For the second consecutive year, for the fourth in the last 5 years, and for the 12 time in their history, the Lynden Lions are state basketball champions. The Lions smothered the Mark Morris Monarchs 61-43 for the 2023 State basketball title, in the Yakima SunDome.
The Lions defensive efforts ran rough shot through their state tournament competitors. In their four games, including regionals, the Lions won three games by 18-point differences, and one by 34 points. In three games in the SunDome this week, they gave up 34, 42, and 43 points, and allowed opponents only one double-figures scorer in each game.
The Monarchs used their muscular 6-0 senior Deacon Dietz, a four-year varsity starter, as a defensive weapon on the Lions leading scorer, junior Anthony Canales. Dietz held Pullman’s Jaedyn Brown to 12 points the day before in their win over the Greyhounds.
Dietz and Canales went head to head early, as Canales sank three jumpers over Dietz, as the Lions took an early 11-6 lead, and 11-8 at the end of the quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lions began to distance themselves from the Monarchs, and it started on defense. Kobe Baar had two steals that he took for lay-ins, the second giving the Lions their biggest lead of the first half, 25-14. The Lions led 25-16 at halftime.
The Lions increased their lead to 16 by the end of the third quarter as Canales continued to score and Baar drove the left baseline twice for lay-ins in the final minute.
Baar capped the night by driving the lane for a dunk and a foul, and a 20-point lead with 2:19 to play.
Braydon Olson scored 21 points for the Monarchs who went undefeated in the Greater St. Helens League, and finished the season with a record of 25-3. This is the highest state tournament finish for the Monarchs since taking second place in 2007. They lost to the Lions in the championship game that year, 62-44.
Canales, who was named the State Tournament Most Valuable Player for the second year in a row, finished with 23 points. Baar earned second team honors and scored 16 points and had 10 rebounds.
Senior point guard Coston Parcher, battled foul trouble, and scored seven points before fouling out in the fourth quarter.
After the Lions 12-30 performance in 3-point shooting on Friday, they managed just 2-16 against the Monarchs, but were still able to shoot 49 percent from the floor for the game.
The Monarchs shot just 29 percent for the game and hit just 1-15 3-point shots.
Joining Canales on the All-Tournament First Team is Kobe Parlin of the Monarchs, Cavin Holden of RA Long, Harry Davies of North Kitsap, Jaedyn Brown of Pullman, and Luke Brewer of Tumwater.
Second team All-Tournament players are Baar and Brant Heppner of the Lions, Cade Orness of North Kitsap, Dane Sykes of Pullman, Kevin Flores of Prosser, and Braydon Olson of Mark Morris.
The Lions won the state championship without winning the Northwest Conference championship, or the district championship. Lynden and Lynden Christian have now won state championships in the same year, four times. Lynden has won football and basketball championships six times in the same school year. They have now won back-to-back championships five times.
Voting for the All-Tournament Team has to be completed by halftime of the championship game and is not affiliated with the WIAA.
~ Ted House
Comments