2026 Off And Running

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-pointers, most uncontested.  They used their speed and quick hands on defense, and shifty offensive moves to a quick 18-2 lead in less than four minutes of play.

The Lyncs quickness kept the Tigers on their heels the whole first half.  On consecutive defensive situations, the Lyncs got steals that went the distance for lay-ins.  The first by lightning quick 5-11 junior guard, Harvest Howell, who slid around the side of Tigers 6-6 senior forward, Logan Heigert, to steal a pass meant for the high post area.  Howell took the dribble uncontested to the other end.

On the Tigers next offensive possession, it was senior guard Eli Maberry who got in the path of a Tigers pass and took the leather the other way for a score.

At the Lyncs offensive end, junior guard Gunnar Dykstra showed off his quick moves off the dribble for ten first half points.  Junior guard Dawson Hintz did much the same, but added four 3-pointers, on his way to a 20-point half, as the Lyncs led 51-19 at intermission.

To the Tigers’ credit, they showed much more focus and intensity in the second half.  They battled harder for loose balls and rebounds, outscoring the Lyncs 19-17 in the third quarter, but of course, the damage had already been done.

Heigert scored 16 of the Tigers 19 points in the quarter and finished with 29.  Senior guard Madden Whitlock was next with nine points.  The Tigers are now 3-1 in the NWC, 7-2 overall.

The Lyncs (10-1) were led by 26 points from Hintz, and 12 by Dykstra and junior forward Kaden Veldman.  Howell and Maberry finished with nine points each.

The Lyncs are now 5-0 in the NWC, with two other teams that are also undefeated in league play.  Anacortes got a 48-33 win at home over Sehome on Friday to improve to 4-0.  The Seahawks are 8-0 on the season.  Meanwhile, Lakewood improved to 5-0 in the NWC with a 67-51 win at Ferndale. 

Two members of the 1A bunch got together on Saturday afternoon as Meridian hosted Mount Baker.  The Trojans controlled the game from the 1:30 mark of the second quarter, on their way to a 68-54 win. 

The Mountaineers scored the first four points of the game, but the Trojans scored the next ten.  Then, the Mountaineers came back with a 10-1 run to start the second quarter and led 19-13 at the 4:33 mark.

A 3-point shot by Trojans junior guard Gabe Galbraith got the Trojans going, but the Mountaineers still led 24-23 with 1:20 left in the half.

Junior guard LD Webster scored after an offensive rebound which started an 8-0 run.  Sophomore guard Emmett Ashmore, nailed a 3-pointer, followed by another 3-point shot by junior Pierce Brzozowski, giving the Trojans a 31-24 lead at halftime.

A 3-point shot by Mount Baker’s senior forward Jett Ross gave his team a 36-35 lead in the middle of the third quarter.  But the Trojans went on a 9-0 run as they created havoc in the Mountaineers back court all game.

Webster added a 3-point play with 1:10 left in the third quarter, to give the Trojans a ten-point lead.  They led 49-41 after three quarters.

The Trojans inched the lead to 62-47 on a 3-pointer by Webster with 3:31 left.

Webster had a monster game for the Trojans (2-2/4-5), coming off the bench to lead the team in scoring with 16 points.  Galbraith and senior forward Daniel Larsen added 14 each for the Trojans.

The Mountaineers (1-4/3-4) got 15 points from their junior forward Kell Reardon.  Senior guard Payten Abitla added a dozen.

All three classifications of teams in the NWC have a competitive mess when trying to handicap their races.

The 1A group has LC, then it could be anyone else taking the #2 spot in the district tournament.

Meridian has already logged a 43-40 win over Blaine.  The Trojans will be at the Lyncs on Monday, while the Mountaineers will be at Blaine on Wednesday. 

Nooksack Valley will play all four 1A opponents consecutively, between January 12-23.  After two straight holiday wins, the Pioneers were nipped by Bellingham 59-58 on Saturday, as senior forward Joe Harward put back a missed free throw with two seconds left in the game.

The league standings will still determine the seeding for the 1A teams into their district tournament. 

In 2A, of the top five teams, they seem to want to rotate the top spot.  Currently, I think Anacortes is the top 2A team, but the Tiger-Hawk Challenge is coming up on Tuesday at Burlington.  Sehome had a nice win over Burlington in the holiday tournament but ran into a buzz saw in Anacortes on Friday.  Lakewood has yet to lose a conference game and will have a big one at Sedro-Woolley on Friday.  Lynden is trying to get their three tallest players back on the floor from injuries.

In 3A, where three of the four can qualify for district, Sedro-Woolley has the upper hand right now and the race for the next two spots looks like it will come down to the final week.  The 3A’s will all have played each other by January 21, so the final two weeks will come down to winning the games you are supposed to win.  And getting a win in one you maybe shouldn’t, would be a big help.

This week includes multiple trips to Skagit County, headlined by Tuesday’s “Tiger-Hawk Challenge.”  Other top games include Lynden at Mount Vernon on Monday; Sedro-Woolley at Lynden on Wednesday.  Also on Wednesday will be Mount Baker at Blaine in another big game in the 1A group.  Thursday there is a 3A matchup with Ferndale at Mount Vernon.  Friday will have Lakewood at Sedro-Woolley. 

~ Ted House