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Lyncs and Lions Still Top Cats in the NWC

Ted House
Heutink's game winner

With three full weeks to play in the regular season, Lynden and Lynden Christian lead the pack, undefeated in league play.  They will go head-to-head in the Lions gym on Saturday, February 1.

 

In case either, or both take a stumble, Lakewood and Anacortes are next in line, but both have two losses. 

 

Since Sedro-Woolley lost by eight points to Lynden, the Cubs have won three straight games with road wins over Lakewood and Mount Vernon, sandwiched around a home win over Ferndale.  The Cubs record is up to 6-3 in the NWC.

 

Meridian is also 6-3.  They lost on a last second shot at Nooksack on Monday, but avoided the same outcome on Thursday, as a game-winning shot by Oak Harbor came a split second after the final buzzer.  More on those games coming up.

 

Lakewood is a scary franchise, having doubled up on Bellingham, 70-35 on Monday, then continued their roll through the city, getting past Sehome, 54-50, on Friday.  The Cougars are 7-2 in the NWC.

 

Anacortes is lurking at 7-2, coming off wins over Blaine and Mount Baker this week.  They also got a non-league win over Lake Stevens on Thursday and now are up to 11-2 on the season.  The Seahawks will play at Lakewood in their last game of the regular season.

 

On Monday, Meridian went to Nooksack, and for me, this was the headliner game of the week.  Some games always take me back to the 70’s and 80’s, and this matchup does that.    

 

As mentioned, the Trojans were nipped at the buzzer on a last second shot by senior guard, Caden Heutink, 54-53.  (Check out the highlight!)

 

The intrigue over this game was based on how these two teams battled last year.  In the regular season game, the Pioneers took a 12-point win at home.  Then the Trojans took both matchups in the district tournament.  The Pioneers win on Monday did not make things “even,” by any stretch, because they still have a possibility of playing each other twice in this year’s tournament.  That will be much more important.

 

 On Monday, the Trojans press and 2-3 zone caused trouble for the Pioneers early, as the Pioneers turned the ball over on their first three possessions.  But the Pioneers man-to-man defense was just as stout.  The Trojans managed just a 4-0 lead on those turnovers, and it was just an 8-6 lead for the Trojans after four minutes of play.

 

With the Pioneers defensive focus on the Trojans scorers, Talon Jenkins and Jaeger Fyfe, the Trojans offense got a spark from other sources, creating a six-point run late in the first quarter.

 

Junior reserve guard, Matthew Blankenburg scored after a steal, then sophomore Trey Alexander, another reserve guard, scored a bucket, then took a charge, and followed that with two free throws for a 14-6 lead.

 

The Trojans took their biggest lead of the game, 18-10, early in the second quarter.  Alexander completed an impressive 360-spin move around a Pioneer defender and scored on a lay-in.  Then, the Trojans press created a turnover which led to a bucket by Fyfe with 6:50 left in the half.

 

A few minutes later, Jenkins picked up his second and third fouls, sending him to the bench for the last 3:20 of the half.

 

The Pioneers chipped away, hitting 6-8 free throws in the second quarter.  Two by sophomore Dane Ackerman with 18 seconds left in the half, gave the Pioneers a 23-22 lead at halftime, completing a 13-4 run.

 

In the third quarter, the 5-11 Alexander scored two straight baskets for the Trojans, the first on a back-door cut, then on a fast break and the Trojans reclaimed the lead, 28-27 with 4:20 left.

 

But Jenkins was whistled for his fourth foul with 4:15 left in the quarter, then after Fyfe hit a long 3-pointer, he also got his fourth foul at 3:37.  A minute later, 6-6 senior post James Hedahl got his fourth, and the Trojans top three scorers were all on the bench.

 

That’s foul trouble.  Deep, deep foul trouble.  Deep, like the Titanic.  However, the Trojans had some life boats to keep them afloat.  The only starter on the floor for the Trojans in the final minutes of the third quarter was their point guard, Pierce Brzozowski, a sophomore.

 

The rest of the fleet were sophomores Alexander and Gabe Galbraith, along with junior Blankenburg, and senior Brock Haugen.  They created some action that pleased the visiting crowd, like a 3-pointer hit by Galbraith, a couple buckets by Alexander, and just some general hustle plays.  The tallest of the bunch is the 6-1 Haugen, the only one over 6-feet.

 

A bucket by Brzozowski on a backdoor cut gave the Trojans a 37-32 lead, before a Pioneer free throw cut the lead to 37-33 at the end of the third quarter.

 

Not wanting to risk all three starters who were in foul trouble, Hedahl stayed on the bench starting the fourth quarter, while Jenkins and Fyfe returned.   But with Hedahl out, the Pioneers went to their own big-man, repeatedly.

 

Senior post, Brady Ackerman, scored four times from the low post as Jenkins, playing the middle of the Trojans 2-3 zone, could not afford to be aggressive on defense. 

 

Ackerman’s eight fourth quarter points, along with a key 3-pointer by Pioneers junior Owen Wichers, gave the Pioneers a 46-42 lead with 4:48 left.  Wichers gave the Pioneers important minutes as junior guard, Cody Coppinger was in foul trouble defending Jenkins.

 

The Pioneers appeared to take control after a fast break lay-in by senior Tristan Kamphouse that gave the Pioneers a 52-46 lead with 2:10 on the clock.

 

But Alexander then ignited a seven-point run for the Trojans by hitting a 3-pointer.  That was followed by a Jenkins free throw.  And with 50 seconds left, Jenkins nailed his only 3-pointer of the game, and the Trojans took a 53-52 lead.  Then, nine seconds later, the Pioneers turned the ball over.

 

The Trojans patiently worked their offense, but missed a shot near the end of the shot clock, and appeared to have rebounded their miss, but lost the ball out of bounds, giving the ball back to the Pioneers with 7.9 seconds left.

 

As the Pioneers inbounded in back court, the Trojans strategically committed their second team foul of the quarter, forcing the Pioneers to inbound again at midcourt.

 

From the left sideline, senior guard, Caden Heutink inbounded to Brady Ackerman outside the key on the left, he pitched the ball back to a cutting Heutink, who maneuvered in the key and scooped in the winning lay-in at the buzzer.

 

I always say that “role players” are key in big games.  For the Trojans, it certainly was Alexander, who led the Trojans with 13 points.  The play of Blankenburg, Haugen, Galbraith and Brzozowski was important in keeping things together through the foul trouble of three starters.

 

For the Pioneers, Tristan Kamphouse came through in the fourth quarter, scoring six of his team-high 12 points.  Wichers had nine big points for the Pioneers, hitting two 3-pointers in the game, and five points in the fourth quarter.

 

Brady Ackerman’s eight points in the fourth quarter built his total to 11 for the game.  Heutink’s game winner gave him ten points on the night.

 

That was the Pioneers third straight NWC win.  They later won their fourth row, a 76-35 win over Blaine on Thursday.  They finish the week with a 4-5 record in the conference and 8-5 overall.  More importantly, building confidence with each win.

 

The Trojans fell to 5-3 in the NWC, and 9-4 on the season.  Their bench work in this game will prove dividends down the road. 

 

On the same day, there was another NWC game that was even tighter.  Mount Vernon edged Squalicum, 67-66 in overtime.

 

Last week the Bulldogs were nipped by Lakewood in the final seconds when Michael Johnson’s potential game winner bounced off the rim at the buzzer.  On Monday, his last second shot hit the rim again, but with a different result.

 

The Bulldogs took an early 7-0 lead over Squalicum, but it was all Storm after that.  Squalicum outscored the Bulldogs 37-18 for a 37-25 lead at halftime.

 

The Bulldogs closed the gap to four points at the end of the third quarter, but were still down 62-57 with 1:38 to play.

 

A blocked shot by Bulldog senior forward, Moises Lucatero, got the Bulldogs a needed possession, which they cashed in with a 3-pointer from sophomore guard, Reece Roberts.  That cut the Storm lead to 62-60 with one minute to go.

 

The Bulldogs defense again created trouble for the Storm offense, forcing a 30-second shot clock violation, turning the ball over to the Bulldogs with 25 seconds left.

 

Johnson tried to deliver the final blow, but his shot missed, but was rebounded by Roberts.  That led to an inside score by junior forward Taran Hanjrah, tying the game at 62-62.  But the Storm had 12 seconds to come up with the game winner.

 

As senior guard Marcus Nixon drove the lane, it was Hanjrah stepping up with a blocked shot, denying Nixon and the Storm, and sending the game to overtime.

 

Senior guard Ty Hoffman split a pair of free throws with 2:15 left in OT, giving the Storm a 65-64 lead. 

 

The offenses went dark after that, until Storm junior forward, Laki Fagaautau, hit the second of two free throws with 12 seconds left, upping the Storm lead to 66-64.

 

After a midcourt timeout by the Bulldogs, they had nine seconds for the final shot.

 

It took a few passes before the ball found Johnson out on top.  As time ran down, and defended closely by Fagaautau, Johnson drove just to the left of the top of the key, and got off a shot.  It did hit the rim again, but after the third bounce, found the net, and the students emptied onto the floor in the Bulldog gym, with a 67-66 overtime win.

 

 

The win bumped the Bulldogs to 3-5 in the NWC and 6-7 overall.  The Storm fell to 2-6 and 6-7.  It was the third straight game for the Bulldogs where the final score was decided by one possession.

 

I thought the third game on Monday would be just as close as those two, but that was far from the case.

 

Bellingham and Lakewood went into this contest on the Bayhawks floor, tied at 5-2 in the conference standings.  Lakewoood ended this one early, 70-35.

 

The Cougars took a 9-0 lead and finished the half leading 47-13.  The Bayhawks could muster only two free throws in the second quarter, with those coming with 40 seconds left in the half.

 

The Cougars defense was like piranhas after the ball.  From their 2-3 zone, they attacked, double-teamed, tipped passes, and rebounded into several fast break opportunities.  

 

After a 5-1 league record to start, the Bayhawks are now 5-4 after an 87-49 loss to Ferndale. 

 

In both of their losses this week, the Bayhawks were down very big, very early.  Lakewood took that 9-0 lead at the start, and against Ferndale, the Bayhawks were down 15-0 before hitting two free throws at the 3:28 mark of the first quarter.

 

Ferndale never let up, leading by 21 points at halftime and by 29 after three quarters. 

 

With the win over Bellingham, the Golden Eagles improved to 5-4 in the conference, and after two straight losses, look like they have a good chance to move up in the standings in the final three weeks.

 

Bellingham’s four league losses to Lynden Christian, Lynden, Lakewood and Ferndale have all been between 30 and 40 points.

 

Earlier, I mentioned that after Meridian lost to Nooksack at the buzzer, they were in the same situation on Thursday at Oak Harbor, but this time escaped with a 64-62 win.

 

The Trojans led at the end of each of the first three quarters, even opening up a 12-point lead late in the third.  But the Wildcats cut the gap to seven at the end of the period and climbed closer in the first minutes of the fourth.

 

The Wildcats took the lead 57-55 with 2:23 left on a 3-point shot by junior guard, Bryson Harris.  Then, just six seconds later, Jaeger Fyfe got the lead back for the Trojans with a 3-point play, 58-57. 

 

Junior forward Cohen Esvelt hit a jumper to put the Wildcats back up by one, but Pierce Brzozowski had the answer for the Trojans, nailing a long 3-pointer from the left wing, giving the Trojans a 61-59 lead with 70 seconds left.

 

Junior forward Xavier Ochoa fed Esvelt, who’s bucket tied the score again at 61-61. 

 

After a Trojan turnover with 48 seconds left, the Wildcats had two chances for the lead but could not get a shot to fall.  Fyfe secured a rebound in traffic and was fouled with 17 seconds left.  He hit two free throws, giving the Trojans a 63-61 lead.

 

At the other end, Ochoa was looking for a go-ahead 3-pointer but got double-teamed on the perimeter.  He kicked it into gear and drove the lane, dishing off to junior guard, Max Waldron, who was fouled with just four seconds left.

 

Waldron would hit only the second of two free throws, so the Wildcats had to foul quickly.  They fouled Fyfe on the Trojans inbound pass with three seconds on the clock.  Fyfe also hit the second of two free throws, and after a timeout, the Wildcats would inbound in back court, down by two, with three ticks left.

 

The Wildcats covered the length of the floor in three passes, and Waldron launched an open 3-pointer from the right corner.  The ball circled the rim and fell, but the shot was waved off as the horn had sounded a split second before Waldron released the ball.  The Trojans had a much happier, yet very long, bus ride home.

 

Oak Harbor fell to 1-8 in the NWC and 2-11 on the season.  Their record doesn’t show it, but they are a much-improved team over their 1-14 finish in the NWC last year.

 

Lynden remained undefeated on the season with wins over Sehome (63-36), and Burlington-Edison (64-40). 

 

Against Sehome, slowly pulled away after trailing 11-10 after eight minutes.  The Lions defense held the Mariners to 25 points over the final three quarters.  But there was a positive in there for Sehome.

 

In the third quarter, the 6-2 Mariner post, junior Cole Turrell, used his lineman body to score four straight times in the post.  Turrell used his strength to contact and create space and hit a variety of shots in those four possessions.  He scored eight points in that run and six more in the fourth quarter, leading the Mariners with 16 points on the night.

 

The 64-40 win by the Lions over the Tigers does not tell the story on the way that game went. 

 

The Tigers perimeter defenders, Madden Whitlock, Logan Arendse, and Keoni Thornhill put great pressure on Lions guards, making it difficult for the Lions to get their offense started.  That, combined with a defender in the chest of the Lions 6-6 senior Brant Heppner, and the 6-8 Timophy Feskov sitting back as the rim protector, the Tigers battled their way to an 11-6 lead late in the first quarter.

 

The Lions defense, which is an obstacle for every team, plus some Tiger foul trouble, limited the Tigers to only eight points in the second quarter, as the Lions forged a 27-22 lead at halftime. 

 

Late in the third quarter, Lions freshman reserve guard, Jayden Navarre, hit back-to-back 3-pointers from the top of the key, giving the Lions a 13-point lead. 

 

In the fourth quarter, the Lions pulled away, as sophomore guard Malachi Koenen scored eight of his 13 points, and Heppner scored eight of his ten points on the night.  The Lions welcomed back 6-7 senior forward Jack Stapleton, after missing several games due to a nagging foot injury.  Stapleton came off the bench to score 13 points. 

 

Feskov led the Tigers with 12 points.  Senior guard Spencer Betz added ten for the Tigers. 

 

The Tigers seemed to have turned a corner after last week’s losses to Anacortes and Nooksack Valley.  They played Lynden very tough after a 71-38 win over Oak Harbor on Tuesday.  They are 4-5 in the conference, and 9-5 overall.

 

 The week ended on Saturday with Anacortes beating Mount Baker 60-45 and Lynden Christian winning at Squalicum 80-52. 

 

The Storm was shorthanded due to sickness, but sophomore guard Gunnar Dykstra was red hot for the Lyncs, connecting on nine (yes 9) 3-pointers, scoring 27 points on the night.  I kept track from a distance, so for the full story, please visit WhatcomHoops.com

 

The upcoming week starts early.  The Lynden girls and boys teams will play in the King Showcase at the ShoWare Center in Kent.  The Lynden girls will play Kings at 1030am, followed by the same matchup on the boys side at noon. 

 

That headlines six days of action with three weeks to go in the regular season.

 

~ Ted House

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