
The Lynden Lions vaulted over a huge hurdle on the way to their first Northwest Conference Championship, in defeating rival Lynden Christian, 66-56, Saturday night, in another packed Jake Maberry Gymnasium.
Surprisingly, the Lions led from start to finish in this one, taking an early 8-0 lead. They stretched the lead to 48-26 in the middle of the third quarter, which was enough of a cushion to withstand a frantic Lyncs comeback in the fourth quarter.
The Lions did it with their mainstays: defense and half-court offense. Not only defense, but disciplined defense.
The Lions used their man-to-man defense for nearly the entire game, except for a few minutes in the fourth quarter.
Teams have a hard time handling the Lyncs guards when they take to the dribble and attack the middle. They get to that point and create, getting defenders into the air, or at least, off balance. The Lion defenders stayed on the floor and held their ground.
That was evident in the opening minutes, as LC guards Gannon Dykstra and Gunnar Dykstra would penetrate, their defenders, Jack Stapleton and Malachi Koenen, would not leave their feet, leaving them stuck with limited options.
The biggest part of the Lions win was something I discussed in my preview to this game. That was the presence of each team’s “role players.” The Lions won this battle, handily.
Groundhog Day came a day early for Lion 6-6 senior, and leading scorer, Brant Heppner. The Lyncs 6-0 sophomore, Dawson Hintz, played the role of Heppner’s shadow, sticking with him, chest to chest. Heppner’s offense was limited in the first half to just four first quarter points.
Cue the role players.
In my game preview, I singled out the names of sophomores Malachi Koenen, Gordy Bedlington, and freshman Jayden Navarre, and their presence was felt early on.

Bedlington and Navarre combined for ten of the Lions 18 first-quarter points. In fact, Navarre, who relieved Bedlington in the first quarter, hit consecutive 3-pointers for the Lions, helping them to an 18-12 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Then, it was Koenen’s turn. The sophomore hit three 3-point shots in the second quarter. Add to that, threes by Bedlington and junior wing, Spencer Adams, and the Lions rolled to a 39-23 lead at halftime. Koenen, Bedlington, and Navarre combined to hit six of the Lions seven 3-pointers in the first half, with Adams hitting the other.
The Lyncs had two weapons on offense in the first half. The outside shooting of Hintz, and the go-to-the-hoop style of Gannon Dykstra. Hintz had 14 points, and Dykstra had the other nine for the Lyncs in the first half. The Lions had seven players in the scoring column by halftime.
As I also said in my preview, the Lions would have to control the tempo and keep the Lyncs from running the floor as they have dominated teams this season in the open court. The Lions also accomplished that.
The Lions first three field goals for a 6-0 lead were all second chance opportunities. The Lions 11 offensive rebounds helped them control tempo and not let the Lyncs into their comfort zone.
To start the third quarter, Koenen knocked down another 3-pointer on the Lions first possession, and over the next four minutes, built their 22-point lead.
The Lyncs first field goal of the third quarter came with three minutes to go, on a long 3-pointer by Hintz from just inside the volleyball line. Then, at the 2:38 mark of the quarter, the Lyncs got an 18-footer from sophomore forward Kaden Veldman, which were the first points of the game by someone other than Hintz or Gannon Dykstra.
That started the run for the Lyncs, as Gannon added a 3-pointer in transition, followed by another bomb from Hintz. The Lyncs outscored the Lions 11-1 in the run and began the fourth quarter trailing 53-40.
The Lyncs kept the pressure on, but the Lions still led 61-46 when Heppner scored in the low post with 4:20 to play.

Hintz and Gannon Dykstra then had consecutive scores which ignited a 10-2 run by the Lyncs, as they increased the defensive pressure, causing a series of Lion turnovers. When Veldman hit a bucket with 1:02 left, the Lyncs trailed by only five, 61-56.
The Lyncs then had to scramble and foul three times to get Heppner on the free throw line with 36 seconds left. He split two free throws, but the Lyncs could not cash in on the offensive end in their next two possessions. Heppner and Stapleton each added two free throws for the final ten-point margin.
For Lynden Christian, Gannon Dykstra hit for a game-high 27 points, including three 3-point shots, and an array of drives to the basket. Hintz scored 21, with five 3-pointers. Each seemingly from farther out than the last one. The trouble for the Lyncs was that they only had one other scorer, getting six points from Veldman in the second half.
The Lyncs 56 points were their lowest point total of the season, and 24 points below their season average.
While the three youngsters helped the Lions get a big first-half lead, it was the two seniors who brought it home.
Heppner scored 13 of his 17 points in the second half. He scored nine in the fourth quarter and pulled down 14 rebounds. Koenen finished with 13 points for the Lions, and Stapleton added 12. Heppner and Stapleton combined for all the Lions 13 points in the fourth quarter.
Bottom line: No one loses here. Both teams got their best test of the season.
The Lions finish the regular season with games at Anacortes and home against Nooksack Valley, next week. They need one win to clinch their first NWC title since 2016.
The Lyncs finish the regular season with home games against Lakewood and Ferndale. The Lyncs have won four NWC titles, all in a five-year span from 2018-2022.
Also, as I said in the preview, once this game ends, perspective sets in. Both teams have their sights set on much higher goals.
~ Ted House



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