Seahawks junior Ryan Harrington The undefeated, and #2 seeded RA Long Lumberjacks got past the #6 seeded Anacortes Seahawks, 53-49, Friday night in the 2A state semifinals in the Yakima SunDome.   The Lumberjacks were on the attack as the ball left the referee’s hand on the opening tip.  Showing off their strength, speed, and aggressiveness, that brought them to the semis with a perfect 26-0 record.    The Jacks forced the Seahawks to call two early timeouts, trailing 9-3 in

The Anacortes Seahawks are headed for the 2A boys state semifinals, after a 71-61 win over the Tumwater Thunderbirds.  It will be the Seahawks first semifinal appearance since their second-place finish in 2015.  They are also assured of their first state tournament hardware since 2017.   The Thunderbirds scored six quick points on two 3-point shots which prompted a Seahawks timeout just 90 seconds into the game.  That would be all the scoring Tumwater could accomplish in the

The Lynden Christian Lyncs sprinted past the Seattle Christian Warriors, 84-56, in the quarterfinals of the 1A Boys state tournament, Thursday, in the Yakima SunDome.   The win puts the Lyncs into the semifinals for the sixth consecutive year.   The Lyncs got out to a quick 10-2 lead as the Warriors didn’t net a field goal until the 4:15 mark of the first period.  But once they did, they engineered a run of their own and took a 13-11 lead.  The quarter ended with a 3-point sh

Lion senior Rian Stephan The Lynden Lions cleared their first hurdle in the race for a third straight 2A Girls state championship by dismantling the Deer Park Stags, 58-33, Thursday, in a state quarterfinal game in the Yakima Valley SunDome.    It was pitted as the “early state championship” as it was the #2 seeded Stags against the #1 seeded Lions, but the Lions ended the suspense with a 20-3 run in the third quarter.   Before that, it was a defensive chess match at the star

(This Week In (the) State Tournament) The long and winding, definitely windy, and sometimes snowy, road to the Yakima County SunDome began right after Thanksgiving, 2025.  There are four tournaments and 48 teams remaining from all those that had this dream, months ago.    The remaining Northwest Conference representatives include the Lynden and Lynden Christian boys and girl’s teams, along with the Anacortes and Nooksack Valley boy’s teams.   Wednesday Games   1A Boys, 200pm

The Northwest Conference took five boys and three girls teams into regional play of the 2026 state basketball tournaments.  And when the weekend was over, six of the eight will play on in the Yakima County SunDome, and two are done for the season.   The headline on Friday was the Nooksack Valley boys win over Fort Vancouver.  The #16 Pioneers eliminated the #9 Trappers, 52-45, in a game played at Camas High School, in Vancouver, just a 285-mile trip, each way.   The Pioneers

We are just one day away from the start of regional play in the 2026 state basketball tournaments. Here is look at what to expect on the boys floor through next week. 1A Boys State Tournament Preview   #16 Nooksack Valley Pioneers (10-14) vs #9 Fort Vancouver Trappers (20-3) Camas High School, Vancouver, Friday, February 27, 600pm   The Trappers broke through last year, appearing in their first state basketball tournament since the 1990 4A state tournament.  Their stay as t

I didn't see many girls games, but I can give you some matchup perspectives, and a little history along the way. Please read on for information on the 1A and 2A Girls State Basketball Tournaments. 1A Girls State Tournament Preview #16 King’s Way Christian Knights (16-6) vs #9 Nooksack Valley Pioneers (14-10) Lynden High School, Saturday, February 28, 200pm   The Knights are making just their third state tournament appearance, and second consecutive.  They lost in the regiona

Pioneer senior Cole Coppinger Before we get deep into what we will expect by the end of the day, let’s get caught up on what happened on Friday and Saturday.   The 1A teams were the focus, as they played their loser out games on Friday at Lynden High School, then their winner to state games on Saturday.   On Friday night, Meridian eliminated Blaine, 49-42.  The Trojans led by nine points at halftime, and by 15 at the end of the third quarter.    The Borderites rallied in the

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