Nobody expected this.
Lynden Christian’s shocking 80-40 boys basketball victory over Bellingham on Monday, Dec. 16, might have been what the Lyncs hoped for and what the Bayhawks feared, but it definitely wasn’t what either undefeated squad anticipated coming into the Northwest Conference showdown.
“We didn’t expect that in this conference,” said Lynden Christian coach Tim Zylstra, whose Lyncs improved to 6-0 overall and 3-0 in the NWC.
“I was hoping not,” Bellingham coach Brad McKay said simply when asked if he thought it could happen. The Bayhawks came into the contest having won three games by an average margin of 20 points, but fell to 3-1 overall and 2-1 in the league.
What was even more surprising is that the Lyncs were down two starters — sophomore Dawson Hintz is still recovering from an injury and junior Boyce Robertson was sick — and still had the running clock going with a 40-point lead much of the second half.
And the main reason they had the running clock going is that the Lyncs never stopped running, especially senior Gannon Dykstra.
The 6-foot-1 point guard hit a 3-pointer to start the game and then added another 3 and a pair of buckets for 10 first-quarter points as LC raced to a 24-6 lead after the first period.
When the Bayhawks made a run to cut the margin to 16 late in the second quarter, Dykstra drove inside for a basket, assisted on another, and then hit a 3-pointer — all within a minute — to give LC a 42-18 lead at the half.
Dykstra added 15 more points in LC’s 31-point third quarter before sitting out the final period. He would finish with 30 points on 65 percent shooting from the field, five 3-pointers, 8 rebounds, and 9 assists.
“Dykstra is the man this year,” said McKay. “And he showed it tonight.”
But he was far from the only speedy Lync.
Gannon’s little brother, 5-9 sophomore Gunnar Dykstra, had 16 points and a pair of 3-pointers; sophomore forward Kaden Veldman had 13 points, 11 rebounds, 7 steals, and 7 assists; senior forward Luke Van Kooten had 10 points despite taking a hard fall in the first quarter and only playing 17 minutes; and sophomore guard Harvest Howell came off the bench and had 7 points.
For the game, Lynden Christian used its speed to shoot 53 percent from the field, nab 13 steals on defense, and maybe most impressively, collect 27 assists.
“We really played fast tonight,” said Veldman, who at 6-4 is the Lyncs’ “big man.” “I thought we could beat their bigs down court.” As to what makes the team special, he replied, “Our chemistry. We all share the ball. Nobody is selfish.”
The Lyncs’ speed and willingness to hit whoever was open proved too much for the Bayhawks.
“You have to be able to answer their scoring, and we didn’t,” said McKay. “They do it out of quickness. They can play at that speed. They keep coming at you.”
Even Bellingham senior Kincade VanHouten was impressed. “We felt we were fast and physical, but tonight was a reality check,” the 6-5 forward said. “They were very fast-paced. But we had an off night shooting, and we’ve got capable shooters. We’ve just got to keep our confidence up.”
VanHouten had 8 points, but most of the Bayhawks scoring came from the reserves who saw a lot of action especially in the second half. Sophomore Calvin VanHofwegen had 11 points, and senior Fabian Singh had 7 points.
If Lynden Christian’s victory wasn’t impressive enough already, their 80 points actually brought their scoring average down since LC came into the game averaging 83 points a game. But according to Zylstra, it really isn’t about the points.
“We can’t always rely on offense,” he said. “We’ve got to get stops and rebounds. Tonight, our pace dictated what they could do. Overall, I was very happy.”
The Lyncs will be tested again on Thursday when they travel to Sehome, which is also unbeaten in league play. Things don’t get easier for Bellingham, either. The Bayhawks will host undefeated Anacortes on Thursday.
Lynden Christian 80, Bellingham 40
Bellingham 6 12 12 10—40
Lynden Christian 24 18 31 7—80
Bellingham: Wright 2, Isaly, G. Van Hofwegen 3, Harward 4, C. Van Hofwegen 11, VanHouten 8, Singh 7, Wienkers 3, Johnson 2.
Lynden Christian: Gu. Dykstra 16, Ahlers 2, Maberry 2, Howell 7, Ga. Dykstra 30, Van Kooten 10, Veldman 13, Kooiman.
