The Week That Wasn’t

By Ted House

It seems that local athletic directors perspired more than the athletes this week. Because of the early week weather problems, all of our respective district tournaments had to be postponed. That meant a lot of work by AD’s to get things lined up again. You can bet that they now have back-up plans, for their back-up plans.

The Week That Wasn’t

By Ted House

It seems that local athletic directors perspired more than the athletes this week. Because of the early week weather problems, all of our respective district tournaments had to be postponed. That meant a lot of work by AD’s to get things lined up again. You can bet that they now have back-up plans, for their back-up plans.

The 1A’s had to do a complete reformat due to their time constraints, as their first round was moved from Monday to Wednesday. Nooksack Valley beat Sultan on Wednesday in a loser out game, but then was eliminated by Cedar Park Christian, the next day.

Meridian was knocked into a loser out game against South Whidbey on Thursday, due to a loss to Kings on Wednesday. The Trojans advanced, by beating the Falcons 67-47. Meridian is scheduled to play Cedar Park Christian on Monday at Mt. Vernon Christian High School. That game is for 3^rd and 4^th in the district, with both teams advancing to the Bi-District tournament.

Lynden Christian defeated Cedar Park Christian on Wednesday, setting up a district final against Kings, Monday, at Mt. Vernon High School. The winner of that goes straight to the Bi-District championship game, with a regional spot secured.

In the game against CPC, Lynden Christian’s Cole Bajema became the Lyncs all-time leading scorer. He surpassed the record of 1,602 that was held by Isaac Reimer since 2013.

Those two 1A district games don’t have a lot of empty days to play with, as the Bi-District tournament is set to start on Wednesday.

The loser out round of the 2A tournament was moved from Wednesday to Thursday. The Wesco Conference was to play their last regular season game on Monday, but those games were eventually cancelled.

Sehome, Lakewood, Burlington-Edison and Bellingham all survived loser out contests. In Bellingham’s win over Cedarcrest, Red Raider junior guard, Colm Schaefer, set a school record by knocking down eight 3-pointers. Schaefer finished with 26 points. They will play at Lynden on Monday. Also on Monday, Burlington-Edison goes to Liberty; Lakewood is at Anacortes; and Sehome goes to Mountlake Terrace.

All those teams will be in action again on Tuesday, as the winners will face off in the semifinals at MVHS, and the losers will play elimination games at MVCHR.

Squalicum, who is on a season-best five game winning streak, survived their loser out game by beating Lynnwood on Thursday. Their next action will be on Monday at Arlington.

You may notice that I never once used the term, “weather permitting.” It would have been redundant, so I’m using it now!

Basically, tournaments will get squeezed until we run out of open days. It is possible that some district tournaments will be finishing early next week. Regional at State tournaments can’t be changed, so one way or another, those 16 regional spots will be filled. Each district has their own ground rules in place to do that, and will do everything in their power to get the games played.

In conclusion, we will either see a whole bunch of games in a short amount of time, or no games over a lot of time. Hopefully Mother Nature is a basketball fan!

By Ted House

The first sign of winter snow accompanied by its long time companion, the Nor’easter, has finally hit. But we can’t deal with either of you right now, as it’s time for post-season basketball. And brackets don’t hold up well in the snow (see 2017). Plus the fact that I still need solid traction under my feet.

By Ted House

The first sign of winter snow accompanied by its long time companion, the Nor’easter, has finally hit. But we can’t deal with either of you right now, as it’s time for post-season basketball. And brackets don’t hold up well in the snow (see 2017). Plus the fact that I still need solid traction under my feet.

The 1A schedule ended on Thursday night. Nooksack Valley’s win over Blaine, coupled with losses by Meridian and Mt. Baker, created a three-way tie in which only two could advance.

Meridian claimed the #2 seed from the Northwest Conference by way of their wins over Nooksack and Mt. Baker. Nooksack gets the #3 seed by way of their victory over Mt. Baker. The Mountaineers will have to sit this one out. The NWC advances three of their four 1A teams, while the North Sound Conference sends five of their six this year.

The 1A District Tournament begins Monday night for both the boys and girls. The way the seedings fell, four schools will host boys and girls double-headers. Boys games will begin at 6:00pm, followed by the girls games at 7:45.

The Nooksack boys and girls are both a #3 seed from the NWC. Both teams will play at Cedar Park Christian, the NSC #2’s, on Monday. Meridian will host the South Whidbey boys and the Granite Falls girls. The Lynden Christian boys, winners of 27 straight, will be at home against Sultan, then, the LC girls play Coupeville. The NSC champion Kings boys host Granite falls, followed by the Kings girls taking on Sultan.

This is a double-elimination tournament, with the top four teams advancing to the Bi-District tournament with District 2.

In the 2A classification, the Wesco Conference ends its regular season on Monday. The top four teams listed in the district RPI will avoid Wednesday’s loser out round. Lynden will be the #1 seed, and Liberty is locked into the #4 spot. Anacortes is currently #2, but could change places with #3 Mountlake Terrace. For that to happen, MLT has to beat Shorewood, and must couple that with a Meadowdale win over Archbishop Murphy.

Most of the 12 seeds “seem” set. Sammamish has been eliminated. There could be a change in the order between #9 and #11, pending Monday outcomes.

The top four from the 2A tournament will earn a spot in the regional round.

The 3A classification got real crazy last week. I spent several hours going over their RPI scenarios. Squalicum seems to have come out of nowhere to grab the #10 and final 3A seed, over Ferndale.

I must point out that, not even I am confident enough to proclaim Squalicum as the #10 seed, until Monday’s games are concluded. Sometimes, there are underlying circumstances in these scenarios that can’t be seen.

However, the Storm has gone from #12 to #10 this week, thanks to wins over 2A Lakewood and Burlington-Edison. The fact that both of those teams finished with winning records, meant bonus RPI points for the Storm.

As the #10 seed, the Storm would play a loser out game on the road, against either Lynnwood, Shorewood, or Meadowdale, on Thursday.

In girls 2A, Lakewood has been eliminated. The top four teams will be Archbishop Murphy, Lynden, Burlington-Edison, and Anacortes. The loser out, first round will be played on Thursday.

The Ferndale girls currently hold the #6 seed, which will let them avoid the loser out round. Squalicum is #11, and appears to have been eliminated. The Wesco girls schedule also ends on Monday.

There were a couple milestones that were reached last week. On Monday, in Anacortes’ win over Mt. Baker, head coach Brett Senff, earned his 200^th victory with the Seahawks. He is now 201-94 in his 12^th season.

On Friday, Lynden senior, Christian Zamora, became the Lions all-time leading scorer. Zamora broke the 1,506 point mark set by Eric Petersen in 1986. The record stood for nearly 33 full seasons.

The fun begins now! Just make sure I have a salty path to your gym door.

District RPI has been updated through games played through:

February 1.

This includes 2A District 1 & 2, and 3A District 1 Boys & Girls

District RPI has been updated through games played through:

February 1.

This includes 2A District 1 & 2, and 3A District 1 Boys & Girls

By Ted House

In what was labeled as “The Game of The Year” in the state of Washington, the Lynden Christian Lyncs soundly defeated their cross-town rival, Lynden Lions, 75-57, Friday night at Jake Maberry Gymnasium.

The crowd, which just may be the largest ever to watch a high school basketball game in Whatcom County, was about 50 people deep when the doors opened at 3:15pm. The 3,000 plus jammed the two mammoth grandstands at The Jake, even filling aisles, hallways, and doorways.

By Ted House

In what was labeled as “The Game of The Year” in the state of Washington, the Lynden Christian Lyncs soundly defeated their cross-town rival, Lynden Lions, 75-57, Friday night at Jake Maberry Gymnasium.

The crowd, which just may be the largest ever to watch a high school basketball game in Whatcom County, was about 50 people deep when the doors opened at 3:15pm. The 3,000 plus jammed the two mammoth grandstands at The Jake, even filling aisles, hallways, and doorways.

By the time the junior varsity game was at halftime, the mass of people hampered media outlets chances for any type of wifi broadcast. Fortunately, a Facebook feed was able to be viewed by several hundred more fans.

The game itself also had its story lines. The two very familiar rivals, who were also undefeated, reigning state champions, treated all to some unbelievable basketball.

Lynden Christian senior, Cole Bajema, while converting on only 11 of 27 field goal attempts, electrified the crowd on each of his 11 successes. He finished with 32 points and ten rebounds.

The Lyncs team defense was the difference on this night. After careful study of said defense, I can’t really categorize it with a single term. Sometimes it appeared as a 2-3 zone, with “special circumstances.” Other times, it resembled a “triangle-and-two.” However you look at it, their focus was certainly on Lynden senior standouts, Christian Zamora and Clayton Whitman.

Although both scored well, Zamora 21 points and Whitman 20, those 41 did not come easy, as each had a Lync defender (or two) draped over them on every possession. The strategy by the Lyncs was, simply put, to force other Lions to beat them.

In games of this magnitude, you need someone, other than your “go-to” guys, to throw a monkey wrench into your opponent’s game plan. The Lyncs got just that.

Here’s a scenario: If I said that at game’s end, Lyncs senior center Cristian Colwell and junior shooter, Andrew DeVries, who each average 12 points per game on the season, would combine for only eight total points, who would be the winner? Lynden. Easiest story problem ever.

However, the 32 from Bajema helped to even that out. What put the Lyncs over the top was the 17 points from Lyncs senior Luke Bos. The Lyncs found Bos open on the perimeter, time after time, as he nailed 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Lyncs got the first bucket of the game, and ran out to an 11-2 lead. The Lions had trouble getting the movement and shots they usually get from their half court offense. But when the Lions were able to get their transition game going, that’s when they would make their strong runs at the Lyncs.

Whitman electrified the crowd with two breakaway dunks in the first half, and the Lions closed the gap to a 26-24 lead for the Lyncs at halftime.

The Lyncs had great starts to each quarter, and to start the third they went on a 12-0 run, to take a 38-24 lead. That’s when one of the greatest 1-on-1 battles surfaced.

At that point, Whitman, as if to say, “Enough,” scored his team’s next 13 points. It began with a thundering dunk in traffic, as he took a pass on the right wing on a fast break. After hitting two free throws, Whitman hit consecutive long range 3-pointers to force an LC time out with the score at 40-34.

Whitman then nailed another 3-pointer, but while all this was going on, he and Bajema ended up guarding each other several times, adding to the intensity of the already piping hot building.

Zamora hit a 3-pointer near the end of the quarter for the only non-Whitman score of the quarter for the Lions. The Lyncs held a 47-40 lead after three.

Another quick run by the Lyncs to begin the fourth quarter, essentially put the game away.

After shooting only 38% (10-26) in the first half, the Lyncs hit 15-27 in the second half, and rolled up 49 points.

The game, in combination with Coaches vs Cancer, and the honoring of the late football coach, Curt Kramme into the Lynden Athletic Hall of Fame, was an event that could only happen, right where it happened.

The fallout? As much as the fans, coaches, and teams were awaiting and preparing for this night, It just might be that after all the hoopla, both teams might be glad it’s over. Each can go back to their regularly scheduled programming, and reset themselves for their final two games of the regular season, and beyond.

The Lyncs will win their first “outright” Northwest Conference title with wins over Meridian and Lakewood. They will be the #1 1A seed from the NWC to the District Tournament. The Lions will hang on to the top 2A District RPI by finishing with wins over Blaine and Ferndale.

The big 1A GOTW was Meridian’s 69-57 win over Mt. Baker on Friday. The Trojans dominated the glass and got 24 points from junior, Cameron Webster, and 14 more from junior Ryan Johnson.

The Trojans and Mountaineers are 2-9 with two games left. Meridian owns head-to-head tiebreakers over Mt. Baker and Nooksack Valley (1-10). Two of the three advance to the District Tournament.

After dropping to the #11 seed earlier this week, Ferndale is back in the #10 seed. They are in a battle with Oak Harbor for the final spot to the 3A District Tournament. The Golden Eagles finish with Sehome and Lynden.

Anacortes continues to play well, with wins over Blaine and Burlington-Edison last week. They are currently the #2 seed for the 2A District. Liberty and Mountlake Terrace are seeds 3 and 4 right now. The top four receive a first round bye.

The final week of the regular season is upon us. I’m going to attack it by continuing to go left. Hopefully I can start to go right by tourney time. That should make me tough to stop.

Speaking of stops, I have a road trip to Blaine on Monday, which will include a stop at my favorite Blaine pregame hangout, the Pizza Factory. Can’t wait.

By Ted House

It was March 3, 2018. The boys court at the north end of the Yakima SunDome was done for the year. The Lynden boys team had secured their programs ninth state title, with a win over WF West. And the Lynden Christian Lyncs had just won their sixth state championship, with a resounding win over Freeman.

By Ted House

It was March 3, 2018. The boys court at the north end of the Yakima SunDome was done for the year. The Lynden boys team had secured their programs ninth state title, with a win over WF West. And the Lynden Christian Lyncs had just won their sixth state championship, with a resounding win over Freeman.

Much earlier in the day, the Lynden girls, who just one year prior, won their programs second state championship, earned the sixth place trophy in 2A for 2018. And, on the final game on the girls court, Lynden Christian was about to win a nail biter over Cashmere, which would net them the programs 12^th title.

It was at that moment, much like in 2012 when the Lions and Lyncs both won state championships, that the two teams walked back on to the north court as one, representing their basketball crazy town of 14,000 residents. As many fans captured photos of the two teams posing together, how could one not, even if only for a second, think about the future?

That “future” is finally upon us, as the undefeated Lynden Lions will host the undefeated Lynden Christian Lyncs at Jake Maberry Gymnasium, Friday, January 25, at 7:15pm. Tickets to the 3,000 seat venue are on sale at the respective school offices, while they last.

If you compare the faces in that group picture with those involved in pregame warm-ups on Friday, it’s the amount of similarities that would have everyone quickly thinking about the future, and the possibility that those two teams could pose on the north court again in 2019.

But that takes a lot work, and some luck along the way. Even if you return the entire starting lineup. Or, even if you have a player who was courted, and signed, by the University of Michigan. Teams change from year to year, no matter what. And, no matter how good a team may be, it is still very difficult to win a championship.

In the same thoughts of the 2019 season, the revelation hits that, “Hey, these two are on each other’s schedule next year!”

Not only are they on each other’s schedule, in a massive high school venue to boot, but they are both 10-0 in the Northwest Conference, and have identical 17-0 season records.

Furthermore, for several seasons, the Lions and the Lyncs have been scheduled to play during Coaches vs Cancer week, which helps greatly in support contributions. Also, during halftime on Friday, the Lynden Athletic Hall of Fame, will induct the late Curt Kramme, in a special ceremony.

All of that, and a game!

Since the 1960’s, the Lions have won more than twice as many games in the series as the Lyncs. But let’s narrow those years down to the last nine, which coincides with Roger DeBoer’s tenure as the coach of the Lyncs.

The Lyncs have won only twice in the last nine meetings between the two, but that includes a two-point loss, as well as a loss in overtime in 2013, the last time both teams were reigning champions. The Lyncs won by three points last year, but endured three-point losses in 2016 and 2017.

Lion Coach Brian Roper has a career record of 13-2 against the Lyncs.

These teams knew they were championship caliber, and scheduled accordingly. The Lions have had dominating non-conference wins over 3A’s, O’Dea and Marysville-Pilchuck, as well as 2A and 1A powers, Selah and Zillah.

Generally, a 13 game Northwest Conference schedule is enough competition for a good 1A team. However, the Lyncs scheduled up some classifications as well. They beat 3A Wilson, who currently third on the WIAA’s 3A RPI. The Lyncs also notched a win over 4A Glacier Peak, who is 8-1 in the 4A Wesco.

Is the fact that both teams have cleared 17 hurdles a surprise? Playing a Northwest Conference schedule, one would tend to answer, yes. But, in hindsight, maybe it’s not a surprise at all.

The Lyncs have won four games where the difference was eight points or less. But in those 17 wins, their average margin of victory is nearly 23 points per game. In league play, the Lyncs margin of victory is 24.5.

The Lions closest game this year was an 11 point win at Kings. Even with that, they win by an average of 30 points per game. In NWC play, the difference is an astounding 34.1.

Going back through NWC history, the largest margin of victory in league play belongs to the 2012-13 Lynden team, who won by an average of 25.5 points per game. Other teams who have had a league margin of victory greater than 20ppg are: Anacortes (’17), LC (’16), Squalicum (’09 & ’10), Burlington-Edison (‘10). None of those teams were anywhere close to a 30 point average margin for a season.

The Lynden Christian girls recently had a 45 game win streak snapped. They didn’t have to go far to hand off the baton, as the LC boys now hold the state’s longest win streak at 24 games. Should they not reach 25, they won’t have to go far either, as the Lions have won 21 straight games.

The 4A Union boys, of Vancouver, are next in line with 18 straight. Next is 3A Eastside Catholic with 17. The longest win streak for girls is currently 17, by 1A LaSalle.

The Lyncs are led, of course, by 6-7 senior, Cole Bajema. He has “volleyball line” range, and can shake any defender to get a shot off, using a variety of moves off the dribble. His scoring average can be defined as, “However many are needed.”

The second most dangerous Lync is 5-11 junior, Andrew DeVries. He is deadly at catch-and-shoot, and doesn’t need much room to do so. Watch for him to fire in transition, or coming off screens.

Cristian Colwell, a 6-9 senior, gives the Lyncs a solid inside presence and rim protector. Cole Langstraat, a versatile 6-5 senior, uses his length effectively to defend outside, and can score when needed. Luke Bos, a 6-2 senior, is a very under-the-radar offensive player who can drill 3-pointers if you pay too much attention to Bajema and Devries.

The Lyncs keep it rolling when they go to the bench. Juniors Bryce Bouwman and Zach Sipma give their team quality minutes at both ends of the floor. Sophomore Jaden DeBoer provides an offensive spark off the LC bench.

The Lions basic eight man rotation includes seven seniors. The two that make it go are Christian Zamora and Clayton Whitman. Zamora, at 6-4, and a four-year starter for the Lions, is driven to score, which he can do from anywhere on the floor.

Whitman, at 6-5, who not only is explosive from rim to rim, has also become a deadly outside shooter.

Blake Silves gives the Lions another pure shooter from the outside, and is also a tough on-the-ball defender. Point man Kobe Elsner runs the show, and may be one of best rebounding guards the league has seen.

Inside, 6-5 James Marsh, is a very good post defender, and will also step out for the occasional 3-pointer.

Off the bench, 6-2 junior Brock Heppner has tremendous strength and versatility. Carson Bode, at 6-4, is another long defender, who also has a good 3-point stroke. Dakota Baar gives the Lions additional inside presence, and is very quick around the hoop.

Lynden-Lynden Christian is a great rivalry that has changed with the times. In the 1960’s, 70’s, and 80’s, it was heated. In those years of the Whatcom County League, teams would play each other three times. Maybe a fourth at District, and a fifth time at state. The drama would build from year to year, and you definitely had to be either Green or Navy.

Things began to change when Lynden went to the 2A classification in the early 90’s. No longer were they competing for the same trophies. As the years went by, there were more and more Lynden and LC athletes playing on the same teams as youth sports began to expand. Then friends and relatives were able to cross those lines and actually root for each other. And now, today, if one band can’t make it to the SunDome, the other one picks up the slack!

People have been wondering out loud if this is the biggest game in the state this year? I know that there are no present or future games featuring 17-0 rivals who are both reigning champions! I would say that, “Yes, this is the state of Washington’s biggest game.”

Now, throw all this nonsense out the window, because, on game day it will again be a rivalry. And that means, anything can happen. Hopefully, you will be one of the 3,000 in attendance. Or, maybe you will be one of the many thousands that will, one day, say they were there.

By Ted House

With two weeks left in the regular season, there are several races that will be settled over the final four games. Who will emerge as the second and third seeds to the 1A District Tournament? Who will get the four first round bye’s to the 2A District Tournament? Will Ferndale hang on to a top ten District seed, and will Squalicum be able to fight their way back into contention? Oh, and that little issue concerning the Northwest Conference title is still up in the air.

By Ted House

With two weeks left in the regular season, there are several races that will be settled over the final four games. Who will emerge as the second and third seeds to the 1A District Tournament? Who will get the four first round bye’s to the 2A District Tournament? Will Ferndale hang on to a top ten District seed, and will Squalicum be able to fight their way back into contention? Oh, and that little issue concerning the Northwest Conference title is still up in the air.

On Monday of last week, Meridian picked up a key 68-54 win over Nooksack Valley. The Pioneers have a league win over Mt. Baker, so this Friday’s Meridian-Mt. Baker game will be a determining factor in District seeding, with one team staying home. The three 1A rivals have identical 1-8 records, which is how seeds are determined, prior to head-to-head results.

Ferndale currently holds the #10, and final seed to the 3A post-season. While it’s close to impossible to forecast the RPI, it appears that the Golden Eagles will have a tough time improving their standing unless they can reel off three or four more wins. Even with that, the teams in front of them may need to lose a game or two that they didn’t see coming.

In 2A, Lynden has a solid hold on the top District seed, followed by Liberty of the KingCo Conference. The Patriots have three league games remaining, and may make things tight if they can pick up 3A wins over Lake Washington and Bellevue. Anacortes and Mountlake Terrace are third and fourth, respectively, with Burlington-Edison on their heels. The top four teams get to avoid the “loser out” round.

Anacortes has won 9 of 12 overall, since their 0-4 start to the season. They are tied for third in the conference with Lakewood and Burlington, with 7-2 records. They beat Lakewood last week, and play at the Tigers on Thursday. Coach Brett Senff is my leading candidate for Coach of the Year in the conference. Even though the Seahawks have been one of the most successful programs around for several years, they went through a big roster change this year, and they have been getting better each week.

Case in point: on Friday night, the Seahawks held a 15-14 lead after eight minutes, at Lynden Christian. However, a six minute dry spell in the second quarter put them in a 14 point hole at halftime. It was the same deficit heading into the fourth, but the Seahawks put up a 9-0 run in the first 90 seconds to cut the Lyncs lead to just five points. That would be as close as the Seahawks would get, until a half-court shot at the buzzer made the final score 73-71 for LC.

Cole Bajema ripped the nets for 36 points, but had it not been for three fourth quarter 3’s by teammate Andrew DeVries, things would have been dicey for the Lyncs. DeVries scored 10 of his 13 in the final six minutes.

It also should be noted, that Bajema’s jumpers from the volleyball line are just as smooth as his ten-footers. (We’ve gone over the new relevance of what the volleyball line means to the basketball floor in a previous issue).

This week will build to a crescendo. We start with Lynden traveling to play a dangerous Lakewood team on Monday, just as the Lyncs will head down the Badger Road to play the Pioneers. Those are the last two hurdles in the way of the Lyncs and Lions getting together as unbeatens, on Friday.

Tuesday, we have Burlington at Sehome, which is pivotal in the 2A seeding. Burlington will be busy again on Thursday as they host Anacortes. Also on Thursday, Sehome goes to Lakewood. And on Friday, Bellingham visits Blaine. As of now, those two are tied with Sedro-Woolley with 3-6 records.

Also on Friday, Meridian goes to Mt. Baker for their big 1A game. The winner should have a slight edge heading into finals week.

And, of course, there’s that rivalry in the 98264 that has NWC title implications on the line, also on Friday. The Lions and the Lyncs will finally meet, at Jake Maberry Gymnasium.

Tickets will be sold at both high school offices from Tuesday through Thursday, this week. It is anticipated that the 3,000 seats that The Jake offers, will not be enough. Due to the crowd, the JV and C undercard games will be played on one floor, with the C game to start at 4pm.

I hope to have more on this matchup, later in the week.

By Ted House

Due to a recent mishap, I was forced to spend some time on the Disabled List. Or, the Physically Unable to Perform List, if you prefer. Either way, not an enviable position.

Earlier this week I was having normal correspondence with AD’s and tournament directors concerning post-season basketball. I was also letting them know that my recent injury to my right arm may slow me down because I don’t go very well to my left.

By Ted House

Due to a recent mishap, I was forced to spend some time on the Disabled List. Or, the Physically Unable to Perform List, if you prefer. Either way, not an enviable position.

Earlier this week I was having normal correspondence with AD’s and tournament directors concerning post-season basketball. I was also letting them know that my recent injury to my right arm may slow me down because I don’t go very well to my left.

The best line of advice I received was, “It is always better to work on going to your left before you are forced to do so.” Unfortunately, that doesn’t help my situation much, but its dandy words of wisdom for all the young hoopers out there. Get that left hand working strong, so when your opponent forces you that way, it will be an easy “two.”

If you happen to be left-handed, just reverse those words to fit. Lefty’s seem to have a better grasp at working both directions anyway.

Okay, serious business. Here are your RPI reminders.

The most important RPI for 2A and 3A teams in District 1, is the District RPI. Those are now up and running, and can be found on the Northwest Conference and Wesco boys and girls basketball pages, by using the RPI link.

They are updated every weekend when games are completed for the week. Possibly more frequently as we get closer to season’s end. They are important because the top twelve 2A’s qualify for the district tournament. In 3A, the top ten qualify.

By now, the WIAA’s state RPI has enough data to be legitimate as a poll, but it does not qualify your team for anything. If you are one of the 16 teams that qualifies for state through district tournaments, then you will be assigned a seed of 1-16. So, if you are confident that your team will be there in the end, then you can certainly eyeball where you might end up, seed wise.

While the state RPI builds data in December, many people refer to those “rankings” when comparing teams. For a poll comprised of data, that is too early for it to be accurate. To me, I like the eye test much better, which is why I miss the banter of opinion polls, which have become very scarce.

Skipping ahead, after a couple weeks on the mend, there are a few streaks we need to talk about. Now, we are not speaking loudly of a no-hitter happening in the bottom of the eighth inning. There is no jinx at work. The reason streaks get snapped is because they just gets too large!

I will guarantee that the following three winning streaks will end. Eventually. At some point. I can even go as far as to say that one of them will end on, or before, but no later than, January 25, 2019. The other two will also end. Could be this week, or in the years to come. There. I’m covered.

The Lynden Christian boys have won 21 straight games. They are undefeated since their first post-season game last year. The Lynden boys have an 18 game winning streak, going back to their regional win over WF West last season.

The Lyncs and the Lions meet on January 25, at Jake Maberry Gymnasium. If both remain undefeated until then, one of those streaks will end!

The Lynden Christian girls must be wondering what all the fuss is about?

The LC girls 44 game winning streak takes up parts of three seasons. Their last loss was on March 2, 2017, in a state quarterfinal game against Mt. Baker, the eventual champion. They won their next two games, and then went 28-0 last year. Add 14 more this season, and that makes 44 straight.

Want more? Prior to the loss to Mt. Baker, they had won 18 straight. That’s a current run of 62-1.

After a 6-1 start to the season, the Ferndale Golden Eagles find themselves at 8-6, and on the edge of the post-season list. They currently hold the tenth and final spot in the 3A RPI. The good thing is that Ferndale has a win over #2 Arlington, as well as a tight loss to #9 Shorecrest. They have some winnable games remaining to help their district RPI.

Squalicum is not currently in the top ten, but if they can squeeze out some wins down the stretch, they have also been competitive against Wesco teams this year.

The Lakewood Cougars have won 8-of-9 overall, and are tied with Anacortes at 6-1 in the NWC. Those two play an important game on Tuesday, as Anacortes will host the Cougars at Skagit Valley College.

Another big NWC game happens Monday, as Meridian hosts Nooksack Valley in a key 1A game. Of the four 1A teams, only three will advance to the post-season. Nooksack already has a win over Baker, however, overall league records will place the top three 1A’s into the district tournament.

Here are some teams around the state to pay attention to, as we hit the final three weeks of the regular season.

In 2A, Selah just welcomed the return of senior, Noah Pepper, who had missed most of the season due to a knee injury. The Vikings are currently tied with Ellensburg at the top of the CWAC standings. Ellensburg was just upset by Prosser.

North Kitsap (12-2), and Port Angeles (10-4), continues to be the powers of the peninsula. Franklin Pierce is a perfect 15-0 in the SPSL 2A, but their schedule has not provided me an accurate barometer.

Liberty continues to be competitive in the 2A/3A Kingco. The patriots are third behind Mercer Island and Bellevue.

In the Southwest, Columbia River is leading the 2A GSHL. They already have a 19 point win over second place Mark Morris.

Pullman and Clarkston have owned the Great Northern League for several years. Pullman was a perfect 12-0 until a Friday night home loss to the Bantams (6-6) by 19 points.

On the 1A side, post-season competition for the NWC starts with the Kings Knights. The Knights are their typical long, solid, fundamental team. They are also the team that has come the closest to Lynden this year (11 points).

Seattle Academy (11-2) can be tossed into the mix when the bi-district tournament rolls around. They have losses to the Lyncs, as well as LaCenter. LaCenter’s only setback this year is to the Lyncs, 90-78. LaCenter is averaging 93.8 points in their four league wins.

Zillah is 14-1, with their loss to Lynden. They also have a win over Lakewood.

Okanogan and Cashmere are battling for the Caribou Trail title. They have split their two games. The big news in the CTL is Cashmere 6-0 sophomore, Mason Landdeck, who averages 31 points a game, with a high of 48.

And yes, the Cashmere girls (13-2) still have their sensational junior, Hailey Van Lith. She is one of those lefties who would have no problem being forced to her right.

In the Northeast 1A League, Deer Park is a perfect 14-0, and Newport is 11-1.

Finally, big kudos to the concessions at Sedro-Woolley! For a mere $4, you can get the largest order of nachos ever seen at a high school event. I only added the spicy cheese, but I think you can go farther than that.

And one pet peeve: have you ever noticed that at some gyms, during timeouts, you look at the clock and you see the clock running, letting you know how much time is left in the timeout?

Who needs to know this? My memory is such that two seconds after I look at the clock, I tend to forget the time. So I look again, but now I have to wait 20-50 seconds to see it. So please stop!

Mission accomplished. I just went left the entire game, and no one stopped me!

By Ted House

As Festivus rolls on, we come to the feats of strength.

After a slow start, the Northwest Conference has been flexing its muscles lately against out of conference opponents. The NWC currently holds a 37-14 record against the OOC’s. I don’t know if that’s any better than the conference usually does. But, I do know, it’s really good!

By Ted House

As Festivus rolls on, we come to the feats of strength.

After a slow start, the Northwest Conference has been flexing its muscles lately against out of conference opponents. The NWC currently holds a 37-14 record against the OOC’s. I don’t know if that’s any better than the conference usually does. But, I do know, it’s really good!

Most recently, the conference sent its two best teams out to take on a couple highly regarded 3A programs. Lynden stayed home and overwhelmed O’Dea, 70-47, who was the #2 team in 3A according to the Seattle Times.

The Lynden Christian Lyncs traveled to the Showare Center in Kent on Saturday, to take on 5-0, Wilson. The Lyncs trailed 38-35 after three quarters, but prevailed, 52-44.

I’ve seen basketball played at the Showare, and it does not seem like the surroundings are conducive to offensive production. Lyncs senior, Cole Bajema certainly didn’t have the same opinion, as he scored 31 points.

Wilson, who finished 21-8 last year, has been to the 3A state tournament two years in a row, and three of the last five seasons. In the two years they didn’t make it to the Tacoma Dome, they did reach the regional round.

The week began with a great game in Laurel, as Sehome edged Meridian 72-69. The Trojans controlled this one until early in the fourth quarter, thanks to Trojan junior, Jordan Veenstra’s exceptional 3-point shooting. Veenstra had 15 points in the first half, all on 3’s, as the Trojans led 40-34 at intermission.

Mariners senior Eddy Hochsprung, led four Mariners in double-figures with 15 points, including several free throws down the stretch, to help secure the victory. And, they needed every point they could get, because Veenstra was far from finished.

Trojan junior Jackson Short helped the cause by scoring 18 points. The most difficult was a running 3-point bank shot from the left wing, as time expired in the third quarter.

The momentum of that shot didn’t last long, however, as Sehome’s Lucas DeLisle hit a 3-pointer to put the Mariners ahead, 58-57, with six minutes left.

The Mariners led 67-63 with 51 seconds left, when Veenstra drained a 3-pointer from the volleyball line.

Side bar: Isn’t it amazing how “volleyball line” has become a point of reference on the basketball floor?

Sehome hit four straight free throws to take a 71-66 lead, then Veenstra hit another one, which was a 25-foot desperation heave, that cut the lead to just two points.

Michael McLin split a pair of free throws to give the Mariners a three point lead. With only seconds to go, the Trojans could not hit a tying shot.

In Blaine on Tuesday, the Burlington-Edison Tigers outlasted the Borderites, 81-69. Taino Ferdinand, the Tigers 6-5 senior, had a big week. He scored 23 on this night, and would be heard from again in the coming days.

Fast forward to Friday, and the Tigers were on the road again, this time at Meridian, where they were trying to avoid what Sehome went through. On this night, the Tigers overcame a 31 point performance by Jackson Short, and held on for a 72-71 victory.

Tiger 6-4 junior, Jackson Reisner, led the Tigers with 30 points. Ferdinand had another big night, scoring 27.

Lakewood registered two big NWC wins last week, the first being a 70-58 win over Ferndale. The Golden Eagles led 36-34 at halftime. Morgan Stacey, who I proclaimed recently to be one who plays much bigger than his 6-0 frame, scored 29 for the Cougars. Junior Alex Jensen added 20.

The Cougars second win of the week was an 80-70 victory over Blaine. This time, it was 5-10 senior, Machai Harris leading the way for the Cougars with 26 points. Jensen had another strong night, scoring 20.

Sedro-Woolley also swept a pair of games last week. They defeated Squalicum 73-57, and then won at Nooksack Valley, 73-63. Eli DeJong, a 6-3 senior, scored 24 and 25 points in those two games for the Cubs.

With all the action lately, it’s finally seems like it’s time to take a breath. Next week, teams go their separate ways, as many will involve themselves in tournaments or holiday classics. There are way too many trips to mention here, but please check the schedule on the NWCAthletics.com basketball page.

I only see one team that is headed out of state, as the Lynden girls will be in a four day tournament in San Diego, beginning the day after Christmas.

The Lyncs boys and girls will host the Cloud 9 Classic at LCHS and LHS. Meanwhile, the Bellingham, Lakewood and Lynden boys teams will play in the SunDome shootout. That’s where I will be, as long as the trip doesn’t look like too much of a problem. If it does, there’s still plenty around here to do.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for reading these little things every week. I appreciate the kind words, and anytime you have an RPI questions, or whatever else, don’t hesitate to ask.

Finally, on behalf of all of us at the WPA Network, I would like to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas.

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 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.

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.

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%.

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.