The Meridian Trojans worked their way past the Nooksack Valley Pioneers, 62-54, Tuesday night at Lynden High School, and claimed second place in the 1A District 1 Tournament, for the second year in a row.
The win sends the Trojans to the District 1/2 Crossover game against the fourth-place team from the District 2 tournament. That team will be the loser of the contest between Bush and Overlake, to be played on Thursday, at Overlake. The winner of the Crossover game gets a spot in regionals.
The Trojans defensive plan on Tuesday was to slow the Pioneers motor, senior point guard, Caden Heutink, who scored 30 points when the two teams met in the first round of the tournament, a game won by the Trojans, 69-56.
They played a tight man-to-man on Heutink, with a defender always in denial position, in an attempt to keep the ball out of Heutink’s hands. Most of that task was handled by senior Canyon James, with help from sophomores Trey Alexander, and Pierce Brzozowski. The other four defenders played a zone in a 1-3 alignment. The plan worked, as Heutink’s only points of the end of first quarter on a buzzer-beating 3-point shot.
At the other end, the Pioneers defensive detail was a very tight man-to-man everywhere, with extra pressure placed on Trojan senior shooters, Talon Jenkins and Jaeger Fyfe.
That too worked, for the most part, as the two split 12 first-half points. Fyfe hitting two long 3-point shots, and Jenkins with four of his six points at the free throw line.
With the help of the rest of the Trojans cast, they controlled the first half, until foul trouble caught up to them in the final minutes. With Jenkins and senior post James Hedahl on the bench with two fouls, Fyfe joined them with his third, and the Pioneers didn’t waste the moment.
After senior forward Brock Haugen scored inside to give the Trojans a 28-17 lead, the Pioneers went to work. Pioneer senior forward Lance Vanberkum sparked a 13-2 run with five points, a few offensive rebounds and an assist in the last two minutes of the half, as the Trojans lead melted to 31-29 at halftime.
Senior post Brady Ackerman tied the score on the first possession of the second half on a put-back of a missed shot, tying the game at 31-31.
Over the next two minutes, however, Jenkins found some space and hit a 3-point shot in three straight possessions, and converting the last one into a four-point play, as Pioneer junior guard Cole Coppinger was whistled for his fourth foul. The Trojans led 43-35.
That lead evaporated to three points when Nooksack sophomore forward Dane Ackerman hit a 3-point shot. The Trojans took a 47-42 lead into the final period.
The 10-point run by Jenkins notwithstanding, the Trojans needed to outsource some offense as Jenkins and Fyfe were still the target of the Pioneers defense. Early in the fourth quarter, Brzozowski answered the bell.
After Fyfe started the quarter with two free throws for the Trojans, Brzozowski picked up a steal and won the race to the hoop for a lay-in. Then he scored again off of a back-door cut, and completed a circus hook-shot off the glass from under the hoop. He then capped a 9-2 run by hitting a 3-pointer from the right corner, set up by a drive down the lane by Fyfe. The Trojans took a 56-44 lead with 4:15 to play.
The Pioneers got two quick hoops, one by senior guard Corey Olney, then Olney picked up a steal in back court and fed Heutink for another bucket, cutting the Trojans lead to eight.
The Pioneers got as close a 60-54 with 18 seconds left, but the Trojans held on, despite hitting just two of their final six free throws.
Jenkins led the Trojans with 16 points. Fyfe added 12, and hit 6-6 free throws in the fourth quarter. Brzozowski scored 14 points, with eight in the final quarter. Hedahl finished with 11.
For the Pioneers, Heutink still managed 17 points with defenders sharing his jersey all night. Olney added ten. The season ends for the Pioneers with an 11-11 record.
The 16-7 Trojans are down to a one-game season. A win on Saturday gets them to regional play, where they could be a top-eight seed. But, first things first.
Saturday at Kings High School:
Girls 11:00am Nooksack Valley vs Loser of Bear Creek – Bush
Girls 1:00pm Lynden Christian vs Winner of South Whidbey – Granite Falls
Boys 3:00pm Lynden Christian vs Winner Cedar Park Christian - Northwest House
Boys 5:00pm Meridian vs Loser of Bush - Overlake
2A Boys District 1 from Mount Vernon – Tuesday’s results
The #7 Archbishop Murphy Wildcats took the lead in the second quarter and never gave it up in eliminating the #4 Anacortes Seahawks, 61-55.
After trailing by ten points in the second half, a 3-point shot by senior forward Ty Swapp with 1:20 to play, cut the Wildcats lead to 55-49. Swapp then defended the rim at the other end, giving the Seahawks a chance to get even closer, but the Seahawks could not convert on their next possession.
After a Wildcat free throw, junior forward Micah Dickison added a 3-point play, getting the Seahawks to within four points inside the last minute.
The Wildcats added two more free throws before senior guard Jake Andrew nailed a long 3-point shot, which cut the Wildcats lead to three.
The Wildcats then added three free throws around a Seahawks miss, and take another step forward in the tournament.
The Seahawks season ends with a record of 13-10.
The Wildcats (10-13), who have won two straight loser out contests, will have another one on Thursday. They will take on #3 Burlington-Edison (16-7) at 7;45pm, at Mount Vernon High School. The Tigers eliminated Squalicum, 60-43, on Tuesday.
The Tigers broke away from the Storm after a four-point halftime lead behind the 24 points and 15 rebounds from 6-8 center, Timophey Feskov.
Thursday’s winner will play for second place against the loser of Wednesday’s championship game between #1 Lynden and #2 Lakewood. That game will be on Saturday, at 7:00pm, at Mount Vernon High School.
~ Ted House
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