This past week in the Northwest Conference, the hardest working people were Meteorology majors and Athletic Directors. I’m sure the AD’s would say that that competition wasn’t even close, as they managed to squeeze three days’ worth of boys and girls basketball games into the final two weeks of the regular season.
The week began on the Martin Luther King Jr. holiday, which saw the Lynden Lions defeat the Kings Knights, 64-39, at the ShoWare Center in Kent. It was the only game of the week for the league-leading Lions, who are 9-0 in the NWC and 12-3 on the season. But they will be very busy coming down the stretch, as they still have to play the other three teams in the mix for the league title.
Monday night also included an important conference game between 2A’s Lakewood and Bellingham. The two are jockeying for the fourth position in the 2A District 1 RPI standings. The fourth-place team will get to host the fifth-place team in the tournament’s first round.
Sophomore Caleb Greenland had a big night for the Cougars, scoring 24 points in their 65-55 win over the Bayhawks. Greenland hit four 3-pointers and shot 8-9 at the free-throw line. He also scored ten straight points for the Cougars in the final three minutes of the first half.
Senior guard Ben Rucker came through when it counted, scoring 11 of his 17 points in the second half, as he went 8-8 from the free-throw line.
Sophomore Joe Harward had a big night for the Bayhawks. Harward, who started the season on the junior varsity, is now contributing big minutes for the varsity squad. He was the only Bayhawk in double-figures, scoring 16 points, most of which with strong, inside play.
The win improved the Cougars NWC record to 6-4 and jumped them above the Bayhawks into fourth place in the district RPI. But the Bayhawks leap-frogged back into fourth place on Saturday, with a win over Squalicum. More on that below.
On Tuesday, the Meridian Trojans and the Nooksack Valley Pioneers got together at Kay LeMaster Gym. Matchups like this always take me back to the old days of the Whatcom County League, where the six WCL members would play each other three times in the regular season. The same thing may end up happening this year between these two teams, just not all in the regular season.
The Pioneers took the lead late in the first quarter and never gave it up, in a 67-55 win, which puts some distance between the two teams in the standings. Nooksack improved to 6-5 in the NWC with the win over the Trojans and a Saturday victory over Mount Baker. The Trojans are now 3-7, after a Saturday night loss to Sedro-Woolley.
The Pioneers put a triangle-and-two defense on the Trojans top shooters, juniors Jaeger Fyfe and Talon Jenkins. Jenkins was also hampered by foul trouble and could muster only four points.
Fyfe, with a defender in his face all night, managed to get to 20 points, with 13 in the second half. The Pioneers made him work hard on every possession just to get his hands on the ball.
With the Pioneers only up by four points at halftime, they scored the first 11 points of the third quarter and never led by less than double-digits the rest of the way.
Offensively for the Pioneers, junior forward Tristan Kamphouse, was a big part of that 11-0 run, as he scored ten of his 18 points in the third quarter. You could say that “Tristan set up Kamp in the deep Korner,” where he hit four 3-pointers on the night.
Junior guard Caden Heutink added 11 points for the Pioneers. Junior post Brady Ackerman scored ten points, and senior guard Wayne Silves put in nine, all in the fourth quarter.
The Trojans and the Pioneers are headed for a rematch in the first round of the 1A District Tournament. They currently sit as the number two and three seeds. The Trojans have a one-game lead over Blaine and hold the tiebreaker between the two.
This year, after the district tournament, there are no crossover games with District 2 to get to regionals. The top two teams (of the five) in District 1 boys and girls advance to state/regionals. Therefore, the Trojans and Pioneers could meet twice in the district tournament, provided there are no upsets along the way.
Also on Tuesday, Squalicum got a big home win over Sedro-Woolley, 56-45, as the two are positioning themselves in the 2A list. As of Sunday, the Storm is in seventh, while the Cubs sit in eighth.
Anacortes hit triple-digits in a 100-45 win over Sehome. The Mariners are sixth and the Seahawks are third in the 2A district RPI.
During the midweek snowstorm hiatus, and much like the NBA’s in-season tournament (didn’t know they had one, did ya?), three teams answered an invitation for a local round-robin tournament. Snow-be-darned, as the contestants were The Freezing Rain School, Northeast Windy City, and Snow Valley High. They each played each other over the three-day period.
Freezing Rain was a pretty slick team but could never really get off the ground. The Northeaster’s thought they could just blow in and wipe everyone out, but they eventually calmed down. But, in the end, Snow Valley was able to blanket their opponents and take home the title.
Wynter Winchill, of Snow Valley was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. His teammate, Fraser Outflow, was also named to the first team.
Other first-teamers were Slushy Drift of Freezing Rain, along with Rocky Salt and Gust Blizzard of NE Windy City.
It wasn’t great basketball, but it filled the gap until the regulars could return to the courts. Which they did on Saturday.
Bellingham and Squalicum rivaled-up in the Strom Shelter on Saturday. It was a close, intensely emotional game from start to finish, with the Bayhawks eventually escaping with a 72-67 win.
The nets didn’t stand a chance in the first half. The Bayhawks led 23-19 after eight minutes, but the Storm came back to take a 40-37 halftime lead.
Early on, it was the Kincade Vanhouten show for Bellngham, as the 6-6 junior forward struck early and often. Vanhouten hit two 3-pointers from the left corner in the Bayhawks first two possessions. Then he hit a short jumper for his team’s first eight points. He had ten points in the first five minutes and 14 by halftime.
Not to be outdone, Squalicum junior guard Marcus Nixon scored 19 first-half points, with 13 in the second quarter, pushing his team into the halftime lead.
Nixon hit a 3-pointer early in the third quarter, then added two “scoop-and-scores” later in the period, as the lead went back and forth before the Bayhawks assumed a 56-53 lead after three.
Joe Harward answered the call off the bench for the Bayhawks, scoring nine points in each half, again, all by using his strength close to the basket.
Senior guard Wyatt Stephan was big for the Bayhawks in the second half, as he controlled the tempo for his team and scored 11 of his 12 points in the final 16 minutes.
The Bayhawks held the lead throughout the fourth quarter, never letting the Storm get their deficit to one possession.
Vanhouten finished with 21 for the Bayhawks, while Nixon scored 32 for the Storm. Freshman guard Hunter Calloway scored 14 points for the Storm.
The win vaulted the Bayhawks back in front of Lakewood in the race for the fourth position in the District RPI.
Sedro-Woolley won a heart-stopper over Meridian Saturday night, 63-62.
The Trojans built a nine-point lead in the second quarter, only to be tied at halftime.
The Trojans tied it at 62-62 on a jumper by Talon Jenkins with 16 seconds left. Then with 1.8 seconds to go, Cubs junior Logan Roth was fouled on a shot. He hit the first of two free throws to win it for the Cubs.
This is certainly a competitive area for boys and girls basketball, and that’s the understatement of the new year. With two weeks left, here is what the post-season looks like…
Lynden holds the top RPI spot to the 2A district tournament, but still has six games left, with three being Anacortes (Wednesday at home), Mount Vernon, and Lynden Christian.
Cedarcrest is the second seed at this time with four games left in the 3A Wesco. Anacortes is the third seed, with Bellingham and Lakewood at fourth and fifth. Only two of those teams will survive, with the rest probably good enough to win games in Yakima.
Lynden Christian will be the top seed to the 1A tournament, with Nooksack and Meridian currently in second and third. Blaine is fourth with Mount Baker in fifth. Two of the five go to state.
In 3A, Mount Vernon is currently the third seed, on the heels of second-seeded Arlington. Ferndale is eleventh and needs to stay in the top 12 to qualify for the district tournament.
On the girls side, Nooksack is undefeated in the NWC, and the clear favorite to repeat their 1A championship. Lynden Christian is the second seed and would be the remaining favorite to advance with Nooksack.
The 2A girls race will also be a nail-biter. Burlington-Edison is 9-0 in the NWC and is currently the top seed. The Tigers still have games left with Nooksack and Lynden. The Lions (8-1) are third in the district RPI, a tick behind Sehome (9-1), and the two play each other on Saturday at Sehome.
Archbishop Murphy is the fourth seed and are 8-2 in the Wesco standings. Only two will advance from the girls district tournament also.
In 3A, Ferndale, at 6-3 in the NWC, is currently the sixth seed to district, with Oak Harbor (6-4) in seventh. Mount Vernon is currently in twelfth position, but the NWC can only send two teams to district.
As we head into the week-before-the-week-before, there are matchups with intrigue every night, but those that jump off the page begin with the girls contest between Nooksack and Burlington, in the Tigers gym on Monday.
On Wednesday at Jake Maberry Gym, get ready for the Anacortes Seahawks and the Lynden Lions.
Sehome will be a busy place later in the week, as the Mariner boys host Lynden Christian on Thursday, then a girls-boys double-header with Lynden on Saturday.
Friday night will have an interesting non-league game with Nooksack traveling to Kings.
Hopefully, the Meteorologists and the Athletic Directors will have an easier time over the next two weeks.
~ Ted House
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