Lynden takes 3rd at 2A state tournament
Eight days after a discouraging loss to Olympic in a regional final, the Lynden Lions got revenge on a much bigger stage – beating the Trojans 69-49 to take the third-place trophy at the Class 2A State Tournament on Saturday.
Christian Zamora and Clayton Whitman, Lynden’s standout sophomore forwards, combined for 29 points to lead the Lions, who jumped to a 17-12 lead in the first quarter and never trailed. Lynden put the game away in the third, when the Lions scored the first seven points and stretched a five-point halftime lead to 53-35.
After making only 11 of 28 field-goal attempts in the first half, Lynden shot 60 percent after halftime. The Lions also outscored Olympic 16-2 off turnovers and scored 42 points in the paint, mostly thanks to some pinpoint passing.
“I thought we came out with so much energy and were really sharing the ball well,” said coach Brian Roper. “We hardly dribbled it and guys were making shots.
“At the end of the season, it’s always a little tiring, but I think these guys are sorry it’s over.”
Zamora agreed.
“Back in the summer when we first started playing together, we were thinking how we wanted to improve,” he said. “I’m glad we did.”
The win avenged a 56-47 loss to Olympic in the opening round of the regional tournament on Feb. 27. It cost the Lions a first-round bye at state.
Roper said it was especially satisfying to see his seniors play well together in their last game. Senior guard Andrew Kivlighn had 13 points, Jared House scored 10 and Connor Shine added five.
“We have kids who are really tight and together. You learn a lot about character on the last day,” Roper said. “They were having a lot of fun together.”
Evan Turnquist scored 10 points off the bench to lead Olympic. The eighth-seeded Trojans finished fifth in the tournament.
Lynden 69, Olympic 49
Olympic | 12 | 14 | 9 | 14 | 49 |
Lynden | 17 | 14 | 22 | 16 | 69 |
OLYMPIC – Evan Turnquist 2-4 6-8 10; Jaiden Mosley 3-8 1-2 9; Keaton Dean 3-5 1-4 7;Tyler Yost 3-9 0-1 6; Brandon Barron 2-5 0-0 4; Darelle White 1-3 2-3 4;Tanner Landis 1-2 0-0 3; Harrison Young 1-1 0-2 2; Chase Matheny 1-2 0-0 2;Jason Eberhart 1-1 0-0 2; Greg Brehmer 0-1 0-0 0; JR Nelson 0-2 0-0 0.Totals 18-43 10-20 49.
LYNDEN – Christian Zamora 6-10 2-2 15; Clayton Whitman 5-10 4-6 14; Andrew Kivlighn5-10 2-2 13; Jared House 4-5 0-0 10; Connor Shine 2-5 1-4 5; James Marsh 1-32-2 4; Trey LaBounty 1-2 0-0 2; Carson Bode 1-3 0-0 2; Trevin Hope 0-3 2-32; Brock Heppner 1-2 0-0 2; Kobe Elsner 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 26-53 13-19 69.
3-point goals - Olympic 3-12 (Jaiden Mosley 2-5; Tanner Landis 1-2; TylerYost 0-1; Brandon Barron 0-2; Chase Matheny 0-1; Keaton Dean 0-1), Lynden 4-15 (Jared House 2-3; Andrew Kivlighn 1-5; Christian Zamora 1-1; Carson Bode 0-1; Trevin Hope 0-3; Clayton Whitman 0-2). Fouled out - Olympic-None, Lynden-None. Rebounds - Olympic 21 (Darelle White 5), Lynden 35 (Andrew Kivlighn 5; Trevin Hope 5). Assists - Olympic 6 (Jaiden Mosley 1; Chase Matheny 1; Jason Eberhart 1; Brandon Barron 1; JR Nelson 1; Greg Brehmer 1), Lynden 15 (Christian Zamora 5). Total fouls - Olympic 17, Lynden 14.Technical fouls -Olympic-None, Lynden-None.
This story was originally published March 4, 2017 at 2:26 PM with the headline "Lynden takes 3rd at 2A state tournament."