The Lynden Lions secured second place in the 2A Boys District 1 Tournament, as they rolled past the Archbishop Murphy Wildcats, 73-40, Saturday night, at Mount Vernon High School, in a loser out contest.
Coming off of their first loss of the season in the district title game to Lakewood on Wednesday, the Lions were determined not to have their season end that quickly. Especially, senior forward Brant Heppner.
Heppner seemed especially determined to carry the Lions for 32 minutes, as he scored the Lions first eight points, and finished with 32 points on the night, or one point per minute.
Despite the Wildcats finishing with a season record of 11-14, they are a physically tough team. All their league games are against 3A teams, and over a season, that will toughen you up. Plus, the fact that they have a top-shelf football program, as do the Lions, these schools have battled in many state level games in many sports over the years. And you could see that unfold in this game. The Lions also got a non-conference win over the Wildcats in December, 61-39.
With a three-point lead after eight minutes, the Lions began to separate themselves from the Wildcats. Heppner’s 3-pointer with 6:20 left in the half ignited a 12-3 run by the Lions to a 30-18 halftime lead.
One pivotal sequence in the final minute came via the hustle plays from junior guard Brody Price. Price knocked a ball loose from the Wildcats and chased it down the floor toward the Wildcats bench. He was able to save it from going out of bounds to a teammate. Then, on a missed shot in the same possession, Price saved another loose ball from right under the Lions basket. The ball went to Lion senior forward Jack Stapleton, who quickly directed the ball to a wide-open Gordy Bedlington on the left wing. The sophomore guard nailed a 3-pointer that ended the half.
From there, the Lions blew the game open in the third quarter. The first possession was designed for Heppner, who hit an elbow jumper, and the Lions scored the first seven points of the quarter. When the quarter ended, the Lions led 55-30.
The lead continued to grow in the fourth quarter, to its final 33-point margin.
The Lions defense held the Wildcats to 29-percent shooting from the floor, while on offense, the Lions committed only eight turnovers.
Senior forward Mateen Usui and junior forward Jack Sievers led the Wildcats in scoring with 12 points each.
Heppner’s 32 points included 8-8 shooting at the free throw line. The only other Lion in double-figures was Bedlington with 11 points, and he also dished out 11 assists.
The Lions, as well as every team around the state still alive, awaits their seeding and opponent for their regional matchups.
The top eight seeds will play each other as, 8 vs 1, 7 vs 2, 6 vs 3, and 5 vs 4. They will play next weekend. The winners in those games skip to the quarterfinal round of the state tournament, played on Thursday, March 6. The losers will play in loser out games on Wednesday, March 5.
The 9-16 seeds will also play in the same manner (16 vs 9, etc.). Those are loser out games, which sends the winners to state tournament games on Wednesday, March 5.
Also of note, are the wins by 1A teams in their crossover games with District 2. Lynden Christian boys defeated Cedar Park Christian 73-31, and Meridian disposed of Bush 83-46.
On the girls side, it was much the same as Lynden Christian 77-6, and it was Nooksack Valley over Bear Creek 64-16.
The Lynden girls, winners of the District 1 championship, and boys champion Lakewood, are also awaiting their next game. Of the seven boys and girls teams remaining from the Northwest Conference, at least five should be seeded in the top eight in their respective classifications. The other two, the Meridian boys and the Nooksack Valley girls, are right on the edge, depending on if any teams above them lost out, and the work of the seeding committees.
A final shout-out goes to the in-game staff at Mount Vernon. They are top-notch timers and scorekeepers, and they don’t miss a beat. I proclaim these four gentlemen as “The Guardians of The Palace.” Hope we meet again on Saturday.
The regional lineup will be released by the WIAA today (Sunday), and then fun begins. Get your brackets ready!
~ Ted House
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