The Lynden Lions girls wrapped up a perfect season with a 54-37 win over the Ellensburg Bulldogs, Saturday night in the Yakima SunDome.
It was the second straight title for the Lions and the fifth in program history, all under the direction of head coach Rob Adams. Their first was in 2009, and they have now won three of the last five state championships. The only other team in between was Ellensburg in 2022 and 2023.
The Bulldogs defensive plan was to lock down on Lion sophomore Finley Parcher and junior Payton Mills, and zone the rest, while leaving the 3-point wing opportunities open for anyone not named Parcher or Mills. And, to a certain degree, it worked.
It worked enough to keep the game moderately close, as the Lions built a 15-10 lead after eight minutes, with Parcher and Mills combining for ten of the Lions total.
The defensive focus for the Lions was the same on the Bulldogs two stars, sophomore Bella Standish and senior Jamison Philip. But that was in the scope of the Lions typically stingy man-to-man defense.
The game turned into a defensive grind in the second quarter but the Lions built some breathing room thanks to 3-point shots by sophomore point guard Lexi Hermanutz and junior guard Reese Nyhoff. They led 24-14 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Lions took advantage of the open wings as Hermanutz, senior forward Kiki York, and junior guard Jules Slayton all knocked down 3-point shots, forcing the Bulldogs to switch to more outside pressure, as the Lions led by 12 at the end of the third quarter.
A 12-point deficit against the Lions would seem more like 20, as the Bulldogs continuously forced to use nearly all the shot clock.
The Lions eventually built the lead to 18 points in the fourth quarter as they took the ball inside to Parcher and Mills for shots or free throws. As the Bulldogs had to foul, the Lions hit 9-11 free throws in the fourth quarter.
Standish and Philip each scored 15 points for the Bulldogs, whos season ends in a Lions celebration for the second year in a row.
Parcher finished with 14 points and ten rebounds, while Mills also had a double-double with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Hermanutz sank two 3-pointers in the game and finished with ten points.
The Lions broke the Bulldogs 75 game winning streak in last year’s title game. The Lions won all 28 games they played this season and have now have a winning streak of 48 straight. The closest team got to the Lions this season on the scoreboard, was in their first game of the season. It was a 16-point win over Riverside Secondary, of British Columbia.
With the youth on both rosters, the Lion-Bulldog matchup may very well continue.
~ Ted House
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