Mount Baker stuns Lynden Christian at 1A state tournament
With the game and a semifinals berth in the balance against a league rival – who just happens to be one of Class 1A’s pedigreed teams – the poise and the play of Mount Baker guard Danielle Tyler came up as big as the moment Thursday.
The sophomore willed her team into the Class 1A girls state tournament semifinals and knocked off No. 2 seed Lynden Christian in the process. As a result of the No. 8 Mounties’ 57-49 win, they will play Granger at 5:30 p.m. Friday with a berth in the state finals at stake.
Tyler scored 19 points, including five pressure free throws in the fourth quarter, as Mount Baker held off a determined Lyncs rally in the final minutes. She also handled the ball with the presence of a senior in the face of a withering Lynden Christian press in the final quarter.
The Mountaineers led by as many as 22 points in the game’s final 10 minutes. But Lynden Christian’s press – led by Avery Dykstra – and the clutch 3-point shooting of sophomore Isabela Hernandez kept it interesting.
Hernandez made three of her four 3-pointers – she led the Lyncs with 20 points – in the final period as LC piled up 27 points in the fourth. But time and again, when Mount Baker needed a heady play, Tyler made it – whether on the perimeter enticing a defender to foul or finding an open teammate when the Lyncs trapped her.
“That’s a tough team and that’s what they do,” Mount Baker coach Kim Preston said. “They are absolutely tournament prepped. They’ve been here for 13 straight years and those girls compete hard. … We knew that they would come back.
“I thought our poise coming out in the second half was so intense. It was so fun to see them finally play the way we know they can play.”
Towering sisters Jessica and Stephanie Soares gave the Mountaineers a rebounding advantage and Mount Baker capitalized, tallying 11 second-chance points. The sisters were also key to the Mounties’ 18-10 scoring advantage in the paint.
Jessica Soares finished with 10 points and 13 rebounds. Stephanie Soares pulled down nine rebounds.
“We knew we were going to have to play this level of intensity and not let them rattle us and not let their little spurts get us down,” Preston said. “We had to keep our composure, and I’m so grateful that we did.”
Despite the loss, LC coach Brady Bomber was proud of his team’s resolve.
“We had a really tough third quarter,” Bomber said. “We lost some shooters, we had some loose balls we didn’t win and we had some breakdowns. All of a sudden they hit some shots and capitalized on our mistakes and we were behind by 20.
“But I was really pleased with how our girls responded. I loved the resiliency of our girls. We were maybe one or two plays from making things really interesting.”
Mount Baker 57, Lynden Christian 49
Mount Baker | 6 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 57 |
Lynden Christian | 7 | 7 | 8 | 27 | 49 |
MOUNT BAKER — Malone 3-4 0-0 7, Anielle Tyler 5-14 7-9 19, Jessica Soares 3-7 4-8 10, Yost 1-3 4-4 7, S. Soares 2-7 0-0 4, Kylind Powell 3-7 4-7 10. Totals 17-41 19-28 57.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN — Hommes 0-0 0-0 0, Isabela Hernandez 6-13 4-4 20, Sam Van Loo 2-8 4-6 8, A. Dykstra 3-13 0-0 6, Bailey 1-3 0-0 2, Bocci 3-6 0-0 9, R. Dykstra 2-3 0-1 4, Sterk 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-47 8-11 49.
3-point goals - Mount Baker 4-6 (Malone 1-1, Tyler 2-3); Lynden Christian 7-18 (Hernandez 4-7, Bocci 3-5). Fouled out – None. Rebounds – Mount Baker 33 (J. Soares 13, S. Soares 9); Lynden Christian 28 (Van Loo 7, R. Dykstra 5). Assists – Mount Baker 15 (J. Soares 5, Powell 5); Lynden Christian 12 (A. Dykstra 7, R. Dykstra 3). Turnovers – Mount Baker 14, Lynden Christian 15. Total fouls – Mount Baker 12, Lynden Christian 20.
This story was originally published March 2, 2017 at 6:18 PM with the headline "Mount Baker stuns Lynden Christian at 1A state tournament."