The holidays were full of cheer — especially for the Ferndale, Lynden, Meridian and Sehome boys teams as each won a pair of games in holiday tournaments this weekend.
The Lions and Trojans took early-season trips to what they hope will be their final destination — Yakima’s SunDome — and the Golden Eagles and Mariners were at the Cloud 9 Sports Lynden Christmas Classic, one of two local tournaments along with the Blaine Holiday Tournament.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Meridian needed overtime but handed Bellevue Christian its first defeat of the season, beating the Vikings in the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout on Friday.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Josh Russ led Blaine in scoring with 20 points in a win over Lynnwood and 13 points in a loss to Stanwood. Zane Rector added 18 points for Blaine on Friday. … Lynden Christian’s Jaden DeBoer had 22 points, including five 3-pointers, on Friday and another 19 points on Saturday. … Liam Hanenburg had 19 points in Lynden’s victory over Prairie on Friday. … Braedon Hart had 18 points in Mount Baker’s win Friday.
Check out the Whatcom Hoops Facebook page for photos from games involving Blaine and Lynden Christian.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Lynden beat up on the big boys at the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout. The Lions beat 3A Prairie, 53-46, on Friday thanks to 10 points each from Brock Heppner and Jordan Medcalf. Then on Saturday, the Lions beat 4A Davis of Yakima, 65-56, for the Lions’ sixth straight victory.
Meridian also had a successful trip to Yakima by winning both games at the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout. The Trojans beat Bellevue Christian in overtime, 61-58, on Friday and then throttled Royal, 57-38, on Saturday.
Ferndale won both its games at the Cloud 9 tournament. On Friday, the Golden Eagles took down Bear Creek, 63-57, and on Saturday, they bested Washougal, 71-51, for the Golden Eagles’ seventh straight win.
Sehome edged Montesano, 55-51, in the Cloud 9 tournament on Friday, and then knocked off Sequim, 59-44, on Saturday.
Blaine split its two games against 3A opponents in its own tournament, besting Lynnwood on Friday, 69-56, and then falling to Stanwood, 76-54. Kyle Turnberg had 12 and 10 for the two games, and Bailey Bleazard added 9 on Saturday for the Borderites.
Lummi Nation battled back from 13 points down only to come up just short against 3A Stanwood, 63-57, on Friday in the Blaine tournament. William Hetland had 16 points on four 3 pointers, Tyran Lane had 13 and Caleb Revey and Duncan Toby had 10 each. Lummi Nation came back to clobber University Prep, 49-30, on Saturday as four Blackhawks were in double figures.
Squalicum had the longest trip both geographically and in time spent as the Storm traveled to the Los Angeles area to play three California schools in the Tustin Holiday Classic. Squalicum defeated Woodrow Wilson of Long Beach, 69-67, on Thursday; lost to Cajon on Friday, 62-29; and then lost to Trabuco Hills on Saturday, 76-68.
Nooksack Valley split a pair of games against 4A schools in the Auburn Riverside Holiday Classic. The Pioneers fell to host Auburn Riverside, 68-38, on Friday, and then defeated Kent-Meridian on Saturday, 82-80.
Mount Baker split a pair of games at the Blaine tournament, beating University Prep on Friday, 66-52, and then falling to Lynnwood, 58-50, on Saturday. On Friday, Ayden Rodriguez and Garrett Smith had 12 each for the Mounties.
Bellingham defeated host the host school Friday in the Northwest School Tournament, 59-51, but lost to 3A Bonney Lake, 52-46, on Saturday.
Lynden Christian lost a pair of contests against 4A squads in the Cloud 9 tournament. The Lyncs couldn’t hold on to a lead against taller 4A Monroe on Friday, falling, 71-68. Logan Dykstra had 14 and Andrew DeVries 12 for the Lyncs. On Saturday, one of the top-ranked teams in the state, Glacier Peak, broke away from a two-point halftime lead to beat LC, 71-55, despite 19 points each from DeVries and DeBoer.
Week 4 Standings
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Burlington-Edison | 2 | 0 | 8 | 1 |
| Ferndale | 2 | 0 | 7 | 2 |
| Lynden | 2 | 0 | 6 | 1 |
| Sehome | 2 | 0 | 5 | 4 |
| Anacortes | 1 | 1 | 4 | 4 |
| Blaine | 1 | 1 | 6 | 2 |
| Lakewood | 1 | 1 | 4 | 5 |
| Lynden Christian | 1 | 1 | 3 | 3 |
| Meridian | 1 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
| Nooksack Valley | 1 | 1 | 7 | 2 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 2 | 3 | 6 |
| Mount Baker | 0 | 2 | 2 | 6 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 0 | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Squalicum | 0 | 2 | 3 | 5 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 4 | 0 | 6 | 2 |
| Tulip Heritage | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (MLT) | 3 | 1 | 5 | 2 |
| Grace Academy | 3 | 1 | 4 | 3 |
| Lopez | 1 | 2 | 1 | 4 |
| Orcas Christian | 1 | 3 | 1 | 3 |
| Providence Christian | 1 | 4 | 1 | 4 |
| Shoreline Christian | 0 | 6 | 1 | 7 |
WEEK 5
TOP GAME: Meridian heads to Sehome on Friday in a contest pitting two of the hotter teams in the Northwest Conference.
SCHEDULE
Thursday, Jan. 2: Grace Academy at Lummi Nation
Friday, Jan. 3: Meridian at Sehome, Lakewood at Ferndale, Sedro-Woolley at Squalicum, Lynden Christian at Mount Baker
Saturday, Jan. 4: Blaine at Burlington-Edison, Lynden at Anacortes, Bellingham at Nooksack Valley
