By Ted House

The first full week of Northwest Conference league games is complete. Of the twelve games played between Monday and Thursday, only one was decided by single-digits. That was Squalicum’s 56-47 win over Blaine, on Monday. It wasn’t until Friday, that we saw a couple real nail-biters.

By Ted House

The first full week of Northwest Conference league games is complete. Of the twelve games played between Monday and Thursday, only one was decided by single-digits. That was Squalicum’s 56-47 win over Blaine, on Monday. It wasn’t until Friday, that we saw a couple real nail-biters.

The week began with Burlington-Edison traveling north to take on Lynden Christian. This was a very solid Tiger team taking on the defending 1A champions on their home floor. The Lyncs distanced themselves from the Tigers early on, taking a double-digit lead in the first half. The Tigers drew to within five, but the Lyncs ran away with a 67-45 victory.

The Tigers responded with a well played victory over Lakewood on Friday night, 70-62. The game seemed even closer than that, however.

This was a tale of completely different styles, as the Tigers start four players between 6-4 and 6-7. Meanwhile, the Cougars counter that with four starters under 6-2.

The Tigers work a very patient half court offense, using a variety of cuts and strategic bounce passes. The Cougars are dangerous in a completely different way. They spread the floor and look for opportunities to create driving lanes to the basket. If that doesn’t work, they can make you pay with a kick-out pass for a 3-point shot.

Both styles worked well, as the game was tight throughout. The Tigers held two point leads at the end of each of the first two quarters. In the third period, it seemed as though each shot caused the lead to change hands. The Tigers were up only by three points with eight minutes to go. Soon after, the Tigers took an eight point lead on a 3-point play by 6-7 junior, Wyatt Walker, with 6:30 to play.

A defensive change by the Tigers may have been the key to their fourth quarter run, as they switched from their game-long man-to-man defense to a 2-3 zone. That adjustment effectively slowed down the Cougars’ offense, and kept them outside the key.

Walker scored 12 of his 21 points in the second half. Brian McGovern, a 6-5 senior for the Tigers, came through with eight of his 14 points in the second half, on a variety strong, athletic drives to the basket.

Alex Jensen, a 6-0 junior, led the Cougars with 22 points, scoring 13 of those after halftime. Also, Morgan Stacey, a 6-0 junior who plays much bigger than that, added 16 points for the Cougars. Many of Stacey’s points were scored from the inside. He also played very strong near the defensive glass.

The big team, and the little team, each hit seven 3-pointers in the game. So clearly, that letter next to your name on the roster that indicates your “position,” doesn’t matter one bit.

Going back to Monday, Lynden took to the road to take on Marysville-Pilchuck. The Tomahawks have a UW signee, 6-5 senior, RaeQuan Battle. Add to that, the fact that the Lions lost their leading scorer, senior Clayton Whitman, to a rolled ankle in the first minute of the game. That would make for a real up-hill climb.

The Lions showed their depth and defensive attitude, as they still hammered Marysville, 80-46. Christian Zamora picked up the offensive slack, as he scored 27 points. Battle was not a factor, finishing with just 11.

Later in the week, Battle scored 43 points and had 19 rebounds, as the Tomahawks edged Edmonds-Woodway, 55-53. Battle had the game winning hoop at the buzzer. Marysville-Pilchuck was the pre-season #1 team in the 3A Wesco, according to a coaches poll, conducted by the Everett Herald.

If there was an award for “Most Improved” team, this early in the season, it would have to go to the Anacortes Seahawks.

The Seahawks, who were off to a 0-4 start, hosted Bellingham on Monday. All of their losses were by double-digits, with the closest being a 13 point loss to Burlington-Edison. But the Seahawks got themselves up, dusted themselves off, and beat Bellingham 71-51. The Seahawks followed that up with a 63-45 win at Meridian. They go to Lynden to play the Lions on Tuesday.

Anacortes-Lynden is the top 2A rivalry in the league, and has been for a while. The Seahawks own a five game winning streak over the Lions in league games. When you count non-league and post-season games, the Lions have won five of six over the last five seasons.

Ferndale has two wins over Nooksack Valley this season. The early non-league win was by a score of 69-47. The league game went to Ferndale, 69-48. That stuff interests me, for some reason.

More importantly for Ferndale, was their 80-45 win over fellow 3A counterpart, Squalicum, on Thursday. That’s the only chance for either team to pick up a 3A win in the District RPI. The Golden Eagles did it with defense.

Ferndale’s zone press and 3-2 zone defense worked effectively in creating dozens of pass deflections. Those deflections did two things: led to steals and easy transition baskets, or, if that didn’t happen, the deflections caused the Storm’s offense to recover the ball in positions that disrupted their offensive flow.

The way to beat these presses and defenses is to get the ball to the middle of the floor. Easier said, than done. The Storm used a variety of ways to try to accomplish this, and were successful at times. However, the Golden Eagles, for the most part, were able to keep the Storm offense out of the middle of the floor, which was a major disruptor to their offense.

The Golden Eagles take their 2-0 conference record, and six game winning streak, to Lakewood on Monday, and then host Lynden Christian on Friday.

Two nail-biters happened on Friday night. Nooksack Valley upended Mt. Baker, 62-60. That avenged a non-league loss to the Mountaineers earlier in the season. That win could be important when it comes to tiebreakers later in the season.

And, in the final game at the current gym at Sehome High School, the Mariners edged Bellingham, 54-53. The Mariners will open their new gym on January 4, against Lynden.

Along with the upcoming games mentioned earlier, Sehome will play Anacortes at Skagit Valley College on Thursday, in an important 2A game. On Saturday, Lynden Christian will play 3A Wilson at the Showare Center in Kent. That starts at 5pm.

There is one more game on Saturday that should be on the “to-do” list of any fan of high school basketball in the greater northwest.

Lynden will host O’Dea, a perennial 3A power in Seattle’s Metro League, in a match-up that just doesn’t happen often in our area. Jake Maberry Gymnasium seats 3000 people. I would encourage any fan of basketball to do your Festavus planning early, and make time to see this one.

The day of basketball starts at 2:30pm, with the O’Dea and Lynden JV and C-Team games. At 4pm, the Lynden girls will host Bellevue. The Irish and the Lions will tipoff at 6pm. Their last meeting was in the 2006 3A State Tournament. I will have more on this matchup, later in the week.

By Ted House

There wasn’t a lot of intrigue in Northwest Conference action over the past week, but NWC teams did combine to go 15-2 against out-of-conference opponents.

None of the four games I saw this week were nail-biters, but there was high interest, none the less.

By Ted House

There wasn’t a lot of intrigue in Northwest Conference action over the past week, but NWC teams did combine to go 15-2 against out-of-conference opponents.

None of the four games I saw this week were nail-biters, but there was high interest, none the less.

The Meridian Trojans used a quick, trapping zone defense to ambush Cedar Park Christian, 73-46. Trojan underclassmen scored all but ten of those 73. Jordan Veenstra (15), Jackson Short (13), and Joe Plagerman (11), reached double-figures. The Trojans improved their season record to 4-0 after an easy win at LaConner on Friday.

Wednesday evening was spent at Pioneer Pavilion, where the band still plays “Jesus Christ Superstar,” as the team enters the building. Still the best team intro around. However, it didn’t help the Pioneers against Mt. Baker that night.

The Mountaineers ran out to a 14-2 lead after eight minutes, as they turned defense into offense, with some exceptional passing sprinkled in for good measure. The Pioneers had a lot of trouble getting into any offensive flow, as shot after shot kicked off the rim as if they were shooting at gag rims from the local carnival. Their first field goal didn’t exit the net until the 5:38 mark of the second quarter.

A 15 point halftime deficit turned into 20 by the end of the third quarter. However, in that third quarter, the Mounties were whistled for ten fouls in the first seven minutes. That slowed the game down, and allowed the Pioneers to cash in at the free throw line. They (unofficially) hit 21-30 for the game, and crawled back to within eight, as the game ended with a 58-50 non-league win for the Mountaineers.

Junior Cole Eldridge came off the bench to score a game high 20 points for the Pioneers, and was their only player in double-figures. The Mountaineers were led by junior, Truman Anderson, who scored 14 points, all in the second half.

The impressive part of Mt. Baker’s game was their passing, especially from sophomore, Mason Jacoby. He threw two behind-the-back passes that were right on the money. (I guess the kids would call them, “dimes”). The great team passing led to balanced scoring, as Mt. Baker had five players score between seven and nine points.

After a loss at 4A Mt. Vernon on Friday, the Mountaineers are off to a 3-2 start. Nooksack, after a win at Friday Harbor on Saturday, is now 2-2.

My first look at Lynden Christian was Friday night, as they overwhelmed Seattle Christian, 82-37. Long arms stretched across the court attached to presses and zones led to several uncontested transition scores. Cole Bajema scored 14 of his 22 points in the first half, and started the second half with back-to-back dunks generated from the Lyncs defense.

Andrew DeVries scored eight of his eleven in the first quarter to help get things going the right direction for the Lyncs. Sophomore Jaden DeBoer tossed in 13 of his 16 in the second half.

The Lyncs came up with a 73-55 road win over a good Seattle Academy team on Saturday. They are now 3-0, and are averaging nearly 82 points a game.

On Saturday night, the Lynden Lions took the floor for the first time, and defeated Eastlake, 71-52. Clayton Whitman came out on fire, scoring 17 of his 21 in the first half. Christian Zamora used a variety of nifty inside moves to score most of his 19 points.

The Lions graduated only eight seniors over the last three seasons combined. This year, they have enough to start a “conga line.” Ten seniors are on the Lions roster this year. Their underclassmen are junior, Brock Heppner, who is one of the baddest dudes’ on any football field, and Liam Hannenberg, who is 6-foot-10.

Lynden will play four games this week, as they play catch-up from the football season. On Monday, they travel to Marysville-Pilchuck. M-P is led by UW commit, 6-5 senior, RaeQuan Battle.

We navigate through the workings of a seemingly endless supply of quality teams every week. But a big reason we are able to enjoy the successes of the Northwest Conference is because of the talented head coaches, and coaching staffs, that represent their schools.

Five of the 14 NWC head coaches have been in the league for at least ten seasons. Meridian’s Shane Stacy, and Lynden’s Brian Roper are in their 14^th seasons at their respective schools. Stacy also coached the Meridian girl’s team for three seasons, so I guess that gives him the tiebreaker to hold the gavel at league meetings.

For Coach Roper, this is his 26^th season as a head coach, which includes time at North Mason and Sequim. He began the year 423 career wins, and has three state championships with the Lions.

If for any reason, either of those two is unable to fulfill their duties, the second runner-up is Squalicum coach, Dave Dickson. (See what I did there)? Dickson is in his 13^th year with the Storm, and 25^th overall, with previous stops at Oak Harbor and Bellingham. He started the season with 378 career wins, and has led the Storm to two state championships.

Anacortes coach Brett Senff is in his 12^th year leading the Seahawks. With 188 wins in that time, Senff has built the Seahawks into a yearly title contender.

Roger DeBoer, while only in his 10^th season with Lynden Christian, is in his 28^th season overall, including his years at Seattle Christian. DeBoer began the season with 502 career wins, which is good for 17^th most all-time. DeBoer has won two state titles with the Lyncs, and one with Seattle Christian.

Brett Farrar, in his first year at Blaine, coached the Sedro-Woolley Cubs for six seasons. Bellingham’s Brad McKay is in his sixth season with the Red Raiders. Anthony Wiederkehr is in his fifth year at Lakewood. Ferndale’s Jason Owens is in his fourth season with the Golden Eagles. Nooksack Valley’s Rich Skillman is in his third season with the Pioneers, and Chas Kok is a second year coach at Burlington-Edison.

Last week I chronicled the three newcomers to the conference: Shelby Greenlaw at Mt. Baker; Chris Spencer at Sedro-Woolley; and Skyler Gillispie at Sehome.

It’s fun to watch these coaches interact and compete. Their competitiveness, knowledge and innovations, drives the league to new heights every year. There are also some tremendous friendships among the group, which I have seen, first hand.

South on I-5 a few hours, you’ll come to the town of Longview, home of the Mark Morris Monarchs. The Monarchs have been the epitome of consistency under head coach Bill Bakamus, who is in his 27^th season at the school. The Monarchs have won 18 consecutive Greater St. Helens 2A titles.

Bakamus is in his 36^th season overall, including his time at Coulee-Hartline and Toledo. The Monarchs next win will be career #600 for Bakamus, which is currently sixth all-time, and the most for any active coach in the state. The Monarchs were denied on Friday, as they lost to Skyview. Their next chance is on Tuesday, in a non-league home game against Timberline.

Back in the Northwest Conference, league play begins this week, with the headliner being Burlington-Edison at Lynden Christian on Monday.

Thursday’s action has Squalicum at Ferndale. That‘s an important 3A “District” RPI game, as it’s the only chance those teams have to pick up a 3A win. (See last week’s post on RPI’s).

On Friday, watch out for the Bellingham-Sehome rematch, as well as Lakewood at Burlington-Edison.

*Coaches statistical information courtesy of Washington Interscholastic Basketball Coaches Association.

By Ted House

The 2018-19 Northwest Conference boys basketball season begins exactly where last season ended: with the sounds of “Soul Finger” in my head.

On the court, there are similarities as well. The Lynden Lions and the Lynden Christian Lyncs both brought home the Gold Ball for their respective classifications. At the start of the 2017-18 season, both teams were in the state championship conversation.

By Ted House

The 2018-19 Northwest Conference boys basketball season begins exactly where last season ended: with the sounds of “Soul Finger” in my head.

On the court, there are similarities as well. The Lynden Lions and the Lynden Christian Lyncs both brought home the Gold Ball for their respective classifications. At the start of the 2017-18 season, both teams were in the state championship conversation.

This year, those two teams are at the top of those conversations. Both return a wealth of talent, size, speed and depth. And, because of the successes of their football programs, both are a little late to the winter season. The Lyncs did get their first game in, a week after their football season ended. The Lyncs defeated LaCenter, Saturday night, 90-78. The Lions played in the 2A state football championship game on the same day, so they will begin their quest to repeat, next Saturday, at home against Eastlake.

In the offseason, Lyncs senior, Cole Bajema, announced his commitment to play collegiate basketball at the University of Michigan. Also, Lynden senior, Clayton Whitman, announced his commitment to Seattle Pacific University. Bajema and Whitman are the two most explosive players in the league at the present time, and probably in the 13 year history of the league. And, you can take that back in years as far as you like for conversation. Prior to seeing either of them play this season, I think that “explosiveness” can be defined differently for each of them. I will expand on that at a later time.

The competition level of the Northwest Conference is second to none. Part of that is the high level of talented individuals who create a league with tremendous depth. The other part of that is the level of coaching in this conference. This year, the league has four coaches who are new, or now appear on a new sideline.

Brett Farrar, after six seasons at Sedro-Woolley, has taken over as the head coach at Blaine. Coach Farrar produced some tough teams in his years with the Cubs, and the same thing will happen at Blaine.

And let’s also give some credit to Rob Ridnour, who stepped in to coach the Borderites last season, while they searched for a permanent replacement. That would not be an easy thing to do, but all involved handled it well.

Replacing Farrar at Sedro-Woolley is Chris Spencer. Coach Spencer, who grew up in Whatcom County, comes to the Cubs from Knappa High School, near Astoria, Oregon. Spencer was the head coach there for five seasons, and finished with a 23-6 record last year.

Shelby Greenlaw is the new head coach at Mt. Baker. She was the women’s assistant coach at Whatcom Community College for the past four years. Quick side note: Mt. Baker is averaging 86.5 points in their first two games.

The Sehome Mariners new head coach is Skyler Gillispie. Coach Gillispie spent last season as an assistant coach at Western Washington University. Prior to that, he spent six seasons as the head coach at 4A Camas. Camas had winning seasons in four of his six years. In the 2014-15 season, Camas made the final 16 for the first time in 51 years.

The three new coaches are joining quite a group. I will have more on the NWC coaches in the near future.

So, what are the other early stories in the league?

First of all, Anacortes High School has been going through quite a bit of construction lately. New football stadium and a new turf baseball field, for starters. They are now working on the school building, which includes the gym. Therefore, the Seahawks boy’s team is playing all their home games at Skagit Valley College. They have seven home games on the league schedule. All their non-league games (13) will be on the road.

The Anacortes girls are using a combination of home games at SVC and Anacortes Middle School.

We will also be treated to a new gym at Sehome in the very near future.

Burlington-Edison was an up-and-coming team last season under second year coach, Chas Kok. They finished the NWC season with just a 5-8 NWC record, but used their #11 district tournament seed to the fullest. They eliminated Archbishop Murphy in a first round, loser out game. After a loss to Anacortes, the Tigers won two more loser-out games to qualify for regionals. That is great experience for a team led by returning juniors, Wyatt Walker and Jackson Reisner.

I managed to get to four games in the first week. Best of all, it was a nice mix of NWC and Wesco.

The Sehome-Bellingham game was a good one on Tuesday. Teams were a bit wild, which led to many fouls, which is not unusual for opening night. Or, an early season rivalry game.

The streaks in the game were interesting. Sehome led 37-33 at halftime, but the Red Raiders scored the first nine points of the third quarter, for a 42-37 lead. However, that prompted Sehome into a 20-2 run, to take a 57-44 lead at the end of the third.

Then it was Bellingham’s turn, as they ran off a 19-5 run, to take the lead, 63-62 with 2:40 left. But that was the last points they could muster, as Sehome scored the last eight to win, 70-63.

Sehome senior, Eddy Hochsprung will be one of those showing us his scoring prowess again this year. He had 26 points against Bellingham. He’s difficult to stop because he has such a variety of ways to score.

After a 3A Wesco loss to Arlington, Sehome took on 2A Wesco, Cedarcrest. The Red Wolves came away with a 63-62 victory in overtime, thanks to a 3-pointer by Chris Busch with three seconds left.

The anomaly in this one was that each team had three possessions in the final eight seconds of regulation.

If you happen to be scoreboard watching, you may have notices several scores that begin with a seven, maybe an eight, or even a nine. But, that’s not really something new, especially for early season, non-league games.

Mt. Baker has put up 94, as well as 79 in overtime. Sedro-Woolley hit 87. Lakewood and Meridian have an 83. And Lynden Christian rolled up 90 in their first outing. Those numbers are slightly higher than last year’s first week, but I would expect lower offensive outputs as league games approach.

Another week on non-league games begin Monday night, and the gym lights will be on every night through Saturday.

Lastly, some sad news to report at the start of the season.

Sources close to the situation, recently told me that the Meridian High School concession stand will no longer be able to provide their award winning dish: Teriyaki Chicken with Rice. I know. Me too. It has to be understood that this is no fault of their own, as they were forced to make a business decision.

The shock has yet to wear off, but it will. It’s like losing your best player for the season. However, that team is deep enough that it should not drop them from their championship status, or hinder their ability to win another NWC title.

I’ll check it out on Tuesday, when the Trojans host Cedar Park Christian.

RPI 301

MTWThFS 4PM-10PM

In the Gym

By Ted House, Professor of Research, THE RPI School

When I’m out and about, I get a lot of questions about this RPI business. And that’s fine. Keep them coming, because somehow, it’s fun to talk about. However, when I get in these conversations, sometimes I get the idea that we aren’t discussing the same RPI. There are multiple RPI’s, so come clean on the differences.

RPI 301

MTWThFS 4PM-10PM

In the Gym

By Ted House, Professor of Research, THE RPI School

When I’m out and about, I get a lot of questions about this RPI business. And that’s fine. Keep them coming, because somehow, it’s fun to talk about. However, when I get in these conversations, sometimes I get the idea that we aren’t discussing the same RPI. There are multiple RPI’s, so come clean on the differences.

This is the third school year for the District 1 & 2 RPI for the 2A classification. It is used for football, volleyball and girls soccer in the fall; boys and girls basketball in the winter; and softball, boys soccer and baseball in the spring. With slight scoring differences for football and soccer, the RPI creates standings for the 13 2A teams in District 1 & 2, and seeds them into their specific district tournaments.

2A teams are members of the Northwest Conference, Wesco Conference, and KingCo Conference. Each conference has members from different classifications, and the RPI system is used as a way to seed teams fairly for the post-season. The Cascade Conference disbanded after the 2017-18 school year, and its two remaining 2A teams, Cedarcrest and Archbishop Murphy, have joined the Wesco 3A Conference. Liberty and Sammamish are 2A teams that compete in the KingCo 3A Conference in District 2.

With the addition of the two 2A schools to the Wesco 3A, and with Ferndale and Squalicum competing in the Northwest Conference (except for football), the 3A schools in District 1 have adopted the same RPI system that has been used by the 2A classification. As of this school year, Ferndale and Squalicum will be included in the RPI system with the 12 3A schools in the Wesco. This will make the run-up to the 3A post-season much easier to follow.

On the state level, the WIAA is still only using an RPI system for basketball. It is completely different measurement than the local 2A and 3A district RPI.

The state basketball RPI counts all games played, through district tournaments. This means league, non-league, and all post-season games at the district tournament level. The RPI equation includes the team’s winning percentage (worth 40%); its opponents winning percentage (40%); and its opponents-opponents winning percentage (20%).

For its first two years, a “25/50/25” percent system was used. This year, those numbers have changed to 40/40/20. This will give more weight to a team’s own winning percentage, and slightly less to the two other factors.

Games against touring Australian teams are not counted in the state basketball RPI. Furthermore, if a team has “out of state” opponents on the schedule, they must keep track of those teams’ records throughout the season. However, they do not have to track the opponent’s records of that team.

For example, if Zillah plays Oceanside, California, then Zillah must keep track of Oceanside’s record because they are their opponent. But the opponents of Oceanside (the final 20% of the equation), will default to a .500 record.

On the other hand, the RPI used by our local 2A and 3A teams only counts the league games that are on the schedule. Teams can only gain points for wins. A team will get more points for beating a 3A team, as opposed to a 2A or 1A team, which are in proportion. There is also a bonus if a team you beat finishes with a record of .500 or higher. It’s the final league record that is most important. You may beat a team in the second week of the season that was over .500 at the time. But if that team finishes the league schedule with a record that has fallen under .500, that win will be worth less.

Another new RPI example is the SPSL 2A League which has 16 teams that are split into three divisions. They have adopted an RPI system this year to seed teams into their district tournament as well. However, the SPSL 2A has chosen to use an RPI system that is similar to the WIAA’s state basketball version, where they will count all games played in the regular season, along with the three percentages.

You can find a district RPI link on the home page of the individual sport. It says, “RPI” near the upper left, in the row between standings and photos. For basketball season, the district RPI will begin its updates in January, after enough games have been played to make it realistic.

I realize this is convoluted! Hopefully, less now than a few minutes ago. Just remember that there is a state basketball RPI for everyone. And there are district RPI’s for 3A teams in District 1, and 2A teams in Districts 1 & 2. I’m just doing my part to keep District 1 as the most informed district in the state!

by Ted House

The 2017-18 was an amazing year for basketball teams in the Northwest Conference, as three earned state championships. It’s now time to recognize some of the amazing individuals who made up, not only those teams, but several other highly competitive programs, that belong to the best league in the state.

by Ted House

The 2017-18 was an amazing year for basketball teams in the Northwest Conference, as three earned state championships. It’s now time to recognize some of the amazing individuals who made up, not only those teams, but several other highly competitive programs, that belong to the best league in the state.

The Associated Press All-State Teams have been announced. Nine individuals who belong to Northwest Conference teams have been selected to either first team, or honorable mention status. The list also includes one “player of the year.”

The 2A champion, Lynden Lions (22-6), had two players selected to the AP first team. They are juniors, Christian Zamora, and running mate, Clayton Whitman.

Senior Trystan Lowry, of the 20-3 Anacortes Seahawks, received honorable mention honors. Lowry was a four-year varsity star for the Seahawks.

Lynden Christian junior, Cole Bajema, was selected as the “Player of the Year,” for the 1A classification. The Lyncs took the 1A title, and finished with a 27-1 record.

1A honorable mention honors went to Nooksack Valley senior, Casey Bauman.

1A girls champion, Lynden Christian (28-0), had two players honored. Senior Avery Dykstra was named to the first team, while teammate, Isabela Hernandez, a junior, received honorable mention.

Nooksack Valley senior, Katrina Gimmaka, was also selected to the 1A all-state first team. Gimmaka led the Pioneers to a 20-9 record, and one win short of a top six finish at the state tournament.

Lakewood senior, Jelly Perry, was named to the 2A girls all-state first team. Perry is an extremely talented three-sport athlete for the Cougars.

For a complete list of the 1A and 2A Associated Press All-State teams, please see the attachment below.

By Ted House

Welcome to “Footsketball” week.

Obviously, that’s the transition week between fall and winter, where we still have NWC teams dealing with football, while others are taking to the hardwood.

Ironically, or maybe not, the last two NWC teams still on the grid were the Lynden Lions and the Lynden Christian Lyncs. Both, the favorites to repeat as their respective classifications’ basketball champions.

The Lyncs were defeated by Newport in the semis last weekend, and now have a full basketball roster. The Lions need another week, as they play defending champion, Hockinson, for the 2A title this Saturday.

By Ted House

Welcome to “Footsketball” week.

Obviously, that’s the transition week between fall and winter, where we still have NWC teams dealing with football, while others are taking to the hardwood.

Ironically, or maybe not, the last two NWC teams still on the grid were the Lynden Lions and the Lynden Christian Lyncs. Both, the favorites to repeat as their respective classifications’ basketball champions.

The Lyncs were defeated by Newport in the semis last weekend, and now have a full basketball roster. The Lions need another week, as they play defending champion, Hockinson, for the 2A title this Saturday.

Both teams have made early season adjustments to their schedules, but Stanwood is still on the Lions schedule for next week. It appears that there are difficulties finding a mutually satisfying date to reschedule. But it still could happen.

I’m getting a running start into the season with a double-header on Tuesday. Friday Harbor visits Blaine at 5pm, which leaves the perfect amount of time to get to Bellingham to see the Mariners and the Red Raiders.

There are stories a plenty to follow through the 2018-19 season. And more will pop up along the way. I have given myself a soft deadline for weekly columns (“blog” is kind of a depressing word) to be published “sometime on Sunday’s.”

Early topics include: the bigger games in the 18-19 schedule; coaching changes and some history there in; all the different RPI’s; and of course, the bad news I recently heard about the absence of my favorite NWC dish, MHS’s teriyaki chicken & rice.

All that, and more…sometime Sunday.

by Ted House

It was quite a week for the Northwest Conference. It was quite a week for the greater “98264.” It was quite a week for Lynden and Lynden Christian boys and girls basketball programs.

Specifically, they Lynden boys, the Lynden Christian boys, and the Lynden Christian girls basketball programs all won their respective State Tournament titles, in the Yakima SunDome, Saturday, March 4, 2018.

by Ted House

It was quite a week for the Northwest Conference. It was quite a week for the greater “98264.” It was quite a week for Lynden and Lynden Christian boys and girls basketball programs.

Specifically, they Lynden boys, the Lynden Christian boys, and the Lynden Christian girls basketball programs all won their respective State Tournament titles, in the Yakima SunDome, Saturday, March 4, 2018.

The Lynden girls basketball team brought home a sixth place trophy from Yakima. Let’s not forget, that the Lion girls won the 2A state championship in 2017. That’s a lot of big hardware for one town.

The town has seen “double-titles” four times since 1991. The Lynden boys and the LC girls each won back-to-back championships in the 1991 and 1992 seasons. In 1991 season, the Lyncs beat the Lions for the 1A girls championship.

The Lynden Christian boys and girls both won championships in 1999. The Lion and Lyncs boys both won championships in 2012. The 2018 season was the first “trifecta.”

The LC boys’ last three championships have all been three years apart, going back to 2006. The LC girls have won every other title since 2014, and have a total of 12. The LHS boys have three since 2007, and the LHS girls have two since 2009. The four programs have combined for 12 state championships since 2006.

In the last 13 seasons, the Lynden boys have made 11 regional/state appearances, and won ten trophies. In the last 12 years, the Lynden girls have placed nine times in 11 appearances.

The Lynden Christian boys have been to regional/state seven times in the last eight years, winning five trophies. And the Lyncs girls have won 14 trophies in the last 14 years.

With that many horses in the race, it was just a matter of time before three of them got together.

2A Boys Championship: Lynden 57, WF West 53.

The Lynden Lions defeated the WF West Bearcats, 57-53, in the 2018 2A State Championship game, Saturday, March 4, in the Yakima SunDome. It was Lynden’s ninth state championship in program history, after finishing third, each of the last two seasons.

The Lions and the Bearcats got together just seven days earlier in a regional game at Mt. Vernon High School. The Lions used a two minute span in the second quarter, to ignite a 73-46 victory. The win sent the Lions to the state quarterfinals. The Bearcats played in the Wednesday loser out round, where they edged North Kitsap, 60-59.

WF West, who was the #8 RPI seed, then went on to knock off #2-Selah, 57-54, and #3-Foss, 53-50. The Bearcats momentum should have made everyone forget about that 27 point loss to the Lions.

Lynden waited for Columbia River to knock out Fife on Wednesday, then they derailed the Chieftains, 44-33 on Thursday, surrendering only nine second half points in the process. That was followed up by a 13 point defensive effort in the first half against Mark Morris, in the state semifinals. The Lions beat the Monarchs, 67-43.

In the Championship game, there were early signs that this could be another runaway win for the Lions, as they went out to a 14-5 lead at the end of the first quarter. Blake Silves and Christian Zamora nailed early 3-pointers, as the Lions divided their 14 points, five ways.

Clayton Whitman and Zamora hit back-to-back 3-pointers, then Whitman followed that with a jumper to give the Lions their biggest lead of the game, 27-11 with less than three minutes left in the half.

Whitman’s bucket was the last field goal of the half for the Lions, however, and the Bearcats squeezed the lead down to ten by halftime, 28-18. The lead could have been larger were it not for the Lions 1-6 from the free throw line in the second quarter. James Marsh was also limited because of early foul trouble.

Another Zamora 3-ball lifted the Lions to a 37-24 lead with 3:47 left in the third quarter, and again, that would be it for offense for the Lions. The Bearcats scored the next eight points to cut the lead to 37-32, headed to the fourth quarter.

Brandon White, the Bearcats 6-8 senior, hit a jumper in the key to cut the lead to three, just seconds into the final frame.

The Lions finally generated a couple momentum plays, as Whitman maneuvered for a 3-point play with 3:11 to go, giving the Lions a six point lead. Then, after two Brandon White free throws, Zamora followed in Whitman’s footsteps, for another “and-one,” and a 49-42 lead.

The Lions led by ten with 37 seconds left, but the Bearcats didn’t give in. They scored seven of the games last eight points, to come within four at the buzzer.

The Lion team, which finished 22-6 and lists ten underclassmen, celebrated at mid court, achieving the programs ninth state title. It is their third championship at the 2A level, all under 13-year head coach, Brian Roper.

Clayton Whitman and Christian Zamora, both juniors, each scored 17 points. Whitman was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. Zamora was also named first team all-state. Whitman averaged 16.7 points per game in the tournament. Zamora was a point behind, and averaged 16.3.

All 12 Lions logged playing time in the championship game, some only for a few seconds. But the difference between Lynden and several of the other teams in the state tournament was the depth of their bench. Sophomore Brock Heppner, senior, Trey LaBounty, as well as juniors Carson Bode and Dakota Baar, were vital in the Lions championship run, as they gave quality minutes when called upon.

For WF West, it has been a quick climb back into the upper echelon of 2A basketball. The Bearcats finished 0-20 in the 2015 season. In 2018, they finished 24-5, with two losses to Lynden, and second in the state.

Over the three state tournament games, the Lions defense allowed only 43 points per game. Lion opponents scored seven points or less in five of the 12 quarters of play.

Lynden 57, WF West 53

Lynden 14-14-09-20 = 57

WFW 05-13-14-21 = 53

Lyn – Kobe Elsner 6, Blake Silves 9, James Marsh 2, Clayton Whitman 17, Christian Zamora 17, Brock Heppner 4, Trey LaBounty 0, Noah Walker 0, Dakota Baar 2, Carson Bode 0, Carter Parcher 0, Jacob Kettels 0. FG 18-41, 43.9%; 3P 6-16, 37.5%; FT 15-28, 53.6%.

WFW – Nole Wollan 3, Jordan Thomas 12, Brandon White 17, Colby White 3, Bailey Cooper 14, Bryce Dobyns 4, Tyler Speck 0. FG 18-42, 42.9%; 3P 2-12, 16.7%; FT 15-26, 57.7%.

1A Boys Championship: Lynden Christian 82, Freeman 45

The Lynden Christian Lyncs shot their way to their sixth state title, with an 82-45 win over the Freeman Scotties, Saturday, March 4, at the Yakima SunDome.

It was the Scotties third straight appearance in the championship game. The Lyncs last championship appearance was a 2015 loss to Kings.

LC junior, Cole Bajema, entered the finale averaging 26.5 points in the Lyncs two wins over Kings Way Christian and The Northwest School. Freeman’s philosophy was to “face guard” Bajema with 6-5 junior, Dylan Oja.

Recognizing this, the Lyncs ran two set plays for Bajema, and they worked for a quick 5-0 lead. On the first set, with Oja in a nose-to-nose defensive position, Bajema went from the left low post, around a screen near the top of the key, where he took a pitch and planted a 3-pointer. On their next possession, he started to run the same route, but quickly cut back-door, and took a pass from George DeJong for an easy layin.

The Lyncs were up 9-0 before the Scotties hit their first field goal, but then ran off seven straight points to cut the lead to 9-7. But that’s as close as the Scotties would get the rest of the way.

Andrew DeVries hit his first 3-pointer with 2:23 left in the quarter, starting a 12 point run, that culminated with another DeVries 3-pointer at the first quarter buzzer.

The Lyncs 24 point second quarter was nothing short of amazing, considering the shooting difficulties that most normal teams face in the SunDome. But the 2018 Lyncs are not your ordinary offensive team.

With 3:16 to play in the half, Freeman’s leading scorer, and all-stater, Michael Coumont, scored on a layup to cut the LC lead to 28-18. What happened next would be more believable if you were telling a story of the Golden State Warriors.

Bajema scored on a layup to extend the lead back to 12, with just under three minutes left in the half. And then came the 3-point show.

Luke Bos hit a 3-pointer at 2:35, followed by another one by Bajema at 2:03. Then, it was Bos again, in transition, with 1:26 left. At 1:11, Bajema strokes another one from the same spot on the right wing. Then DeVries grabbed a loose ball after a DeJong blocked shot, and pulled up at the hot spot, and nailed another one with 54 seconds left in the half.

The score went from 28-18, to 45-18 in a matter of 2:04 of clock time. The Bajema layin was followed by five consecutive 3-pointers, for a 17-0 run.

After a free throw by Oja in the final seconds, the Lyncs led 45-19 at halftime.

The Lyncs shot 56 percent from the field for the second time in three days. They would hit 12 of 20 3-pointers in the championship game, and break at least a couple state offensive records in the process. Freeman shot only 26 percent for the game, and that mark finished on a high note, as they outscored the Lyncs 16-11 in the fourth quarter.

The Lyncs built the lead to 69-29, late in the third quarter, invoking the 40-point, running clock rule.

Bajema finished with 21 points and 8 rebounds. He averaged 24.7 points and 9.7 rebounds in the three games. He also made nine of 15 3-point attempts in the tournament, for a 60 percent pace.

DeVries, who was voted first team all-state, scored 18 points on the night, on six of nine shooting from 3-point range. DeVries averaged 15.7 points per game in the tournament.

Luke Bos was the final Lync in double-figures, with 17. He hit three of four 3-pointers.

With all this good shooting, there must be someone getting them the ball at the right time. That would be senior point-guard Jordan Riddle, who dished out nine assists.

The Lyncs tournament total of 242 points, was 20 points more than the 3-day state tournament record set by Zillah, last year. Their 80.7 average also sets a 3-day record.

It was the Lyncs second state title under nine-year coach, Roger DeBoer. They finished the season with a record of 27-1. This was the Scotties only loss of the season, and they finish with a record of 24-1.

Lynden Chr. 21-24-26-11 = 82

Freeman 09-10-10-16 = 45

LC – Jordan Riddle 6, Cole Bajema 21, Andrew DeVries 18, Luke Bos 17, George DeJong 5, Michael Lancaster 0, Bryce Bouwman 7, Tanner Jansen 2, Cristian Colwell 2, Cole Langstraat 4, Jake Libolt 0, Zach Sipma 0. FG 26-46, 56.5%; 3P 12-20, 60%; FT 18-22, 81.8%.

Freeman – Michael Coumont 14, Rhys Mcvay 0, Dylan Oja 6, Quin Hopkins 8, Jackson Clark 10, Kaleb Ohler 0, Johnny Mcguire 1, Jace Phelan 0, Ryan Crosswhite 0, Jarett Wright 0, Jimmie Pearce II 4, Zach Trumble 2. FG 15-57, 26.3%; 3P 1-17, 5.9%; FT 14-26, 53.8%.

The 2017-18 All Northwest Conference Boys Basketball teams have been released.

Colson Bajema, junior, from 1A State Champion Lynden Christian, is this year's Most Valuable Player.

Coach of the Year in the NWC is Ferndale's Jason Owens.

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

The 2017-18 All Northwest Conference Boys Basketball teams have been released.

Colson Bajema, junior, from 1A State Champion Lynden Christian, is this year's Most Valuable Player.

Coach of the Year in the NWC is Ferndale's Jason Owens.

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

Squalicum Senior Damek Mitchell was named as the Most Valuable Player of the Northwest Conference, by league coaches.

Bellingham’s Brad McKay was named the Coach of the Year.

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

Squalicum Senior Damek Mitchell was named as the Most Valuable Player of the Northwest Conference, by league coaches.

Bellingham’s Brad McKay was named the Coach of the Year.

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