I want to make all basketball fans aware that there will no longer be STATE TOURNAMENT PROGRAMS available for sale at state tournament events, including state basketball tournaments coming up in March.   If you are like me, and need that book in your hands and don’t want to scroll through all that information looking at a phone screen, you can download and print any state tournament program on the WIAA website, free of charge (other than your own printer ink).   The state tou

Eight boys district tournament games filled the evening of Friday the 13 th .  There were more important things to attend to than Jason and his hockey mask.    Before I analyze the two games I saw in The Palace at Mount Vernon High School, let’s take a look at what else happened in the night’s district tournament action.   1A Boys At Lynden Chistian, the top-seeded Lyncs (21-1) could not shake the #4 th  seed Blaine Borderites (5-18) until the final two minutes, in their 66-5

There were eight boys district tournament games played on Wednesday, and every home team won, which means every higher seed advanced.    There were two teams on the wrong side of that.  Ferndale, the #10 seed, had their season end in a 70-67 loss at #7 Meadowdale in the 3A district tournament.  The Golden Eagles finish with a record of 8-13 on the season.   Mount Baker also had their season end, as they lost at Blaine, 60-43, in the 1A district play-in game.  The Borderites w

The Bellingham Bayhawks got 28 points from senior forward Joe Harward, in a 66-59 win over Marysville-Pilchuck, in the play-in game of the 2A Boys District 1 Tournament.   The #8 seed Bayhawks move into the tournament’s official first round, with a game at #1 seed, Lynden, Wednesday, at 600pm.    The Tomahawks (5-16) were not at full strength when the two teams met in early December, when the Bayhawks handed them a 71-24 defeat.  This time, they were at full strength, and des

Ten weeks of Northwest Conference basketball now seems like it went by in about five minutes. We turn the page to the post-season, and here is a preview of what is around the corner. 1A BOYS   GAME #1 #5 Mount Baker Mountaineers (1-14/3-15) at #4 Blaine Borderites (2-13/4-17) Wednesday, Feb. 11, 700pm, Loser Out Winner at #1 Lynden Christian, Friday, Feb 13, 730pm   The Mountaineers have lost 12 straight games and the Borderites have lost ten straight games.  But that’s the

The dust has settled and the brackets have spoken on the 2025-26 Northwest Conference basketball season.  There were no earth-shattering events that happened on the conference’s final evening, but it is worth a review.   Squalicum broke a six-game losing streak with a win at Oak Harbor, 49-44.  The Wildcats had been eliminated from the post-season the day before with Mount Vernon’s win over Mount Baker.  It was a big win for the Storm to stop the losing streak before the 2A d

The number of streaks of consecutive points I have seen teams put on each other, many in the same game, has become very noticeable.  Even in the final week of the regular season, between teams discernable by just a basket or two.    Anacortes and Lynden put runs on each other in their game on Tuesday.  Lions Get Past Seahawks...   Then on Wednesday, Burlington-Edison turned around a 21-4 deficit to Bellingham (coming up here), then Anacortes and Lakewood turned the tide on ea

The Lynden Lions passed their first exam of finals week, with a 61-51 win over the Anacortes Seahawks, Tuesday night, at Jake Maberry Gym.    This battle between two of the 2A heavyweights meant the inside track to the top seed in next week’s district tournament.  But as I have said before, I think seed placement in this year’s tournament means less than in most years due to the depth of the entire field.   This game took on a heavy dose of a defensive focus from both benches

As of Monday, it’s Finals week.  Has your team kept their grades up all season, and is ready for Finals Week exams, or have they been daydreaming in class and in need of learning two semesters of geology in three hours?  Fortunately, either way, they are all still in line for a passing grade.   The Lynden Christian boys finished rivalry week by locking up the conference championship with a 72-54 win over Lynden.    On the girls’ side, Lynden took sole possession of first plac

Sedro-Woolley’s 76-60 win over Sehome on Monday keeps the Cubs in the race for second place in the Northwest Conference, and solidifies their #6 RPI toward the 3A district tournament.   Tuesday’s 70-62 win by Meridian over Ferndale pushes the Trojans closer to the #2 seed heading into the 1A district tournament.  The Trojans NWC record is now 4-8, with Nooksack Valley and Blaine at 2-10.  The Trojans need one more win, or a loss by both the Pioneers and Borderites, to secure

Last week in the Northwest Conference, there were five games in which teams of the same classification went head-to-head.  Three of those were between teams who were no more than one game apart in the standings.   In Burlington on Monday, Lakewood, with a 6-3 NWC record, was at Burlington, who was 6-2.  The offenses were not up to the challenges that their respective defenses offered.  The Cougars got a 54-43 win, despite being held to their third lowest point total of the se

The Lynden Christian Lyncs put first place in the Northwest Conference into a headlock with a 70-65 win at Anacortes on Wednesday.    The Lyncs now have a two-game lead on the field with five conference games to play in the regular season.  The win was their fourteenth straight, since a game-two loss at Lake Stevens.   Junior guard Dawson Hintz hit three 3-point shots in the opening quarter to pace the Lyncs to a 17-13 lead after eight minutes.  By halftime, Hintz had 15 poin

Tonight in Anacortes is the (first) game of the year in the Northwest Conference. Lynden Christian (9-0/14-1) visits Anacortes (8-1/12-2). The Lyncs have won 13 straight games, with their only loss to Lake Stevens in game number two. The Seahawks also lost to Lake Stevens last week, and their only other loss at Burlington-Edison. Will the Lyncs be able to maneuver through the Seahawks lengthy zone defense and hit from the outside? Will the Seahawks be able to negociate the

With three weeks left in the regular season, Lynden Christian continues to lead the standings on the boy’s side with a perfect 9-0 record.  One length behind are the Anacortes Seahawks.  The Seahawks will host the Lyncs on Wednesday.   Lynden has forged their way into third place after wins over Sehome and Burlington-Edison this week, as the 2A’s continue shuffling like a deck of cards on a Las Vegas blackjack table.   Sehome responded to their loss to Lynden by winning at La

This week, there are nine Northwest Conference games involving same-classification teams.  It’s a good week to get read on the order of finish, headed into their respective district tournaments.    On Wednesday night In Lynden, the Lions broke away from the Sehome Mariners early in the third quarter, on their way to an important 51-39 win.    As of this night, six of the seven 2A teams have conference records above .500, which puts them in the top eight in the league.   Mount

Gabe Galbraith was on fire for the Trojans Nooksack Valley and Meridian have had some great battles in the last few years, and you can add Monday night’s match up in Laurel to the list.    Junior guard Pierce Brzozowski sank a free throw with “point-four” seconds left to give the Trojans a 64-63 win over the Pioneers.    After an inside score by Pioneer junior forward Dane Ackerman that tied the game at 63-63 with 12 seconds left, Brzozowski ran the dribble into front court w

In the upcoming week, we will pass through the mid-point of the conference season.  No matter what your team’s record is now, you are still in the hunt.   Here is some of what went on in the Northwest Conference race since Wednesday.    Lynden 79, Sedro-Woolley 71   Wednesday at Lynden, the Lions broke open a close game in the final seconds of the third quarter and the opening seconds of the fourth to get past the Sedro-Woolley Cubs, 79-71.   In a sharply played offensive fir

The Burlington-Edison Tigers recovered from an early 9-0 deficit to hand the Anacortes Seahawks their first loss of the season, in a 52-47 victory, surrounded by events in the 16 th  annual “Tiger-Hawk Challenge,” Tuesday night at Burlington-Edison High School.   The game was an emotionally intense brawl, with full-on contact, and few easy shots.  With all that, opposing seniors, Micah Dickison of the Seahawks, and the Tigers Logan Heigert, led their respective teams like war

In my years of basketball experience, the 1-3-1 zone defense has been a bit of an anomaly.  It can completely shut down an offense, or can get you ten points behind in a hurry.  The Mount Vernon Bulldogs pulled off the former.  They used the 1-3-1 zone to perfection, gaining them a hard fought 58-54 overtime win over Lynden, Monday night in The Palace.   The Lions, year after year, are one of the best half-court offensive teams in the state.  They move the ball quickly from s

The first event of the new year was a battle of two of the final four unbeatens in the Northwest Conference boy’s race.  The Lynden Christian Lyncs (4-0/9-1) at the Burlington-Edison Tigers (3-0/7-1).  This race was over quickly, as the Lyncs sprinted to a huge early lead and beat the Tigers, 79-52.   The Lyncs are known for their sharp shooting from beyond the 3-point arc, but on this night, they did their early damage near the rim.  Their first nine field goals were 2-point