only. No palm.

• Settle in with a good bend at the knees.

• It starts with the feet. Push up using the legs.

• Finish high with the shooting hand and reach into the cookie jar.

• Hold that pose until the ball hits the net.

• Finish on your toes, leaning forward.

• Most of all, practice, practice, practice!

Free-throw shooting is contagious. If the first one to shoot goes 0-for-2, it doesn’t guarantee a bad night for the team, but a 2-for-2 start can make things easier for all.

The best example of good free-throw shooting I saw this week came on Saturday. It was a matinee game as Ferndale hosted Meridian.

Trojans’ junior, Daniel Short, who’s minutes have been mostly with the junior varsity this season, got the varsity start against the Golden Eagles. He did not score in the first half, but was the key in their third-quarter comeback.

Short was fouled on a 3-point shot, early in the quarter. He sank all three free-throws, which is a difficult feat, even if you do shoot 80% from the line. Seconds later he hit a 3-pointer, made two more free-throws, and another three. He scored 11 points in less than four minutes, and finished with 16 points, all in the second half, leading the team. Yup, those FT’s add up!

The Trojans lost to Ferndale 75-61. They had trouble dissecting the Golden Eagles defense in the first few minutes, committing five live-ball turnovers in the first three minutes. Ferndale was not able to convert on each of the possessions, but it helped them to a 20-13 lead.

The Golden Eagles led by 16 at the half. Meridian played much better in the third quarter, outscoring Ferndale 23-14. The Trojans could get no closer than seven points the rest of the way.

Ferndale junior, Mark Schlicting, continued his deadly 3-point shooting, hitting seven in the game, for 25 points. Three more Golden Eagles hit double-figures, as the ball moved quickly in their offense, always able to find the open man. Junior Jesse Sapp had 17. Senior Andrew Monks added 12, and junior, Luke Wells had 11. The Golden Eagles are now 5-0 on the season. Ferndale played the game without Jazen Guillory (missing the season due to injury), and Isaiah Carlson.

Two teams are moving up quickly in the standings. Blaine has won four straight games after their season opening loss to Lynden Christian. And Mount Baker is now 3-4 on the season, even though they endured two losses this week on the final possession.

On Tuesday, the Mountaineers suffered a buzzer-beater by Mount Vernon’s Liam Johnston, in a 65-62 loss. Baker held leads in the fourth quarter, even inside the final minutes.

Braden Hart scored a 3-point play with 2:01 left to give the Mountaineers a 59-55 lead. Twelve seconds after that, Johnston walked the dribble toward the top of the key and nailed a three-pointer to cut the lead to one.

The Bulldogs took a three-point lead in the final minute on a score inside by Chase Calvin, and a lay in by Suriel Ruizgaytan.

Hunt missed a long 3-pointer, but the ball went out of bounds with possession back to Baker. Garret Smith then tied the game at 62-62 when he hit a closely guarded, 3-pointer from the right wing with nine seconds left.

The Bulldogs continued play without calling a timeout. Notah Edwards took the ball on the run in back court, and as the Mounties back-pedaled on defense, Edwards found Johnston on the left wing. He squared up and swished a 27-footer at the buzzer, for the win.

Two days later, it was heartbreak again for the Mounties, with a one-point loss at home to Anacortes. The Seahawks are still perfect on the season at 5-0.

The Mountaineers rebounded with a 69-61 win on Saturday over previously undefeated, Sehome. Trailing by a bucket with eight minutes to go, Baker pulled away in the final minutes and secured the win with? Yes…free throw shooting!

Mount Vernon and Burlington-Edison continued their yearly “Battle of the Bridge” on Thursday, in the Tigers’ gym. The Tigers led the whole game and earned a 65-51 win.

The Tigers got a quick spark from 5-8 junior, Connor Anderson. He came off the bench early in the game and contributed six momentum-grabbing points. He ended the quarter by hitting a 28-footer at the buzzer, as he scooped up the ball after a loose ball scramble. Anderson finished with 16 points, tying him with Tiger senior, Taylor Sheldon, for game high scoring honors.

The “Battle of the Bridge” normally includes competitions between the student bodies, but that had to be deferred this year. Even so, both schools had large and very supportive student sections.

While Lynden continues to play top-notch defense, giving up on 40 points per game, they have suddenly had trouble scoring in their last two games.

On Friday, they ventured to Port Angeles, where they took on the Roughriders. PA is now 8-2 on the season, as they nipped the Lions 41-40 on a last second shot. The Lions had the ball and a one-point lead with twelve seconds to go, but turned the ball over, setting up the Roughriders for the win. Port Angeles has a four-point loss to defending 2A champion, North Kitsap on their record. The two teams will play again on their last day of the season.

Lion junior, Jordan Medcalf, scored 22 points against the Roughriders, as was the only Lion with more than six. He scored 11 of the Lions 13 fourth quarter points.

On Saturday, the Lions returned home and faced an improving Squalicum Storm team. At halftime, the score was tied at 21-21. The day before, the Lions led Port Angeles 21-20 at the half. (I like to play “fun with numbers” at times).

Early in the fourth quarter, the Lions had opened up a 38-29 lead, thanks to the defensive work of Lion senior, Kobe Whitman. Whitman would easily be “NWC All-Defense” if there was such a thing. His steal and layup have the Lions that nine-point lead.

However, the Storm scored two buckets, and the run continued as 6-8 senior, Leland Zender, stepped out and hit back-to-back 3-pointers for the Storm, as they closed the gap to 40-39 with three minutes left.

Then, Storm junior, Kai Posey, scored on a lay-in to tie the game at 41-41, with 1:49 to play.

Both teams had chances after that, but the game went into overtime with the same score.

Jordan Medcalf scored two quick hoops for the Lions, slicing his way through the key, and getting to the rim. Liam Hanenburg, the Lions 6-11 senior, scored on a put-back to keep the Lions lead at four points with a minute left on overtime.

In the final seconds, the teams exchanged free throws. Whitman made one-of-two with five seconds left to give the Lions a three-point lead. The Storm could not get closer than a half court attempt at the buzzer.

Squalicum’s 0-5 start is not indicative of their abilities. Zender’s twelve points led the Storm, with senior, Mason Binning adding eleven, and junior Reed Richardson with ten.

Hanenburg had 14 for the Lions, and Whitman scored ten of his eleven in the second half.

This week, unbeatens tangle as Lynden Christian goes to Anacortes on Wednesday. Then, the Lyncs go to Ferndale on Saturday. LC had two wins this week over Mount Vernon and Burlington.

Blaine puts their four-game winning streak on the line at Squalicum on Memorial Day. There is a full line-up of games on Monday.

Remember, games are often won and lost at the free-throw line. It all starts in the toes.

~ Ted House

Sixth in State ‘73

Have you ever gone to a game and been busy talking, or paying attention to something else, then look up and say, “Hey, I missed the jump ball!” Well, now, at least for this season, you may have to say, “Hey, I missed the sideline-inbounds!”

Have you ever gone to a game and been busy talking, or paying attention to something else, then look up and say, “Hey, I missed the jump ball!” Well, now, at least for this season, you may have to say, “Hey, I missed the sideline-inbounds!”

For this season, at least, the jump ball that traditionally starts a basketball has been eliminated for Covid-19 restrictions. The same is true in many other states. It was the only time a “jump ball” was administered during a game. The current rule is that the visiting team will now begin the game by inbounding the ball on the sideline at mid-court. If a game goes to overtime, a coin-flip will determine who has the ball first.

I have to wonder if this may be the end of the jump ball at the start of games in the future. Since it’s the only one left, it doesn’t really impact the game. The only real advantage one team had was if there was a clear size difference where they had a high percentage of controlling the tip. Some, with this advantage, would design plays to get a quick score off the tip. I wonder if some really creative coach out there could design a play to score off the opening inbounds, or defend it so as to create a quick turnover?

That aside, I saw some really good basketball played this week. Some teams were rustier than others, but every team plays as hard as ever. You really would not know the difference between this season or any other, in that regard.

However, with a basketball season beginning in May, there are some things that I determined were “unusual.” On my first walk from the car to the gym on opening night, it was still daylight. And after four quarters, and a walk back to the car, same thing. It was also much warmer than a January game, and when I got home, the Mariner game was on.

Again, everything inside the gyms was as normal as it could be. The crowds are down a bit, obviously, but every team now seems to have a video stream. And, those operating cameras, where applicable, did a better job, throughout the week. Just keep those scoreboards in sight as much as possible!

Hopefully, if you are not able to get to a gym, you are taking advantage of these video streams. The NFHS Network hosts several NWC teams, boys and girls. There is also JustAGameLive.com for others, as well as YouTube channels.

The one thing I learned back in the 1990s, and still holds true today, is that there is a big difference between seeing teams live versus video. Back in the day, at the tail end of my assistant coaching, I scouted teams via video. I could get all the particulars I needed that way, but I would often underestimate teams when it came to things like speed, strength, and intensity, that cannot be scored on video. Those are still important characteristics of teams. That said, I got to three gyms this week, and saw several others from my living room.

The first game I saw live was Blaine at Lynden Christian. The Lyncs, under first year head coach, Tim Zylstra, looked to be in state tournament playing form. They took a surprising 96-43 victory over the now 1A, Borderites. That was the best that I saw any team play this week, as the Lyncs went 3-0 and averaged 89 points per game.

The Lyncs have quality talent in the starting lineup, but it appears to be their bench depth that will set them apart. Seven different players hit three-pointers for the Lyncs. Senior Logan Dykstra (13 points) is a solid presence inside. Meanwhile 6-5 junior, Andrew Hommes, is a threat from long range, but is more than a handful when he decides to head for the rim. He scored ten first quarter points, and 19 for the game against the Borderites.

The Lyncs got a spark in the first half from junior, Crew Bosman, who came off the bench to score 11 of his 16 points in the first half. He always seemed to be around when positive plays were made. They also got a jolt from sophomore, Griffin Dykstra, who scored 16 of his 19 points in the second half, including four 3’s in the fourth quarter. For a sophomore, he was not shy about taking shots. In fact, he reminded me of two recent Lyncs who burst on the scene as young sharp shooters. You may remember, their last names both began with “De.”

The Borderites just needed more time. They bounced back with wins over Nooksack Valley and Sedro-Woolley. Against the Cubs, juniors Scott Baldwin and Cole Thomas, along with sophomore Carson Lehnert, all reached double-figures in scoring.

Meridian came out this week with three games in three days. That’s the same way they ended their 2020 season in Yakima. They went 3-0 against Mount Baker, South Whidbey and La Conner, before a day off and a loss to Mount Vernon. Maybe they shouldn’t take a day off!

The Trojans edged the Mountaineers 79-78, but it was a tale of two halves. The Trojans took a 44-23 halftime lead, using a 14-0 run in the second quarter.

The Mountaineers shot their way back into it in the third quarter, as senior Braedan Hart scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half. That’s when he also hit six of his eight three-pointers. The Trojans held a nine-point lead with eight minutes to play, but the lead was only five, less than a minute later.

The Trojans pushed the lead back to 15 with 2:15 left, but the Mountaineeers would outscore the Trojans 17-3 the rest of the way. While it got tense for the Trojans, Mt. Baker never had the ball with a chance to tie the score. Hart’s last 3-pointer was at the buzzer and left the final at a one-point difference.

Senior Mason Jacoby and junior Aidan Corning scored 15 each for the Mountaineers. The Trojans were led by the 23 points by senior, Trey Naidu. Senior Wes Kurtz scored 18, and sophomore Hunter Jones added 13. Jones showed his court savvy by hiding in the weeds and stealing two of Baker’s outlet passes.

Ferndale had a 3-0 week despite not having top returning scorer, junior, Jazen Gillory. Any scoring the Golden Eagles missed out on against Squalicum on Monday, was made up by junior Mark Schlichting, who nailed seven 3’s, and scored 26 points. Sophomore Isaiah Carlson also scored 20 for Ferndale, in their 64-54 win.

The Storm looked good early, taking a 16-11 lead after eight minutes, but could muster only 12 points over the middle two quarters. Meanwhile, Ferndale scored 28 points in the third quarter, which offset the Storm’s 26-point fourth quarter. Storm junior, Reed Richardson, started his big scoring week with 22 points.

Lynden went 3-0 this week with wins over Nooksack Valley, Sedro-Woolley, and Bellngham. The game against the Red Raiders was the first time the Lions were able to field their entire varsity roster.

The Lions 57-35 win over the Cubs on Wednesday showed the kind of dept they still are able to incorporate. Sophomore Coston Parcher is running the point for the Lions, as junior Kaleo Jandoc recovers this spring from shoulder trouble. The Lions were also missing junior starter, Jordan Medcalf, and junior Dawson Adams.

Seniors Clay Kochuten and Liam Hanenburg each scored 18 points for the Lions, who got off to a slow offensive start. But their defense aloud them to reach a 20-2 lead in the second quarter. The Cubs also scrapped and hustled on defense, but too many times struggled to get a quality shot in their 30 seconds on offense. Senior JJ Cabello (12) and junior, Hayden Birkle (11) reached double-figures for the Cubs, who finished the week 0-3, with losses to Burlington-Edison and Blaine.

In an unforeseen omission, last week’s information did not include the addition of Mount Vernon and Oak Harbor to the Northwest Conference. It must have ended up, mistakenly, on the cutting room floor.

Mount Vernon was a charter member of the NWC in 2006-07. They stayed in the league through the 2011-12 season, before joining the Wesco Conference. In their six seasons in the NWC, they held a 53-25 record in league games, and were coached for four of those years by former Bulldog, Torey Swanson, and for two NWC seasons by former LC boys coach, Vic Wolfis.

Oak Harbor has also moved from the Wesco to the NWC. The Wildcats are coached by Nate Sullivan, who is in his second season. He was formerly an assistant coach at Anacortes, under head coach Brett Senff.

Lakewood will be a team missing from the NWC this season, as they are playing closer to home in the Wesco. We will see the Cougars again in the fall. After their first trip ever to the 2A state tournament last season, and graduating four starters, the Cougars are currently 4-0 in the Wesco.

Back to Mount Vernon, as their first NWC game was at Squalicum on Wednesday. The Bulldogs came away with a 41-31 win and followed that with a 78-44 win over Meridian.

Against the Storm, the Bulldogs trailed at halftime, 22-19. Both teams had trouble scoring in the middle two quarters. The Bulldogs had an 8-2 advantage in the third and held a 27-24 lead.

Senior Liam Johnston led the Bulldogs with 12 points. And 6-5 senior, Chase Calvin added 11 points with a strong low post game. Reed Richardson’s 18 points led the Storm.

Anacortes was 2-0 this week with wins over Oak Harbor and Squalicum. The Seahawks still apply their “hair on fire” pressure at both ends of the floor. Against the Storm, they got beat a few times early in the game for easy baskets. But over time, they really made their back court pressure, whether the ball was dead or alive, pay off.

The Storm scored the games first seven points as the Seahawks were late in taking the lid off the rim but came back to take an 18-16 lead after one quarter. The Storm fought back to take a 37-33 halftime lead, as Reed Richardson scored nine of his game high 24 points in the period.

A 24-5 third quarter put the game away for the Seahawks, as the Storm could not get the deficit under ten points after that.

In that game, both teams were in the double bonus in each half, by the middle of the second and fourth quarters, respectively. However, I came to realize that in a fast paced, up and down game, that number of fouls is much less noticeable than they would be in a slow, half-court game. Just an observation.

Sehome will also be a team to be reckoned with as they went undefeated this week with wins over Bellngham and Oak Harbor. Mt. Baker absorbed a loss to Lynden Christian, then came back with a great win on Friday over Burlington-Edison to go 2-2 on the season. The Tigers dropped to 1-1 after a win over Sedro-Woolley on Monday. Squalicum, Bellingham, Oak Harbor, Sedro-Woolley, and Nooksack Valley have yet to crack the win column.

~ Ted House

Yes, basketball courts are finally in session in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, which encompass the Northwest Conference. Instead of splitting the season at New Year’s, this basketball season will end the school year. It’s a little off, but it’s here.

Yes, basketball courts are finally in session in Whatcom and Skagit Counties, which encompass the Northwest Conference. Instead of splitting the season at New Year’s, this basketball season will end the school year. It’s a little off, but it’s here.

And, with no post-season, we really need to make a big deal out of what we do have. On Monday night, the first full night of action, there is a game that, in a normal season, may be standing room only. Fortunately, I will have the honor of attending.

On Monday, Blaine travels to Lynden Christian. Both teams have plenty of leftovers from the end of the 2019-20 season, and I think are not only the top two 1A teams in the NWC, but probably top 10 in 1A state, real or mythical.

Disclaimer: Before we go any further, this is based on rosters from 14 months ago, so in speaking of any team’s returning players from anywhere around the state, there are many reasons why those rosters may not be what we think they will be.

This game gives me reason for excitement, even though it will tip off on May 17! The Lyncs will have a new head coach, in long time assistant, Tim Zylstra. He would (should) have an experienced group to build around in big guys, Logan Dykstra and Andrew Hommes. Seniors Shale Whittern and Cole Moorlag offer experience and athleticism, along with exciting sophomore, Tyler Sipma.

The Borderites finished 11-11 as a 2A last season, and will match the LC lineup with experienced players such as Kyle Turnberg, Josh Russ, Cole Thomas, Jaxon Kortlever, and Scott Baldwin.

My apologies if any of these are incorrect. See “Disclaimer” above.

Lynden would have been a leading pick to win the 2A state tournament in 2021. They return a big part of their roster from 2020. “Big” would also be fitting in describing returning 6-11 senior center, Liam Hanenburg.

Another early favorite is Ferndale. They have the stuff to challenge for a spot at the top of the NWC, with the one-two punch of junior, Jazen Guillory, and sophomore, Isaiah Carlson, and a young, but experienced roster.

Most of the leagues around the state are using a similar time frame as the NWC for the 2021 basketball season, although several have had a week or two head start. I will try to keep up with the 1A’s and 2A’s as much as I can.

The South Puget Sound 4A League, along with the Pierce County 3A, began their seasons in an “outdoor” venue last week. A large structure at the Puyallup Fairgrounds was dolled up with a new asphalt floor and 3 courts to accommodate Pierce County being in Covid Phase-2, which did not allow indoor sports. It was similar to a tent restaurant, but bigger and with basketball courts instead of tables. It was quite an impressive project that came about in a 14-day period. Now that their county rules have been relaxed, they can go back to hosting games in their gyms beginning this week. You can read about the whole process in the Tacoma News Tribune.

By the way, for those of you scoring at home, since there was no State Tournament in 2021, my streak of 36 straight is still alive and well. Just delayed. The 2022 State Tournaments will be held March 2-5, according to the WIAA website. The 1A and 2A classifications will again be in the Yakima Valley SunDome, which would seem to mean that we will have another year of the same format. Thank you.

If all goes well, and nothing in the last 14 months has, I will have a pile of words out every Sunday. Stay tuned.

~ Ted House