Prep basketball teams got mixed results from holiday tournaments, and only one undefeated team remains. Western Washington University women’s basketball had a historic week, while the men’s team splits its games.
Don’t miss these highlights from Whatcom County’s prep and college sports teams over the past week.
Prep
Girls basketball
Holiday tournaments brought a flurry of games during the past week, and multiple local teams suffered their first losses.
Nooksack Valley, Lynden and Lynden Christian all entered the week undefeated. Each group picked up big wins while also receiving a blemish on their records.
LC nabbed victories over Class 2A Washougal and White River but fell to 4A Eastlake in the Lynden Christmas Classic championship on Dec. 30.
Lynden hosted its own holiday tournament, playing Port Angeles, W.F. West and Meadowdale over four days. The Lions took down Port Angeles 47-35 on Dec. 27 and overpowered state-contender W.F. West 52-42 the next day, Dec. 28.
Lions senior guard Haylee Koetje led Lynden with 17 points in the win, while freshman forward Payton Mills added nine. Lynden was then blown out by Meadowdale, 66-31, on Dec. 30.
Sehome extended its win streak to three games at the Lynden tournament with a 54-53 win over W.F. West on Dec. 27 and a 47-35 win over Port Angeles on Dec. 28.
Nooksack Valley began its three days at the Glacier Peak-hosted Top of the Peak Girls Basketball Tournament with a 64-62 loss to 4A Tahoma on Dec. 27 — the Pioneers’ first defeat of the season.
NV handled 3A Mt. Spokane on Dec. 28 and 4A Glacier Peak on Dec. 29, beating each by at least 15 points.
Blaine and Meridian each picked up their first wins of the season last week.
The Borderites defeated Friday Harbor 49-41 on Dec. 27, led by 18 points and seven rebounds from junior Jordyn Vezzetti. Junior Deja Dube finished with 13 points, eight rebounds and five steals.
Blaine took down Mount Baker 41-38 two days later for its second win before falling to Lakewood by two points, 56-54, on Dec. 30.
Meridian notched one in the win column following a 68-29 victory over Friday Harbor on Dec. 29. Senior Maris Baklund led the Trojans with 18 points while fellow senior Avery Neal tallied 17. Meridian narrowly dropped its next game, 40-38, to Lincoln (Seattle) on Dec. 30.
Sehome’s Dane Dominguez grabs a rebound and then a basket in a game versus Bellingham on Dec. 19. (Andy Bronson/Cascadia Daily News)
Boys basketball
Lynden Christian (9-0 overall, 4-0 Northwest Conference) is in a realm of its own as the last undefeated group in Whatcom County.
The Lyncs attended a holiday tournament at Class 3A Mountlake Terrace, defeating the host team 59-46 on Dec. 27. Senior guard Griffin Dykstra led the Lyncs with 23 points.
LC held onto its undefeated record with a 55-44 win over 4A Glacier Peak the next day, Dec. 28.
Ferndale also attended the tournament but dropped both its games. The Golden Eagles lost to Kentlake to open the bracket on Dec. 27 before narrowly falling to Lake Stevens, 58-52, on Dec. 28.
Lynden, Meridian, Nooksack Valley and Sehome all made the trip to Yakima for the 2022 Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout. The Trojans and Lions each went 2-0, while the other two split their games.
Meridian defeated Royal 48-43 on Dec. 29 before taking on Wapato the following day, Dec. 30. Sophomores Jaeger Fyfe (18 points) and Talon Jenkins (14 points) led the Trojans in a 53-43 victory over the Wolves.
Lynden secured a healthy 67-51 victory over Grandview on the tournament’s opening day before downing Prosser, 58-53, on Dec. 30.
Lions junior Anthony Canales was dominant in the latter contest, pumping in 27 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Brant Heppner finished with eight points as senior Coston Parcher tallied seven.
Sehome lost a close one to Prosser to open the SunDome Shootout, 64-59, for its first loss of the season. The Mariners bounced back to rout Grandview 67-48 on Dec. 30.
NV had a mirrored experience, winning its first game 55-42 over Ridgefield but closing out the tournament with a 49-38 loss to Ellensburg.
Blaine has now won seven in a row after dropping its first game of the season. The Borderites most recently defeated Cedarcrest 71-53 on Dec. 29.
WWU
Men’s basketball
The Vikings split their two games last week, moving to 9-4 overall (2-1 Great Northwest Athletic Conference). They are currently fourth in the conference standings.
WWU took down Western Oregon in a 95-93 overtime victory on Dec. 29, led by a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double from sophomore forward Nic Welp.
Five other Vikings scored in double digits, with junior D’Angelo Minnis, senior Lucas Holden and sophomore Kai Johnson each scoring 14.
Western left Monmouth, Oregon, and proceeded to Lacey, Washington, for a battle with GNAC-leading Saint Martin’s on Dec. 31.
Six Vikings scored 10 or more for a second-consecutive game — highlighted by 17 points, seven rebounds and six assists from Johnson — but Western lost 89-84 to the Saints.
The Vikings have been on the road since mid-December and will return home for a two-game stand against MSU Billings on Jan. 5 and Seattle Pacific on Jan. 7.
Western Washington University sophomore Truitt Reilly goes up for a lay-in over the University of Alaska Anchorage’s Natalia Beaumont during the Vikings’ 104-51 victory over UAA on Dec. 29. (Photo courtesy of Eric Becker)
Women’s basketball
Western followed up its historic win over Alaska Anchorage on Dec. 29 with another presiding victory against Alaska Fairbanks on Dec. 31.
The Vikings won 101-57, extending their win streak to nine games while becoming the first team in GNAC history to post consecutive 100-point outings against conference opponents.
Redshirt freshman Mason Oberg led the way on offense with 18 points. Junior Brooke Walling and sophomore Truitt Reilly each added 16, and Reilly also tallied 13 rebounds to complete a double-double.
Western, now 9-1 overall (3-0 GNAC), sits atop the conference standings. The Vikings will go on the road to second-place Central Washington on Jan. 5 before scooting over to Nampa, Idaho, to face Northwest Nazarene on Jan. 7.
Basketball standings — Jan. 3
Boys basketball, Northwest Conference
| Boys basketball | League | Overall |
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Blaine | 5-0 | 8-1 |
| Sehome | 5-0 | 8-1 |
| Lynden Christian | 4-0 | 9-0 |
| Anacortes | 4-0 | 8-1 |
| Lynden | 4-0 | 7-1 |
| Bellingham | 3-3 | 4-5 |
| Nooksack Valley | 2-3 | 5-4 |
| Squalicum | 2-3 | 3-5 |
| Lakewood | 1-2 | 4-5 |
| Meridian | 1-3 | 5-3 |
| Oak Harbor | 1-3 | 3-5 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1-4 | 3-6 |
| Burlington-Edison | 1-4 | 2-6 |
| Ferndale | 1-4 | 1-8 |
| Mount Vernon | 0-3 | 4-4 |
| Mount Baker | 0-3 | 2-3 |
Girls basketball, Northwest Conference
| Girls basketball | League | Overall |
| Team | W-L | W-L |
| Nooksack Valley | 5-0 | 10-1 |
| Lynden | 5-0 | 9-1 |
| Ferndale | 5-0 | 6-4 |
| Lynden Christian | 4-0 | 9-1 |
| Sehome | 4-1 | 8-1 |
| Burlington-Edison | 3-1 | 5-3 |
| Anacortes | 3-1 | 4-4 |
| Oak Harbor | 2-2 | 5-3 |
| Bellingham | 2-4 | 4-6 |
| Lakewood | 1-3 | 4-4 |
| Squalicum | 1-3 | 3-6 |
| Mount Vernon | 1-3 | 2-7 |
| Mount Baker | 0-4 | 3-5 |
| Meridian | 0-4 | 1-5 |
| Blaine | 0-5 | 2-7 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0-5 | 1-8 |
*Standings were updated on Jan. 3 at 10:42 a.m. to reflect the outcome of the Jan. 2 games.
