MOUNT VERNON — Four of Whatcom County’s Class 1A basketball teams advanced to the next round of the state tournament in Yakima after a quadruple-header Saturday at Mount Vernon High School.
On the girls side, No. 1 Lynden Christian and No. 2 Nooksack Valley had already secured spots in Yakima next week, so both teams were moving on regardless of the outcome.
The No. 9 Blaine boys were the lone team Saturday needing a win to advance. As the No. 2 seed, the Lynden Christian boys were also advancing with a win or loss.
No. 9 Blaine vs. No. 16 Wahluke
A trip to Yakima wasn’t guaranteed for Blaine heading into its matchup with Wahluke. The Borderites came out on top 50-48, and all the drama of a loser-out game was included.
Well into the third quarter, though, it didn’t look like there would be much suspense. Blaine had put together a 21-0 run and held a 19-point lead in the second half. Everything was working and all the Borderites had to do was not fall apart.
The Borderites did, a little, in the last 12 minutes.
With a 10-point lead and 3:34 left in the game, Blaine surrendered 10 straight points and for the first time since the first quarter, the game was tied with 45 seconds left.
“[Wahluke] sped us up,” Blaine coach Brett Farrar said of the fourth-quarter breakdown. “That was the number one thing we did not want to do and credit to them. They got to us in the fourth quarter. Luckily, we had enough time to get one [basket].”
That one basket came from senior Scott Baldwin, who put one back with 7.1 seconds left in the game for a 50-48 lead.
Wahluke’s 3-point attempt on the other end to win the game wouldn’t fall, the clock hit zero and the Borderites could put two feet on the bus to Yakima.
“That’s my first game-winner,” Baldwin said. “That felt pretty good.”
Leading the way for the Borderites’ offense was junior Carson Lehnert with 14 points. Baldwin was right behind him with 13 and senior Cole Thomas had eight.
Blaine will open its run in the Yakima SunDome at 2 p.m. Wednesday against No. 8 Quincy in a loser-out game.
No. 2 Nooksack Valley vs. No. 7 Colville
The difference between the Nooksack Valley girls grabbing the No. 1 or No. 2 seed in the tournament was slim. The Pioneers’ most recent loss coming to No. 1 Lynden Christian likely cost them the top seed, but not their title hopes.
Nooksack Valley cruised by Colville 71-41 Saturday to advance straight to the quarterfinals Thursday in Yakima.
The Pioneers were in control from the start, leading by double digits at halftime, 39-22.
Sophomore sensation Devin Coppinger scored 15 of her team-leading 19 points in the first half. Junior Hallie Kamphouse scored 16 and senior Ellie VanBerkum added 10.
Colville had no answers to stop Nooksack Valley in the second half and soon enough the Pioneers lead was nearing 30.
“They got a few points right off the bat, so we had to get a mental check real quick,” Kamphouse said. “We got ourselves back in it and went on a roll.”
The Pioneers will return to the SunDome next week. They were last there in 2020.
Nooksack Valley coach Shane Wichers said the team didn’t talk about wanting to lock down that first-round bye, but the benefits of it are clear.
“We knew that if we didn’t win we would go to Lynden Christian’s side of the bracket and we didn’t really want to do that,” Wichers said. “The kids know the road, but we’re really about just being in the moment.”
Wins by the Pioneers and Lyncs Saturday put the two squads on opposite ends of the bracket in Yakima, potentially setting up a third and final matchup of the season for the state championship.
No. 1 Lynden Christian vs. No. 8 Seattle Academy
Lynden Christian was heading back to the SunDome whether they won or lost Saturday, but a 61-21 win over Seattle Academy puts them right into the quarterfinals Thursday.
It was a slow start offensively for the Lyncs by their own standards in the first quarter, but by the end of the first half, Lynden Christian was ahead 33-9.
Junior Demi Dykstra carried the offense in the first half, scoring 16 points with 12 of them coming from beyond the arc.
It didn’t get much better in the second half for the team wearing black and red.
Seattle Academy didn’t find its first field goal of the second half until 1:25 was left in the third quarter.
“We always say defense leads to our offense,” Dykstra said. “If we can get stops on defense we can use it to our advantage on offense.”
Dykstra finished with a game-high 18 points. Senior Libby Stump scored 11 and freshman Grace Hintz had 10.
Their opponent hasn’t been determined yet, but when the Lyncs tip-off Thursday, they’ll be one of the last eight teams standing.
Lynden Christian will be back at the SunDome for the first time since lifting the 1A state championship trophy in 2020.
“We’re just really excited for the whole deal,” Lynden Christian coach Brady Bomber said of returning to Yakima. “It’s the bus rides, it’s the team meals, it’s the prep for a team, it’s shoot around. All the stuff that goes with it is just as much fun as the game itself.”
No. 2 Lynden Christian vs. No. 7 Annie Wright
Lynden Christian had its hands full with Annie Wright in the quadruple-header nightcap Saturday, but the Lyncs ultimately prevailed 66-54, giving themselves a first-round bye in Yakima next week.
The Lyncs led 30-29 at halftime and the young Gators showed no signs of letting up to start the second half.
Lynden Christian wasn’t able to push its lead beyond two possessions until about the halfway mark of the final quarter.
The Lyncs’ depth showed in the final moments of the game as the shots that were falling for the Gators in the first half began mostly falling short.
Senior Crew Bosman led the offense with 17 points. Senior Andrew Hommes scored 15, junior Griffin Dykstra had 12 and sophomore Jeremiah Wright was also in double digits with 10.
Lyncs coach Tim Zylstra gave credit to the Gators and how they shot the ball.
“We had to adjust and went to a zone to try and slow them down a little bit,” Zylstra said. “I was proud of our boys for staying the course in something like this.”
Lynden Christian moved straight into the state quarterfinals next week with the win. The Lyncs will play at 2 p.m. Thursday in Yakima.
