YAKIMA — Whatcom County basketball teams were oh-so-close to going undefeated over two consecutive days at the 1A and 2A state basketball tournaments.
Four of the five local teams playing semifinal contests Friday night won their games and advanced to state title games on Saturday, March 4.
One state champion is guaranteed with a locally renowned rematch on the way, while there is a possibility to match last season’s three total titles.
Each of Saturday’s upcoming matchups are below.
- 1A boys state tournament, third/fifth-place game: No. 7 Blaine (18-8) vs. No. 6 Toppenish (20-7), 1 p.m.
- 1A girls state championship: No. 1 Nooksack Valley (26-1) vs. No. 2 Lynden Christian (25-3), 3 p.m.
- 1A boys state championship: No. 1 Lynden Christian (25-2) vs. No. 5 King’s (20-6), 5 p.m.
- 2A boys state championship: No. 6 Lynden (23-4) vs. No. 4 Mark Morris (25-2), 9 p.m.
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Blaine’s title hopes end in semifinals loss to King’s (11:44 p.m.)
By Connor J. Benintendi / Cascadia Daily News
YAKIMA — The Borderites fell one game short of a championship berth, but they have guaranteed themselves some hardware for the first time in 19 years.
No. 7 Blaine boys basketball saw its title hopes dashed Friday night in a heartbreaking 57-38 loss to No. 5 King’s at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
“They knew it was right in front of them,” Blaine coach Nate Sullivan said. “I told them it’s OK to be mad, but at the end of the day, we’re one of the six teams that get to keep playing tomorrow. We’ve still got a job to do.”
The Borderites were held to their lowest scoring total of the season in the most important game of their campaign, shooting 31.1% from the field just one night after shooting a blistering 64% in the quarterfinals.
Conversely, King’s shot 11 for 26 from the floor in the second half (42.3%) where the Knights scored 32 of their 57 total points.
King’s face guarded Blaine’s senior point guard, Lucas Smith, which prevented the standard flow of the Borderites’ offense.
“They threw something at us we hadn’t seen before,” Sullivan said. “In this environment, where the voice doesn’t carry very well, it was tough for us to get organized offensively. Give credit to King’s for a great defensive gameplan.”
Blaine had just one player score in double figures in senior forward Mathew Russ, who had 12. Senior guard Carson Lehnert finished with nine points, three rebounds and a steal while Smith totaled eight points, four rebounds and two assists.
King’s was led by 21 points and seven rebounds from junior guard Nick Linhardt, while Cameron Hiatt added 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Sullivan complimented Blaine senior forward Ethan Koreski for largely keeping Hiatt in check offensively.
“Ethan Koreski was great defensively on Cam Hiatt all game long,” Sullivan said. “They run a great back-cut play to him and he took it away every single time … He did a great job and he worked his butt off. He left all of it out there tonight.”
Blaine hung tough in the first quarter, trailing 16-12 after eight minutes.
Russ scored 10 of his 12 total points in the first half, but King’s high-powered offense gave the Borderites a 25-17 deficit at the end of two quarters.
The third quarter was as equal as could be, with both teams scoring eight and Blaine’s deficit remaining where it was.
King’s took off in the fourth quarter, scoring the period’s first nine points and completing an 11-0 run that spanned back to the end of the third quarter. The Borderites were suddenly in a 42-25 hole that was only getting bigger.
“Sometimes that rush and that panic sets in,” Sullivan said. “That happened tonight.”
The momentum stuck with King’s through all the final minutes, and Blaine trailed by as much as 22 in the final period.
Blaine fell to 18-8 overall, falling one win short of the 1A state title game. The Borderites will play No. 6 Toppenish (20-7) in the third/fifth-place game at 1 p.m., Saturday, March 4.
“I’ve been in two second-place locker rooms, and a third-place locker room,” Sullivan said. “The third-place locker room was a lot more fun than the two second places. We let them know that.”
King’s advanced to 20-6 overall and will play No. 1 Lynden Christian in the 1A state championship for the third-straight season at 5 p.m., March 4.
Final: King’s boys 57, Blaine 38 (10:15 p.m.)
Blaine falls one win short of the 1A title game, but still secures its first state hardware since 2004.
Lynden Christian boys clobber Toppenish in semifinals (9:42 p.m.)
By Connor J. Benintendi / Cascadia Daily News
YAKIMA — The Lyncs have done it again.
Top-seeded Lynden Christian trounced No. 6 Toppenish 82-60 Friday night at the Yakima Valley SunDome, advancing to its third-consecutive 1A state title game.
A win in this season’s state championship would give LC its eighth state title and the first instance of back-to-back titles in program history.
“The boys have worked hard,” LC coach Tim Zylstra said. “Our goal was, once again, just to get better each day, but I think our league definitely prepares us for this.”
The defending state champion Lyncs were led by a 23-point, 10-rebound performance (10-of-15 shooting) from junior forward Jeremiah Wright, propelling the blowout victory.
Wright had a smaller role on last year’s state championship team, coming off the bench, but has grown to share the top-scoring role with senior guard Tyler Sipma. The 6-foot-6 forward is embracing the opportunity.
“I had a lot of fun last year, and this year it’s a little different — a little more serious, I guess,” Wright said. “I feel a little bit more pressure, which is OK.”
Sipma (16 points) and junior guard Dawson Bouma (13 points) added nice lines for the Lyncs in a well-rounded offensive performance.
“We plan, we prepare and then we try to execute, and I thought we executed really well today,” Zylstra said. “Hopefully we can keep that going into the championship game.”
LC shot 57.1% from the field while holding Toppenish to just 38.8 %. As was the difference in the Lyncs’ quarterfinal victory over Zillah, LC got 18 points off their bench to help aid the already-effective starting group.
“You’re always harder to guard when everyone’s involved,” Zylstra added.
Toppenish had a 5-0 lead at the 6:15 mark of the first period, but the Wildcats would never lead again.
LC possessed a slim 18-15 lead after the first quarter, as Toppenish came out with arguably more energy.
The Lyncs got 13 of its 38 first-half points from its bench, inflating its lead to 38-26 heading into the locker room.
Wright, who had seven points in the first half, came to life in the second and scored 16 in the last two periods. LC captured its largest lead of the game at 77-50 with 3:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.
From there the Lyncs made good on their top-seed billing, coasting into another championship appearance.
Toppenish was led by 18 points apiece from senior guard Josh Perez and Shane Rivera.
LC moved to 25-2 overall on the season and will face the winner of No. 7 Blaine/No. 5 King’s at 5 p.m., Saturday, March 4, in the 1A state title game.
“All these guys, I’ve been playing with [them] since I was in kindergarten,” Wright said. “We know each other so well, and it’s just fun to get this journey to a state championship.”
Toppenish fell to 20-7 and will play in the third/fifth-place game on March 4.
Final: Lynden Christian boys 82, Toppenish 60 (8:35 p.m.)
The LC boys are headed to their third-straight 1A state title game.
Lynden Christian girls knock off Wapato with explosive second half (8:19 p.m.)
By Connor J. Benintendi / Cascadia Daily News
YAKIMA — If last year continues to mirror itself, the Lyncs could be on their way to the first three-peat in school history.
No. 2 Lynden Christian girls basketball is headed back to the 1A state championship for the fifth-straight season after knocking off No. 3 Wapato 67-51 in the semifinals Friday night at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
Sophomore guard Grace Hintz’s 25 total points (10-of-20 shooting) and seven rebounds helped the Lyncs outscore the Wolves 35-20 in the second half to secure the victory.
Two more storylines were also brewing.
Daisy Poag set LC’s single-season record for 3-point field goals made in a season with 66 in 28 games (2.4 per game), breaking Paige TeVelde’s record of 64 in 28 games (2.3 per game), set in 2020.
Furthermore, a 1A girls state championship rematch is now set: No. 2 Lynden Christian versus No. 1 Nooksack Valley. The Lyncs won last year’s matchup 57-56 for their second-straight title.
“They’re really good,” Bomber said of Nooksack Valley. “They got us pretty good twice [this year] … You get a shot to turn the lights out on them Saturday, we’ll take our chances. I like our team, they’re great kids. We’ll go play as hard as we can.”
LC controlled just a one-point lead over Wapato after the first two quarters, with most shots coming inside the 3-point line. That expanded to more shots from deep as the Wolves began crashing harder inside.
“I thought our girls did a really good job of staying poised and on balance; we really wanted to play off two feet, both when we were passing and when we were finishing,” Bomber said. “Our girls did a phenomenal job of that.”
The Lyncs cleared the Wolves in shooting percentage by nearly 16%, but the game was most lopsided on the glass — outrebounding Wapato 36-18 in the game.
A back-and-forth battle saw 14 lead changes and three ties throughout the first 16 minutes.
Hintz had 12 first-half points and Dykstra added a buzzer-beating layup to give LC a 32-31 lead at halftime.
“We were so amped up because of the crowd that we were forgetting to do the small things,” Hintz said. “We had to just stay calm, know that we can do it and not worry about what the score is.”
The third quarter began with a completely different flow as LC exploded offensively, sinking open 3-pointers with ease and taking a 43-33 lead midway through the period.
All told, LC outscored Wapato 18-10 in the third to take a 50-41 lead into the final eight minutes.
The Lyncs opened up their largest lead of the game, 65-49, with just under two minutes to play.
Senior guard Demi Dykstra added 14 points, eight rebounds and two assists for LC. Poag finished with nine points while senior forward Reganne Arnold tallied eight.
Wapato was led by 14 points and four rebounds from junior guard Jordan Espinoza.
LC moved to 25-3 overall and will play Nooksack Valley at 3 p.m., Saturday, March 4, for the state title.
“It’s going to be a fight either way, both teams want it so bad,” Hintz said. “We’re all hungry and we just want to fight. It’s going to come down to who wants it more.”
Wapato fell to 24-2 and dropped into the third/fifth-place game on March 4.
Lynden boys on to title game after dominating win over Prosser (7:46 p.m.)
By Tim Newcomb / For Cascadia Daily News
YAKIMA — Lynden’s return trip to the 2A state championship game comes sponsored by the 3-ball.
The defending state champion Lions drained 12 3-pointers against Prosser’s zone to defeat the Mustangs 60-42 in the 2A state semifinals Friday evening before a capacity crowd.
The 3s started early in each half. Sophomore Brant Heppner hit two 3-pointers to start the game and senior Kobe Baar kicked off the second half with two-straight triples within the first 30 seconds, as the Lions broke open a seven-point halftime lead into a double-digit advantage throughout the second half.
“They ended up falling,” Baar said. “We were just trying to bring the energy and keep our pace going.”
With four 3-pointers in the first quarter, Lynden held a 15-10 lead. They never trailed in the game, thanks to both a defense that forced Prosser well outside the paint and an offense that simply found the bottom of the net, even from distance. And they did so by moving the ball, tallying 18 assists.
“I think we had a good game plan sharing the ball,” senior point guard Coston Parcher said. “We were really looking for each other and looking for [Anthony Canales] in transition and finding the shooters on the arc. Kobe, Brant, they knocked down some big shots tonight.”
In total, Lynden shot 43% from outside the arc, and both attempted and made more 3-point attempts than 2s.
“We just wanted to go on a run and start off hot,” Heppner said.
Of course, it wasn’t just the offense. Lynden stymied Prosser, holding them without a field goal for a nine-minute stretch in the middle of the first half that helped gain the Lions some distance on the scoreboard.
“Defensively we had some big plays,” Parcher said. “When you make a hustle play, the whole team gets going.”
The early onslaughts in each half helped sparked Lynden.
“We always talk about we want to win the first three minutes of the second half, and they must have thought I meant the first 30 seconds of the second half,” head coach Brian Roper said about Baar’s two 3-pointers, which were followed quickly by a Heppner triple. “That was just a great way to open the half. You can’t predict things like that.”
Heppner and Baar each had four 3-pointers and Parcher had three. Canales filled up plenty of other stats for Lynden, scoring 16 points and adding six rebounds and five assists.
“I thought the second half, the ball moved better,” Roper said. “It got a little sticky in the first half, and we made some adjustments. Anthony really started moving and sharing the ball and making his teammates better in the second half. It was fun to watch.”
It was also fun to play, Heppner said.
“We play with joy when we are moving the ball and taking what the defense gives us,” he said. “It is fun to play that way.”
Canales and Baar each led the Lions with 16 points, Heppner had 14 and Parcher nine. Baar added seven rebounds and four assists, and Parcher had five rebounds and four assists.
Prosser was led by the 12 points of Koby McClure.
The Friday semifinals victory gives Lynden the chance to defend its 2022 title. They’ll do so as the sixth seed, taking on the fourth-seeded Mark Morris Monarchs of Longview after they knocked off the top-seeded Pullman Greyhounds, 52-49. The championship game is scheduled for 9 p.m. Saturday at the Yakima Valley SunDome.
“We have one more game to go,” Roper said. “There was not a lot of celebrating by our kids tonight.”
Parcher said not to expect anything different from Lynden.
“It is just another nameless, faceless opponent and we will give them what we always do,” he said. “We will come out and compete, but compete with class.”
Final: Lynden boys 60, Prosser 42 (6:50 p.m.)
Anthony Canales and Kobe Baar each with 16 points each. Brant Heppner added 14. The Lions are headed back to the 2A state title game.
Final: Lynden Christian girls 67, Wapato 51 (6:44 p.m.)
LC returns to the 1A state championship for the fifth-straight season, and it’ll be a rematch of last year against top-seeded Nooksack Valley.
Nooksack Valley girls headed back to state title game (5:18 p.m.)
By Connor J. Benintendi / Cascadia Daily News
YAKIMA — The Pioneers are headed back to the 1A state title game.
Top-seeded Nooksack Valley girls basketball held off a fourth-quarter comeback attempt by No. 5 King’s in the state semifinals Friday evening at the Yakima Valley SunDome, defeating the Knights 58-46.
The win sends the Pioneers to the 1A state championship game for the second-consecutive year, the first time in program history NV has reached back-to-back finals.
“[King’s is] a good team, they did a great job,” NV coach Shane Wichers said. “[We’re] feeling great, I mean, how many people can they’ve been two a state championship two years in a row?”
Junior guard Devin Coppinger led NV with 26 points (10-of-17 shooting), 20 of which came in the first half to help propel the Pioneers to its big lead. Junior post Tana Hoekema added 12 points and 10 rebounds.
King’s was led by 23 points and nine rebounds from freshman guard Kaleo Anderson.
After last year’s 57-56 loss to Lynden Christian in the 1A state title game, NV has been out for revenge all season long. Better yet, the Pioneers might get a chance for a rematch.
“This is exactly where we wanted to be at the beginning of the season,” Coppinger said. “We’ve had the thought of the championship game on the back of our mind, and we’ve been playing game-by-game. To get here, it’s all in perspective, and we’ve just got to keep doing what we’ve done all season.”
Coppinger came out firing in the first quarter, scoring 11 of her 26 total points in the opening quarter alone and propelling NV to a 20-13 lead after eight minutes.
After being held to just 12 points in the quarterfinal win over Cashmere, King’s placed far less pressure on the Pioneers’ No. 1 scoring option.
“She’s a great player, and yesterday Cashmere didn’t let [Coppinger] touch it. Today, King’s let her touch it,” Wichers said. “She’s dynamic and she’s going to find her shots. She did that tonight.”
The Pioneers kept up the pace in the second, and so did Coppinger. Finishing with 20 first-half points, the 5-foot-10 guard led NV to a 35-22 halftime lead over the Knights.
“When the defense spread out, I was able to go to work,” Coppinger said.
NV out-rebounded King’s 34-20, as it does against most opponents. The Pioneers were also far more efficient shooting the ball, posting a 42.6% rate from the field to the Knights’ 34.1%.
King’s made a late comeback bid, coming within seven with three minutes to play, but the Pioneers held off the Knights’ rally.
NV moved to 26-1 overall, and the Pioneers will play the winner of No. 2 Lynden Christian/No. 3 Wapato at 3 p.m., Saturday, March 4, in pursuit of their first 1A state title in program history.
King’s fell to 23-4, falling one win short of the 1A championship. The Knights can earn third or fifth place in a consolation game on March 4.
