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

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

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

From Wednesday to Monday, I personally saw three teams reach the 90-point threshold.  Two were in the same game.  The third came on Monday night as Lakewood ran past Nooksack Valley, 91-59.   And a game the same day that I did not attend, Lynden Christian outscored Arlington 19-11 in overtime to leave with a 93-85 win.  It was the second time the Lyncs hit 90-plus in their last three games.   If I were a coach in the NWC, I have always said that Lakewood would be the most dif

Anacortes junior guard Spencer Roberts swished a 17-foot shot from the right baseline with 3.5 seconds left on overtime, as the Seahawks won a “battle royale,” 65-63, over Sedro-Woolley, Monday night in the Cubs gym.   The rivalry between the Seahawks and the Cubs is obvious, but this one doesn’t have a cool nickname, like the “Tiger-Hawk Challenge,” or the “Battle of the Bridge,” or even my personal favorite, “Chickenfest.”  But maybe it needs one.   If I were to give it a n

While the rain fell and the rivers rose outside, inside the Bellingham High School Gym, the Blaine Borderites snapped a streak that went on way too long.   Blaine’s 67-62 Northwest Conference victory over the Bayhawks broke a 21-game losing streak in NWC games, dating back to a win over Mount Baker on January 15, 2024.   The Borderites seem to have a firm grasp on the system implemented by second-year head coach, Chas Kok, who ran the show at Burlington-Edison for five season