The Lynden Christian Lyncs defeated the Seattle Academy Cardinals 70-44, in the game for third place in the 1A boys State Tournament, Saturday, in the Yakima SunDome.
After a tough semifinal loss the day before and a short turnaround time, it took the Lyncs a while to sync up, but once they did, the Cardinals were not up to the challenge.
The Cardinals were the aggressors in the first few minutes, as senior forward Alex McCleery-Brown carried the Cardinals through the first eight minutes, scoring eleven of his teams 13 first quarter points.
For the Lyncs, senior Jeremiah Wright and junior Gannon Dykstra scored all of the Lyncs 12 first quarter points, with seven and five points, respectively.
In the second quarter, the Lyncs got a jolt of intensity at the defensive end which transitioned nicely to the offensive side, creating a 20-10 second quarter, and a 32-23 halftime lead.
Senior guard Dawson Bouma ignited the Lyncs offense, scoring the first two buckets of the second quarter, and the Lyncs pushed the lead to as much as 13 points.
The trio of Bouma, Dykstra, and Wright continued to carry the Lyncs offense through the second half with the Lyncs largest lead being the final score.
Bouma’s 20 points was high for the Lyncs, with Wright finishing with 19 points and 8 rebounds. Dykstra was next with 18.
The Lyncs shot 51% from the field to the Cardinals 32%. McCleery-Brown was the only Cardinal in double digits with 20 points.
The Lyncs finish with a season record of 24-3 and take home the third-place trophy in 2024. Their run of consecutive state championships ends at two, and championship game appearances at three.
The Cardinals end up with a 17-8 record, and finish with the fifth-place trophy in 2024.
~ Ted House
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