There’s hot. There’s white hot. There’s hot as the sun, hot. Then, there’s Dawson Hintz hot.
Hintz, one of Lynden Christian’s sophomore guards scored 33 points as the Lyncs defeated the Royal Knights, 56-49, in a state 1A semifinal game, Friday night in the Yakima SunDome.
The Lyncs will play for their ninth state championship in program history, Saturday at 5:00pm, against Annie Wright, who was a 55-37 winner over Zillah in the other semifinal game.
Hintz came out on fire, then turned to blistering. He scored eight of the Lyncs first ten points and ten of their 14 points in the first quarter, but Royal came back to lead 15-14.
Hintz wasn’t just standing around shooting 3-pointers. He scored from inside and he scored from outside. In the middle of the second quarter, Lyncs sophomore forward Kaden Veldman got his lay-in attempt blocked near the rim. The ball floated into Hintz’s hands on the left baseline. He drove and lofted an eight-foot shot over the Knights defender for a score, which turned out to be a 3-point play, giving the Lyncs a 21-16 lead.
Hintz later hit a long 3-point shot with 1:15 left in the half. He followed that with a 3-point play, then finished the half with an even longer 3-point shot, and the Lyncs had a healthy 30-20 lead at intermission.
Hintz finished the half with 24 points. Senior guard Gannon Dykstra had the other six points for the Lyncs, as the only two LC players to reach the scoring column in the first half, which is not the the normally proportioned offense that the Lyncs typically produce. But when a player is on this kind of a roll, it can make up for a lot of things.
Sometimes the only way to cool a hot shooter is to get to halftime. The Knights welcomed the ten minute break so much so that they hit their first four shots of the second half, all 3-pointers, Hintz was able to add a lay-in, but those were the only points for the Lyncs during a 15-2 run by the Knights for a 35-32 lead with 4:30 left in the third quarter.
The final point of the Knights run was a free throw after Hintz was accessed a technical foul. It may have been worth it, as a Knights player was going for a fast break lay-in, Hintz elevated to the top of the square on the backboard to block the shot. After the play, he was issued a technical for which appeared to be from taunting.
The Knights hit only one of the two free throws, then missed their field goal attempt on the following possession.
Hintz and Gannon Dykstra still carried the scoring for the Lyncs until Veldman scored on a lay-in with 2:35 left in the third quarter.
Sophomore guard Gunnar Dykstra then hit a 3-pointer, and Veldman scored again, which tied the score at 39-39. The Knights hit their fifth 3-pointer of the quarter and took a 42-39 lead starting the fourth period.
Hintz hit a 25-footer to tie the score in the first minute of the fourth quarter. Veldman then scored on an inbounds play a minute later, and no one knew it at the time, but the Veldman bucket gave the Lyncs the lead for good.
The Knights got as close as a point on a 3-point shot by senior guard Lance Alred with just under four minutes to play, but the Lyncs took care of the ball and made free throws down the stretch, never allowing the Knights a chance for the lead.
After the 33-point night by Hintz on 13-19 shooting, Gannon Dykstra added 14 points, then it was six points for Veldman and three for Gunnar Dykstra, which completed the scoring list for the Lyncs.
Senior forward Jackson Larsen led the Knights with 13 points, followed by the ten points of Grand Wardenaar.
The 24-2 Lyncs now quickly turn their attention to the Annie Wright Gators who were widely regarded as the favorite to win the 1A tournament. The Gators are 24-2, and lost last year’s championship game to Zillah on a last second shot.
The past ten 1A state titles have gone to Zillah (4), Kings (3), and Lynden Christian (3). The Lyncs have a chance to keep that steak alive.
~ Ted House
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