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

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 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

The SunDome Shootout is a major event in my world.  It’s the best chance in the state to see the most teams in one spot.  You can see a team play two consecutive days, so if that team struggled on day one, you could get a second read on them next day.   It caters mainly to the 1A and 2A classifications that will be a part of the state tournaments in the Yakima SunDome in March.  There were 28 teams this year.  Most are from the boys 1A and 2A classifications.  There were also

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

For the second time in three days, the Sedro-Woolley Cubs lost a heartbreaker on overtime.  Coming off an emotional 65-63 OT loss to Anacortes at home on Monday, the Cubs were nipped again, 91-90, Wednesday night, at Lynden Christian.   The Cubs, who played the last 4:04 without leading scorer, Ethan DeJong, who fouled out in the last seconds of regulation, had a 90-85 lead with 58 seconds left in overtime.    They took the five-point lead with 1:15 left in OT, thanks to a ni

There were six conference games played over Monday and Tuesday, and there was nothing close to a nail-biter.  Two games had differentials of 16 points.  Another pair had margins of 26 points.  And the last two were decided by 31 and 39 points.   The Mount Baker Mountaineers had the toughest assignment.  Their late start due to football success had them hitting the floor on Monday, in Sedro-Woolley for their first game of the year.  Not a team to go up against when your main c

With week number two complete, we are down to two squads that have yet to hit the hardwood.  Mount Baker starts their season at Sedro-Woolley on Monday.  While Anacortes travels to Ferndale on Tuesday.   Speaking of Sedro-Woolley, the Cubs are one of my early pics as a “contender” to the Northwest Conference boy’s title.  (One of my 16!)   The Cubs opened their season on Thursday, as they hosted the Stanwood Spartans, who edged Mount Vernon, two days prior.    The first thing

It was a busy first Saturday of the Northwest Conference season.  I saw a lot of what I expected, and some of what I didn’t expect.   The eye-popper was Burlington-Edison.  They showed why they will be a contender in the NWC and beyond, as they had no trouble with North Kitsap in their 72-27 victory.    After winning the state 2A championship in 2020, the Vikings slipped to 7-14 last season, and judging them in warmups, they appeared to be athletic enough to make this a compe

Yes, the road to your applicable Dome starts right here, right now. If you were to play "I Spy With My Little Eye," here is what you may encounter on your trip. The Lynden girls currently hold the longest winning streak in the state in any classification.  Their last loss was at Nooksack Valley on December 19, 2023.  Since then, the Lions have won 48 straight games.  And, according to MaxPreps, the is the fifth longest streak in the United States.   Before anyone hits the f

None of the Northwest Conference schools changed classifications over the summer, so we still have four in the 3A classification, seven in 2A, and five in 1A.    It has always been extremely difficult to get through the 2A District Tournament, with only two allocations to state. Now, at least, a third team will have a chance to advance to Yakima. First, a little history, with a math minor.   The District RPI began in 2017 to try to fit teams together by ranking from two diff

I’m not calling this a down year for the entity of the Northwest Conference when it comes to the 2024-25 basketball season, but when you set the bar so high, others would love to have your “down year.”   There are four championships given in the Yakima SunDome each March, and in tournaments held in 2022, 2023, and 2024, teams from the NWC came home with three each year.  So, this year’s total of one is, of course, fewer than three, but there’s no reason to panic.   The Lynden

(This Week In (The) State Tournament)   Yes, that number says a lot about the depth of the Northwest Conference over the past 18 years. ...

Here are some thoughts that didn’t make the original game stories over the weekend.   I saw six of the NWC’s seven remaining teams play,...

The list of contenders for the boys 2A State Championship in 2025 is a lengthy one.  The power in 2A boys this year has circled the...

Old Man Winter finally woke up and put the squeeze on the final week of the regular season.  Six days of games were melted down to three,...

This is a review of “Rivalry Week,” where Bellingham hosted Squalicum and Sehome, plus an epic “Battle of the Bridge” game between...

At this point of the season, everyone needs wins.  For some, it’s a race for the league title.  For others, it’s a race within the...

It was a short week of basketball in the Northwest Conference as the schedule crossed from 2024 to 2025.  But there were some great...

Christmas break time in the state, and Northwest Conference teams are scattered all over the place.  I’ll take a look at who did what...