2A Girls State Tournament: Lynden Defeats Prosser for 3rd Straight Title

For the third straight year, the Lynden Lions are the champions of 2A basketball.  The Lions defeated the Prosser Mustangs, 59-49, in the state championship game, Saturday night, in the Yakima SunDome. 

The Lions got off to a quick 8-0 start that included two 3-point shots from senior forward Payton Mills.  After a Prosser timeout, the Lions lead grew to 12-0 before the Mustangs got on the board with 2:57 left in the opening quarter.

Leading 19-3 after eight minutes, the game got a lot stickier for the Lions the rest of the way.  Prosser junior guard Keelyn Cox hit a 3-point shot to pull the Mustangs to within 28-19 with 1:35 left in the half.  But the Lions ran off six quick points, all on transition opportunities, to lead 34-19 at halftime.

But Prosser kept the pressure on, holding the Lions to only six points in the third quarter, cutting the Lions lead to 40-32 with eight minutes to play.

Mills and junior guard Lexi Hermanutz connected on 3-pointers to start the third quarter to push the Lions lead to 14, but even that didn’t derail the Mustangs.

The Mustangs inched closer and when sophomore guard Lailah Carter hit a 3-point shot, the Mustangs were down only 48-45. 

Lynden junior Finley Parcher

Lynden junior guard Finley Parcher, who had not added to her 14-point total of the first half, stopped the Mustangs run with two free throws.

At the 3:00 mark of the fourth quarter, and the Lions leading 50-45, the teams traded empty possessions until Mills scored in the key to give the Lions a 52-45 lead with 1:37 to play. 

After the Mustangs came up empty again, Parcher split two free throws, and on the miss, Hermanutz scored inside, and the Lions led by 10 points with just under a minute to go.

Lion junior Lexi Hermanutz

Hermanutz had her best game of the tournament.  While being a top defender, she hit 6-8 from the field for 17 points.  She also grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out five assists.  Parcher and Mills each recorded double-doubles.  Parcher had 17 points and 10 rebounds, while Mills had 11 points and 10 rebounds.

Now, for the astonishing numbers.

This was the third consecutive state championship for the Lynden Lions.  It was their fourth in the last six tournaments.  It was their 75^th straight win, and over the past three seasons, they have accumulated a record of 82-1.  The loss was to Nooksack Valley, during the Pioneers 1A championship season of 2023-24.

It was the sixth state championship in program history, all under 16-year head coach, Rob Adams.

This was the first “Three-Peat” in 2A State Tournament history, dating back to 1998.

Finley Parcher was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player for the second straight year.  Payton Mills was voted on to the Second Team. 

~ Ted House

STATS

Prosser: Cox, 3, Carter 3, Wright 14, Bailey 6, Chapman 10, Phillips 13, Wright 0

FG: 19-55, 34.5%

3P: 6-26, 23.1%

FT: 5-7, 71.4%

Lynden: Bowler 2, Hermanutz 17, Nyhoff 5, Newcomb 2, Slayton 0, R. Stephan 5, I. Stephan 0, Parcher 17, Mills 11

FG: 22-45, 48.9%

3p: 6-15, 40%

FT: 9-13, 69.2%