MOUNT VERNON — The Lyncs have earned an extra day off.
No. 2-seeded Lynden Christian girls basketball held off No. 7 Cashmere 61-51 in the 1A state regional round at Mount Vernon High School Saturday evening, clinching a first-round bye at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
A well-rounded offensive effort saw LC led by 19 points from sophomore guard Grace Hintz, 14 from senior guard Demi Dykstra and 10 from senior forward Reganne Arnold.
Cashmere was led by 15 points from senior forward Maddie Hammond and 14 points from sophomore guard Ellie Bessonette.
“We knew we were going to have our hands full today, and we did.” LC coach Brady Bomber said. “We showed a lot of really positive things that we did well and there will be a lot of moments that we can learn from.”
The Lyncs’ distribution of the offensive workload helped to mitigate the effects of Cashmere’s various defensive sets, keeping LC mostly in rhythm.
“I thought our girls did a pretty nice job managing that — it’s the first time we’ve seen that,” Bomber said. “We knew we were not getting a typical 7 seed today.”
Cashmere held tough for the first quarter before LC broke a game-defining run in the second.
Curbing Bessonette’s impact early was a struggle for the Lyncs as the 5-foot-9 guard lived in LC’s passing lanes early, picking up four first-quarter steals as a result.
A 3-pointer by Poag seconds before the opening-quarter buzzer gave the Lyncs a 13-10 lead heading into quarter two.
The Lyncs began the second quarter on a 17-4 run, extending their lead to 30-14 midway through the period. Cashmere made up some ground afterward, closing out the half on a 9-2 run that trimmed LC’s edge to nine at halftime.
“I don’t think there were really any adjustments, I think it was players making plays,” Bomber said. “We love that we can play nine or 10 kids and they can all contribute.”
Hintz credited the run to energy and defensive tenacity.
“It started on defense, getting boards,” Hintz said. “I think just playing with more energy is what changed.”
Hintz, who was held scoreless in the first quarter, came alive to score 11 of her 19 total points in the second period alone.
Every time the Bulldogs made a run in the third quarter, LC had a response. The Lyncs led by as much as 14 and as little as eight in the period.
Whenever LC’s lead was cut to single digits, it went right back up on the next possession.
It was the same story in the fourth as Cashmere applied offensive pressure but never strung together enough consecutive possessions to come within eight points.
LC moved to 23-3 on the season, advancing directly to the 1A state quarterfinals at the Yakima Valley SunDome on Thursday, March 2. The Lyncs will play the winner of No. 8 Bellevue Christian and No. 9 Freeman at 2 p.m. for a semifinals berth.
“Advancing one more day where you know you get two [games] over there is nice, extend your season a little bit,” Bomber said. “There are so many benefits to getting into that round of eight right away.”
Cashmere dropped to 15-5 overall and will have to get a win in the loser-out, winner-to-quarterfinals first round at the SunDome on Wednesday, March 1.
