With two weeks left in the regular season, most of the Whatcom County boys basketball teams were just trying to catch up after all the weather-related postponements.
While there were several games that affected the standings, the big showdowns for first place between highly ranked teams are still to come.
GAME OF THE WEEK: Jaden DeBoer tossed in an off-balance 3-pointer at the buzzer to give Lynden Christian a 67-64 come-from-behind victory at Anacortes on Friday night. It capped off a great night for the junior guard, who had 21 points and four 3-pointers.
PLAYERS OF THE WEEK: Braedan Hart hit seven 3-pointers and 32 points in Mount Baker’s loss to Ferndale. The junior guard-wing finished with 14 3-pointers and 67 points in the Mounties’ three games. … Andrew DeVries hit six straight 3-pointers on the way to 25 points in Lynden Christian’s victory over Squalicum. Teammate Bryce Bouwman had 22 points in LC’s win over Bellingham. … Zane Rector had 25 points to lead Blaine over Sedro-Woolley, and teammate Josh Russ of Blaine had a near triple-double with 13 points, 9 rebounds and 8 steals against Mount Baker. … Ryan Johnson had 23 points in Meridian’s win over Sedro-Woolley. … Squalicum’s Dedrick Mitchell had 22 points in a loss to Lynden, and followed that with 19 points, 13 rebounds and 7 assists against Sehome. … Lynden’s Brock Heppner had 21 points in a win over Nooksack Valley. … Mark Schlichting tossed in six 3-pointers for 18 points in Ferndale’s win over Mount Baker.
HIGHLIGHTS OF THE WEEK: Lynden Christian had the busiest week, winning four games in five days. The Lyncs topped Sehome on Tuesday, 75-47; held Bellingham to two first-quarter points in beating the Red Raiders on Wednesday, 69-48; rallied from nine down to nip Anacortes at the buzzer on Friday, 67-64; and dominated Squalicum on Saturday, 78-47. Against Bellingham, DeBoer had 14 points and Logan Dykstra had 11, and Zach Sipma pulled down 11 rebounds. Against Squalicum, Sipma had 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Dykstra had 9 points and 11 rebounds,
Ferndale claimed a pair of victories, defeating Mount Baker on Monday, 71-59, and Meridian on Friday, 63-50. Against the Mounties, Andrew Monks had 13 points, Isaiah Carlson had 12, and Carson Peters scored 10 off the bench. Against Meridian, Jazen Guillory and Carlson tossed in 16 points each.
Lynden ran its winning streak to 12 games by beating Squalicum on Tuesday, 65-49, and downing Nooksack Valley on Thursday, 76-52. Against the Storm, Liam Hanenburg led a balanced attack with 16 points, Clay Kochuten added 13, Jordan Medcalf 12, and Heppner 10. Against Nooksack Valley, Hanenburg again had 16 points and Kochuten again had 13.
Lummi Nation definitely had the weirdest week of all the county teams. The Blackhawks collected three victories, but didn’t play a game that counted. They earned 1-0 forfeit victories over Orcas Christian on Wednesday and Providence Christian on Thursday, and then defeated their star-studded alumni, 47-46, on Saturday.
Meridian edged Nooksack Valley on Monday, 68-54; beat Sedro-Woolley on Wednesday, 70-59; and fell to Ferndale on Friday, 63-50. Against Sedro-Woolley, Joseph Plagerman had 12 points and Jackson Short scored 11. Against Ferndale, Short and Corey Hemenway tossed in 16 points each.
Blaine defeated Sedro-Woolley on Tuesday, 64-62, and then lost to Mount Baker on Thursday, 61-56. Against Sedro-Woolley, Kyle Turnberg had 15 points and Russ added 12 points. Against the Mounties, Rector scored 17 points, going 9-for-9 from the line, and Scott Baldwin added 13 points.
Mount Baker lost to Ferndale on Monday, 71-59, and to Burlington-Edison on Tuesday, 66-36, before notching its first league win by beating Blaine on Thursday, 61-56. Jason Lee had 11 points against both Ferndale and Blaine, and Garrett Smith had 15 points and 5 assists against the Borderites. Lee and Ayden Rodriguez added 4 assists each against Blaine.
Sehome fell to Lynden Christian on Tuesday, 75-47, and to Squalicum on Thursday, 63-40, before ending its five-game skid with a 65-43 thumping of Nooksack Valley on Saturday.
Squalicum lost to Lynden, on Tuesday, 65-49, and to Lynden Christian on Saturday, 78-47, but in-between topped crosstown rival Sehome, 63-40, thanks to 18 points from Devante Powell and 11 from Leland Zender. Against Lynden Christian, Powell led the Storm with 12 points and 8 rebounds.
Bellingham had a rough week with losses to Burlington-Edison on Monday, 74-42; to Lynden Christian on Wednesday, 69-48; and to Lakewood on Thursday, 86-50. Against Lynden Christian, Colm Schaefer provided the offensive highlight with 19 points, including three 3-pointers.
Nooksack Valley dropped all three of its game, losing to Meridian on Monday, 68-54; to Lynden on Thursday, 76-52; and to Sehome on Saturday, 65-43. Against Lynden, Cole Eldridge had 13 points and Clancy and Cody Coppinger had 10 each.
Week 8 Standings
NORTHWEST CONFERENCE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Burlington-Edison | 8 | 0 | 14 | 1 |
| Lynden | 7 | 0 | 12 | 1 |
| Lynden Christian | 8 | 1 | 12 | 3 |
| Lakewood | 7 | 1 | 10 | 5 |
| Meridian | 5 | 3 | 10 | 4 |
| Ferndale | 4 | 4 | 9 | 6 |
| Squalicum | 4 | 5 | 7 | 9 |
| Anacortes | 3 | 5 | 7 | 8 |
| Blaine | 3 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Nooksack Valley | 3 | 5 | 9 | 6 |
| Sehome | 3 | 5 | 6 | 9 |
| Mount Baker | 1 | 7 | 4 | 11 |
| Sedro-Woolley | 1 | 8 | 6 | 10 |
| Bellingham | 0 | 8 | 3 | 12 |
NORTHWEST 1B LEAGUE
| League | Overall | |||
| W | L | W | L | |
| Lummi Nation | 11 | 0 | 16 | 2 |
| Cedar Park Christian (MLT) | 8 | 3 | 10 | 7 |
| Tulalip Heritage | 8 | 3 | 9 | 5 |
| Grace Academy | 7 | 3 | 9 | 6 |
| Lopez | 3 | 6 | 3 | 8 |
| Orcas Christian | 2 | 6 | 2 | 6 |
| Shoreline Christian | 1 | 10 | 2 | 12 |
| Providence Christian | 1 | 11 | 1 | 11 |
WEEK 9
TOP GAMES: Lynden takes its 12-game winning streak into the difficult part of its schedule this week as the first-place Lions play the next three teams in the league standings and Class 1A power King’s in a non-league contest. The big showdown will be Friday when Lynden travels across town to Lynden Christian for the annual Coaches vs.
Cancer game. Get there early if you want a seat.
SCHEDULE
Monday, Jan. 27: Sedro-Woolley at Mount Baker, Lakewood at Lynden, Nooksack Valley at Lynden Christian
Tuesday, Jan. 28: Anacortes at Blaine, Bellingham at Ferndale, Sehome at Burlington-Edison, Meridian at Squalicum, King’s at Lynden, Shoreline Christian at Lummi Nation
Wednesday, Jan. 29: Meridian at Lummi Nation, Bellingham at Mount Baker
Thursday, Jan. 30: Ferndale Sedro-Woolley, Lakewood at Sehome, Lopez at Lummi Nation
Friday, Jan. 31: Lynden at Lynden Christian, Blaine at Bellingham, Mount Baker at Meridian, Squalicum at Nooksack Valley
Saturday, Feb. 1: Meridian at Lynden, Overlake at Lynden Christian, Anacortes at Ferndale
