Prep Basketball Roundup: Nooksack Valley boys kick off new season with a home victory
NOOKSACK — Six Nooksack Valley football standouts, whose season ended in the state 1A quarterfinals, were back hustling in physical and aggressive style seven days later.
Though they all looked promising on the hardwood, the football guys agreed they needed a chip off the old basketball coaching block, who obviously worked hard to hone his considerable basketball skills in the off-season while the football guys were winning the Northwest Conference 1A title.
Senior guard Caden Heutink looked as versatile as could be with a game-high 16 points via eight-for-14 shooting plus team highs of eight rebounds and eight assists in Nooksack‘s 59-37 season-opening win over Cedar Park Christian before an enthralled crowd.
In fact, Heutink looked a lot like his father, Nooksack coach Jason Heutink, when he was a dynamic senior who helped lead the Pioneers to their most recent state title in 2003.
“We worked well for a first game,” Jason said. “I’m content with it (the effort). We still have a lot of work to do.”
The coach was especially impressed by how hard and how skillfully three-year football all-league lineman Brady Ackerman performed in the fourth quarter, even though the Pioneers led 39-22 after three quarters.
Ackerman was superb with 10 points in the final period. He did not miss a single shot — he finished with 14 points via 5-for-5 shooting and four-for-four accuracy from the foul line.
He also had five rebounds, which wasn’t bad considering how aggressively his teammates all pursued missed shots. Nooksack’s 36 rebounds were nicely divided among Heutink, Ackerman, and four each by starters Cory Olney and Tristan Kamphouse and Cole Coppinger and reserves Weston Silves and Owen Wichers, both juniors, along with generally tough work by the sixth and seventh players, Lance Vanberkum and sophomore Dane Ackerman, both football standouts to go with the four starters off the gridiron squad.
Olney showed his all-league skill position ability as a receiver and defense back by leaping and streaking all over the court. He shot 5 for 8, including the team’s only 3-pointer, to finish with 12 points and had two steals to go with three by Coppinger, a talented junior. Kamphouse shot 4 for 6 to help the team finish at .500 (24 for 48).
“We really need Brady,” the coach said of Ackerman’s fourth-quarter domination. “Brady is just so big (6-4) and so strong. There really isn’t anything he can’t do when he wants to.”
“I was sucking wind,” Brady Ackerman said of his slow start. But he gathered himself at halftime and turned out to be a defensive terror.
Cedar Park coach Ron Kirkpatrick was impressed with the Pioneers.
“They’re physical, strong, athletic and really aggressive,” he said. “Nooksack did a great job of playing together and they’re well-coached. They played a great inside-out game.”
Olney said he had put the playoff disappointment behind him.
“I just love playing high school sports,” said Olney, who says he won’t play in college because he is going to totally devote himself to becoming an aviator. “Now I’m dedicated to basketball.”
Ackerman and Olney both said they were taking nothing for granted.
“We have the best 1A football league in the state (top to bottom) and basketball will be outstanding too,” Ackerman said.
“Anything can happen in our strong league,” said Olney, who indicated that crowds figure to be highly entertained at every game matching the five NWC 1A teams, who will also play their typically grueling 15-game schedule in a league that also has seven 2A teams and four 3A squads.
Boys
Redmond 60, Ferndale 51: The Golden Eagles had three good scoring performances on the road, but Redmond remained just a short way in front after every quarter in Ferndale’s non-league opener.
Junior forward Mantag Singh had 19 points, as the Whatcom Preps website reported, and seniors Jonah Brillowsky and Hunter Wells scored 13 and 12, respectively.
Girls
Ferndale 60, La Conner 42: Four juniors led the way as the visiting Golden Eagles opened their season with 25 points from Abbey White, who dazzled with four three-pointers in the first quarter, according to Whatcom Preps.
Kayla Washington scored 19 and Jilly Fox tallied eight. Brooklyn Larrabee, fresh off an all-league volleyball season, also played a solid all-around game.
Upcoming boys games
Monday, Dec. 2
- Blaine at La Conner, 7:30 p.m.
- Meridian at Bear Creek, 7:30 p.m.
- Mount Baker at Coupeville, 6:45 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 3
- Ferndale at Snohomish, 7:15 p.m.
- Tamanawis Secondary (B.C.) at Lynden, 7:15 p.m.
- Marysville-Pilchuck at Sehome, 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 4
- Friday Harbor at Blaine, 5:30 p.m.
- Holy Cross (B.C.) at Lynden Christian, 7 p.m.
- Orcas Island at Mount Baker, 5:30 p.m.
- Sultan at Nooksack Valley, 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5
- Tamanawis Secondary (B.C.) at Blaine, 7:15 p.m.
- Ferndale at Edmonds-Woodway, 7:15 p.m.
- Meridian at Mount Vernon Christian, 7:30 p.m.
- Sehome at Lummi Nation, 7 p.m.
- Squalicum at Sultan, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7
- Bellingham at Marysville-Pilchuck, 7:15 p.m.
- Lake Stevens at Lynden Christian, 3:30 p.m.
- Mount Baker at Friday Harbor, Noon
- Spectrum Community School (B.C.) at Sehome, 5 p.m.
- Marysville-Getchell at Squalicum, 5 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 9
- Blaine at Orcas Island, 4 p.m.
- Sehome at Meridian, 7:15 p.m.
- Sedr0-Woolley at Mount Baker, 7:15 p.m.
- Burlington-Edison at Squalicum, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 10
- Ferndale at Anacortes, 7:15 p.m.
- Lynden at Oak Harbor, 7:15 p.m.
- Mount Vernon at Lynden Christian, 7:15 p.m.
- Granite Falls at Nooksack, 7:15 p.m.
Upcoming girls games
Monday, Dec. 2
- Friday Harbor at Meridian, 4 p.m.
- Mount Baker at Coupeville, 5 p.m.
- Blaine at La Conner, 6 p.m.
- Squalicum at Everett, 7:15 p.m.
- Riverside Secondary (B.C.) at Lynden, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 3
- Sehome at Ferndale, 7:15 p.m.
Wednesday, Dec. 4
- Friday Harbor at Blaine, 4 p.m.
- Orcas Island at Mount Baker, 4 p.m.
- Sultan at Nooksack, 5:30 p.m.
- Aryle Secondary (B.C.) at Lynden, 7:15 p.m.
- Bellingham at Marysville-Getchell, 7:15 p.m.
Thursday, Dec. 5
- Squalicum at Sehome, 7 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 6
- Sultan at Squalicum, 7:15 p.m.
- Jackson at Ferndale, 7:15 p.m.
Saturday, Dec. 7
- Mount Baker at Friday Harbor, 1:30 p.m.
- Lake Stevens at Lynden Christian, 1:45 p.m.
- Marysville-Pilchuck at Bellingham, 7:15 p.m.
Monday, Dec. 9
- Blaine at Orcas Island, 5:30 p.m.
- Squalicum at Burlington-Edison, 7:15 p.m.
- Mount Baker at Sedro-Woolley, 7:15 p.m.
- Meridian at Sehome, 7:15 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec.10
- Archbishop Murphy at Nooksack Valley, 5:30 p.m.
- Oak Harbor at Lynden, 7:15 p.m.
- Anacortes at Ferndale, 7:15 p.m.
- Lynden Christian at Mount Vernon, 7:15 p.m.
- Sehome at Stanwood, 7:15 p.m.
