YAKIMA — LC standout defender Makayla Lancaster proved shutting down future Division I Brewster guard Chandler Smith is possible. Covering all the Bears’ shooters, though, was too much to handle. In the ultimate battle of defense versus offense, offense won.

The Lyncs entered the Class 1A State Tournament quarterfinals Thursday, Feb. 28, allowing less than 25 points per game during their six previous postseason contests. The Caribou Trail League champion Bears tout four players averaging double figures, including Smith, who has received offers as a junior from nearly every Pac-12 school.

Lancaster drew the assignment of guarding Smith. She held her to zero points in the first half, but Brewster’s 6-foot point guard came alive in the third quarter and her teammates did, too. So much that LC couldn’t overcome a double-digit fourth-quarter deficit and eventually fell to Brewster 61-56 in the Yakima Valley SunDome despite a valiant comeback effort. It was a matchup many billed as the true 1A title game occurring two days early due to last Sunday’s state draw. “I thought Lancaster did an outstanding job on Smith today, limiting her as far as good looks, but their other players stepped up,” Lynden Christian coach Curt De Haan said. “We knew they were capable of doing it. That’s why they are a tough out.”

LC’s Kayla Tiemersma scored a team-high 15 points, Courtney Hollander added 12 and reserve post Sara Dougan scored 11 points in what was one of her strongest performances of the year. The loss snapped Lynden Christian’s (23-4) 12-game win streak dating back to Jan. 14.

“I felt like we gave it all we had and played with a lot of heart,” said Dougan, who played for Meridian last year. “For me this is a new experience. I was just psyched to be here. I knew I had to give it my all, but it didn’t go the way we wanted it to.”

Brewster’s Becky Mae Taylor, Brette Boesel, Monica Landdeck and Smith all average more than 10 points. The quartet did it again Thursday. Smith scored all of her game-high 16 points in the second half, Taylor and Boesel finished with 13 points and Landdeck had 11.

Boesel, Landdeck and Smith scored 23 of Brewster’s 25 third-quarter points, which buried Lynden Christian into a deep hole the Lyncs couldn’t climb out of.

LC made it close, though, rallying from 14 down with 3:06 to go to cut the lead to 60-56 with 40 seconds left.

“We settled it down and came back and made a great run, so I was certainly pleased with the girls as far as battling hard right till the end,” De Haan said.

The Lyncs looked like the offensive power in the second quarter. Following a sluggish start, which put Lynden Christian behind 10-5 through the first eight minutes, LC rebounded to outscore Brewster 20-17 in the second. Hollander and Sally Vlas each scored five points to help cut Brewster’s lead to 27-25 heading into the break.

Then the defensive poise LC showed in the first half disappeared.

The Bears enjoyed a 16-8 run to open the third powered by seven points from Smith, who scored 12 in the quarter. Tiemersma did her best to keep the Lyncs in the game, scoring six of her 12 second-half points in the third, but Brewster had built a 52-38 advantage by the start of the fourth. The Lyncs gave up more than 21 points only twice in their previous six postseason games. LC surrendered 25 to Brewster in the third quarter alone.

“We had some breakdowns that led to some turnovers, and they were able to get some easy transition hoops,” De Haan said. “That helped them build their lead.”

Hollander said the defensive breakdown amounted to LC’s lack of team play.

“I thought both teams played their hearts out,” Hollander said. “We thought this was pretty much the championship game — two really hard teams matched up. I think at the beginning of the third quarter, we weren’t playing as a team. In the fourth quarter we needed to start playing as a team, and that’s when we made our comeback.”

The Lyncs doubled up the Bears in the fourth, outscoring them 18-9. The comeback made for an interesting final few minutes.

With LC trailing 60-56, Brewster converted one of two free throws with 21 seconds left, but Lynden Christian spent too much time trying to get a good look on their ensuing possession.

The best LC, which took third in state after losing a heartbreaker in the semis, can finish is fourth after the loss, and Hollander said Tiemersma gave Lynden Christian a direct message in the locker room.

“Right after the game, Kayla, our senior, just went into the locker room and said, ‘We aren’t done. This isn’t our last game,’ so I think we just need to go out (tomorrow) knowing it could be our last game,” Hollander said. “We want to go out on a win.”

Lynden Christian faces Okanogan at 10:30 a.m. Friday, March 1. King’s, which LC beat 45-18 in the Class 1A District Tournament title game, edged Okanogan 41-40.

Reach Andrew Lang at andrew.lang@bellinghamherald.com or call 360-756-2862.

BREWSTER 61, LYNDEN CHRISTIAN 56

Lynden Christian 5 20 13 18 — 56

Brewster 10 17 25 9 — 61

FG FT Reb Lynden Christian Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Makayla Lancaster 25:15 2-6 0-0 0-3 1 4 5 Haley Hollander DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Kara Bajema 8:12 2-4 0-0 1-1 1 1 5 Courtney Hollander 26:39 3-10 6-8 4-5 2 1 12 Sally Vlas 25:54 3-10 1-2 2-4 0 2 8 Kassidy Aldrich 9:00 0-5 0-0 1-2 0 0 0 Karley De Jager 16:52 0-3 0-0 1-2 0 1 0 Sara Dougan 20:58 5-7 0-0 2-5 0 1 11 Emma Stump DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Carli Tjoelker DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Kayla Tiemersma 26:10 3-9 7-9 3-6 0 4 15 Morgan Van Kooten DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 18-54 14-19 17-37 3 14 56

Percentages: FG 33.3. FT 73.9. 3-Point FG: 6-15, 40.0 (Kayla Tiemersma 2-2; Makayla Lancaster 1-3, Kara Bajema 1-3, Sally Vlas 1-3, Sara Dougan 1-1, Courtney Hollander 0-1, Kassidy Aldrich 0-2). Blocked Shots: 1 (Courtney Hollander 1). Steals: 7 (Vlas 3, Lancaster 2, Tiemersma 1, De Jager 1). Turnovers: 21 (Courtney Hollander 7, Makayla Lancaster 4, Kayla Tiemersma 3, Karley De Jager 3, Sally Vlas 2, Kassidy Aldrich 1, Sara Dougan 1).

FG FT Reb Brewster Min M-A M-A O-T A PF PTS

Gaby Torres DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Becky Mae Taylor 29:32 5-12 1-2 1-3 2 2 13 Karina Rincon DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Brette Boesel 30:01 4-11 3-4 0-3 2 3 13 Jessie Hammons 17:07 0-0 1-3 2-3 0 4 1 Allie Burgett DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Monica Landdeck 32:00 4-10 2-2 5-9 1 1 11 Chandler Smith 28:41 7-13 1-2 1-8 4 3 16 Markie Miller 11:15 2-5 0-0 3-4 0 3 4 Margie Brammer DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Andie Gebbers 11:24 1-2 0-0 1-3 0 0 3 Miriah Sonneman DNP 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0 0 Totals 23-53 8-13 15-37 9 17 61

Percentages: FG 43.4., FT 61.5. 3-Point FG: 7-18, 43.4 (Becky Mae Taylor 2-4; Brette Boesel 2-5, Monica Landdeck 1-4, Chandler Smith 1-3, Andie Gebbers 1-2). Blocked Shots: 3 (Chandler Smith 3). Steals: 13 (Chandler Smith 5, Brette Boesel 3, Becky Mae Taylor 1, Monica Landdeck 1, Markie Miller 1, Andie Gebbers 1, Jessie Hammons 1). Turnovers: 18 (Becky Mae Taylor 8, Chandler Smith 4, Brette Boesel 3, Monica Landdeck 2, Markie Miller 1).