Whatcom teams weren’t very hospitable in the Trojan Storm Classic as the Meridian boys and girls move into their holiday tournament finals, and the Bellingham boys also won their second round game on Friday, Dec. 27.
The Lynden girls also won on Friday and are set to defend their Lynden Christmas Classic championship when they, too, play in the final on Saturday.
Also winning tournament games Friday were the Lynden Christian and Squalicum boys in the Mountlake Terrace Holiday Tournament, the Nooksack Valley girls in the second round of the T-Town Throwdown in Tacoma, and the Lynden boys in the Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout in Yakima.
Here’s a look at all of Friday’s tournament games:
Trojan Storm Classic
Meridian boys hold off Tonasket rally for 70-60 win
The Trojans (7-1) scored the first 18 points of the game and led by 24 at the half before having to withstand a tremendous Tonasket comeback and move into the championship game of their own tournament.
“We came out very hot and the energy was super high,” said Meridian senior Jaeger Fyfe, who had 12 of his 23 points in the first quarter. “In the second half, we thought we had it. Then they kept hitting those 3s, and when I looked up (at the scoreboard), we weren’t up by 20 any more. It was more of a game.”
Tonasket (6-4) hit six 3-pointers and scored 26 points in the third quarter to close to within 13 going into the fourth period. The Tigers kept on hitting and cut Meridian’s huge lead down to four with just under six minutes to go.
But then it was Talon Time. Senior forward Talon Jenkins had a three-point play, a driving bucket, assisted on a Fyfe layup, scored on his own layup, and assisted on a layup by senior James Hedahl. Toss in a Fyfe steal and fastbreak layin and the Trojans closed on a 15-9 run to tame the Tigers.
“We regrouped and got back to doing what got us the lead,” said Fyfe, who also had three 3-pointers.
Jenkins also finished with 23 points, including four 3-pointers. Hedahl added 10 points, and junior Daniel Larsen came off the bench to spark the Trojans with 7 points.
For Fyfe, each challenge in December goes to making the Trojans better in February and March.
“We got a glimpse of state last year,” he said of Meridian’s one-and-done finish at the Class 1A state tournament. “We want to get to more games (this year). We want it more than ever.”
Meridian now takes on Class 4A Kamiak (6-4), a 66-45 winner over Overlake on Friday, for the tournament championship at 4 p.m. in Meridian’s north gym.
Meridian 70, Tonasket 60
Tonasket 7 9 26 18—60
Meridian 25 15 15 15—70
Tonasket: Tompkin 16, Maldonado 2, Spangler 2, Lewis 2, Prock 17, Jones 21.
Meridian: Jenkins 23, Hayes 3, Fyfe 23, James, Haugen 2, Blankenburg, Larsen 7, Alexander, Galbraith, Brzozowski 2, Harris, Hedahl 10.
Bellingham boys bounce back for 87-80 victory
The Bayhawks (5-3) washed away the bad taste in their mouths after Thursday’s opening-round loss by playing tough down the stretch against Seattle Christian (3-5)
After taking command with a 29-point second quarter and holding a double-digit lead most of the second half, the Bayhawks began to miss layups and free throws, and when the Warriors got hot, the comfortable lead was anything but.
Seattle Christian cut the margin to four with just under a minute and a half left, but junior Joe Harward sank three free throws only to have the Warriors hit a 3-pointer to cut the lead to four again with 27 seconds left.
They had a chance to cut it to one but missed a 3-point attempt and senior Kincade VanHouten sank one free throw with 19 seconds left and sophomore Calvin VanHofwegen made two more with less than a second remaining to close out the scoring.
“We went from having trouble scoring to having 87 points,” said Bellingham coach Brad McKay, referring to Thursday’s 57-53 loss to Overlake. “But I was really happy the way we responded. That’s why we play in these tournaments, for games like this. It was definitely a step forward for us.”
Harward continued his torrid scoring pace with 33 points as the Bayhawks had their biggest scoring output of the season. Senior Harmon Wienkers was deadly from outside with five 3-pointers and 15 points, VanHouten had 14 points, senior Gabe Van Hofwegen had 10 points, and senior Fabian Singh had 8 points.
“We got a little sloppy on defense, but we put up a lot of points,” said Harward of the Bayhawks’ wide-open style on Friday. “I love it … we just wanted to run. We wanted to show them that it (Thursday’s loss) was a mistake.”
“Give them credit,” McKay said of the Warriors’ comeback. “But we did a lot of good things too. It was just nice to come out on top.”
The Bayhawks will advance to the fourth-place game against Bellevue Christian on Saturday at 4 p.m. in Meridian’s south gym.
Bellingham 87, Seattle Christian 80
Bellingham 19 29 21 18—87
Seattle Christian 22 15 20 18—80
Bellingham: Wright 2, G. Van Hofwegen 10, Harward 33, C. Van Hofwegen 5, VanHouten 14, Singh 8, Wienkers 15.
Seattle Christian: Collier 2, Nelson7 , G. Collier 11, O’Hare 26, Samson, Allen 11, Althoff 20, Ward.
Meridian girls hold off Lakewood, 50-39
Like their male counterparts, the Trojans (7-1) pulled out to a double-digit lead against their Northwest Conference rivals but needed a big fourth quarter to hold off Lakewood (3-4).
Meridian’s defense held Lakewood to 22 points through three quarter, but the Cougars managed to cut the deficit down to four points. Still, the Trojans were up to the task, matching Lakewood with an 18-point fourth quarter to pull away in the final minutes.
“We came out strong,” said Meridian coach Bree Joy. “You attack the paint and play together, make the extra pass, and when we did that, good things happened.”
As usual, it was the youngsters who sparked the Trojans, who only have two seniors and two juniors.
Sophomore Eden Bernardy certainly attacked the paint, driving inside for a game-high 15 points, nine of them in the final period. Another sophomore, Kaitlyn Storgaard, helped the Trojans earn their 12-point halftime lead by scoring eight of her 10 points in the first half.
Freshman Melanie Short came off the bench to score 8 points, and sophomore Maddy Swanson hit a pair of 3-pointers for 6 points.
But it was the steady senior, four-year varsity point guard Brooklyn Fuller, who kept the Trojans in control. She ran the offense, was the leader of Meridian’s feisty defense, and even scored 9 points, going 4 of 4 from the foul line in the crucial fourth period.
“I just want to be a good team player; these are my best friends and I always want to build a better bond,” said Fuller, whose leadership is felt beyond her points. “I’m the energizer bunny. I want to know how I can get everyone involved. When you get everyone else involved, it’s tough to guard us.”
Friday’s victory not only was Meridian’s seventh in eight games but matched last year’s total number of wins. Joy was, well, overjoyed for the accomplishments of the young group.
“To be where we are with this group … then to think where we can be in late February…” she said with a smile. “They work so hard and are the nicest kids. I want nothing but success for them.”
The Trojans will be playing in the tournament championship game at 6 p.m. in the north gym, although their opponent wasn’t known late Friday night.
Meridian 50, Lakewood 39
Lakewood 8 6 8 17—39
Meridian 13 13 6 18—50
Lakewood: Tocco, Stewart 13, Pevy 4, Bagtas 2, Riviera 5, Morales 6, Hite 2, Perez 1, Jones 4, White 2, Escalante.
Meridian: Fuller 9, Neal 2, Koning, Bernardy 15, Martin, Storgaard 10, Swanson 6, Short 8, James, Cline-Malarz, Benson.
Lynden Christmas Classic
Lynden girls top Issaquah to move into title game, 65-49
A day after just missing the tournament scoring record, Finley Parcher shattered it with 40 points to lead the Lions (9-0) to an impressive victory over Issaquah in Friday night’s semifinal.
Parcher, who had 30 points on Thursday, broke the 34-point mark of former Arlington star Jenna Villa. Parcher did it the traditional way with only one 3-pointer and by hitting 11 of 12 free throws as the Lions went a remarkable 21 of 24 from the line.
Thirteen of the sophomore guard’s points came in the fourth quarter as Lynden scored 21 points to end any hopes the Eagles had of a comeback.
Junior Payton Mills added 11 points, going 7 of 8 from the line, and sophomore Lexi Hermanutz added 9 points.
But the Lions did it just as much with their stifling defense, holding the Class 4A Eagles (8-2) to only 21 first-half points and their second-lowest point total of the season.
Lynden moves into the championship game on Saturday at 3:15 p.m. and will defend its tournament title against White River.
LC girls can’t hold off White River, 56-53
The Lyncs (7-1) shocked Class 3A White River by going up by eight at halftime but couldn’t hold off the Hornets (7-1) in the second half and lost for the first time this season.
Senior Danya Dykstra led the big first-half charge with 14 of her team-high 16 points and all four of her 3-pointers coming before halftime as LC limited White River to just seven first-quarter points.
Senior Allison Shumate helped the Lyncs hold off the Hornets with 13 points, including seven of LC’s eight points in a cold third period. Junior Ella Fritts added 11 points but couldn’t prevent the White River comeback.
Lynden Christian will play Issaquah for third place on Saturday at 1:30 p.m.
T-Town Throwdown
Nooksack Valley girls take care of Silas, 42-26
The Pioneers (6-2) struggled on offense with only four girls scoring, but they didn’t have any trouble defensively, holding host Silas (5-5) to single digits in each quarter and its second-lowest point total of the season.
Senior Kate Shintaffer and junior Grace DeHoog led Nooksack Valley with 13 points each with Shintaffer tossing in a pair of 3-pointers. DeHoog pulled down 20 rebounds and Shintaffer had 10 boards. Junior Payton Bartl added 10 points.
The Pioneers wrap up the Tacoma tournament on Saturday against Juanita in the third-place game at 12:30 p.m.
CWU Tournament
Sehome boys on short end against Ellensburg, 56-39
The short-handed and much shorter Mariners (3-5) fell behind early to host Ellensburg (3-4) and couldn’t make up any ground.
Only five of the seven Mariners scored with juniors Xavier Kelley and Nolan Wright leading the way with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Kelley also had a pair of 3-pointers. Sophomore Quincy Tanovan had 6 points and was the only other Mariner to score more than three points.
The Bulldogs were led by 6-foot-9 Garrett Marrs, who was a half-foot taller than any Mariner and who had 14 points.
The Mariners face Class 4A Eastmont (1-5) on Saturday at 1:30 p.m. The Wildcats lost to Hermiston (Ore.), 51-39, on Friday.
Sehome girls lose to hot Eastmont, 70-40
The Mariners (4-4) were down by 15 after one period and never got their offense going against Class 4A Eastmont (2-4) on Friday.
Junior Aspen Barge was the only Mariner in double figures with 10 points. Freshman Taylor Turrell is back from an injury and had 9 points, and sophomores Sadie Gustafson and Stella Hogan had 7 points each.
The road doesn’t get any easier on Saturday when the Mariners take on host Ellensburg (7-0) at 6 p.m. The Bulldogs beat Hermiston (Ore.) on Friday and have now won 82 of their last 83 games.
Wilbur-Ellis SunDome Shootout
Lynden boys win rematch with Grandview, 46-41
It was in the same place and the final result was the same, but the Lions’ victory over Grandview (7-2) on Friday was nowhere near as easy as last March’s rout in the Class 2A state championship game in the Yakima SunDome.
In a game that was close throughout, Lynden (6-0) held the running Greyhounds to their lowest point total of the season on Friday and ended their seven-game winning streak. But the Lions were held to their lowest point total, never got near the 30-point lead they had against Grandview in the title contest and had to withstand a possible game-tying shot in the final seconds.
Senior Brant Heppner led the Lions with 18 points, a pair of 3-pointers, and 10 rebounds. Junior Spencer Adams added 10 points and 7 rebounds, and Malachi Koenen came off the bench to add 7 points. Sophomore Gordy Bedlington dished out 6 assists for Lynden.
On Saturday at 1:30 p.m., Lynden will play Bonney Lake (4-4), which lost to Zillah on Friday, 80-61. The Panthers were a late substitute for Annie Wright, which dropped out to go to another tournament.
Mountlake Terrace Holiday Tournament
Lynden Christian boys beat host Hawks, 59-39
The Lyncs (8-1) were not very kind to host Mountlake Terrace (5-4), taking a commanding lead after the first quarter and never letting the 3A squad back into the game.
Senior Gannon Dykstra led the Lyncs with 24 points. He and sophomore Dawson Hintz had six points each in a 19-point first quarter as the Lyncs jumped to an 11-point lead.
Hintz would finish with 13 points; sophomore Kaden Veldman had 11 points, all in the second half; and senior Luke Van Kooten had 7 points, all in the first half.
Lynden Christian plays 4A Woodinville (6-2) on Saturday at 4:30 p.m.. The Falcons beat Prairie on Friday, 77-67.
Squalicum boys storm past Jackson, 63-46
The Storm (2-5) played its most complete game of the season in beating Class 4A Jackson (4-4) on Friday.
Sophomore Hunter Calloway had 25 points, and senior Marcus Nixon had 17 points to lead Squalicum in scoring.
But it was senior Jaxon Hofer’s three 3-pointers in a 22-point second quarter that gave the Storm its big lead. He would finish with four 3s for 12 points. Senior Ty Hoffman added two more 3-pointers for 6 points.
Squalicum winds up the tournament Saturday at 6 p.m. when it plays 3A Inglemoor (5-3). The Vikings beat Lakeside (Seattle) on Friday, 63-62.
