Lynden Christian, Lummi ready to join the party at state

Winning the regional round of the WIAA State Tournament means three Whatcom County high school basketball teams got to sit back and prepare an extra day for their matchups at the Hardwood Classic.

The Lummi boys and Lynden Christian’s boys and girls teams will play Thursday with a chance to make it to the semifinals in their brackets.

They each have plenty of pedigree – the Lynden Christian girls are defending state champions, the Lyncs’ boys have won five state titles (most recently in 2012), and Lummi is looking for its second championship in three years.

The second-seeded Lynden Christian boys basketball team looks to advance to the state semifinals against No. 8 Newport, which beat Hoquiam late Wednesday, 57-56, on a three-pointer at the buzzer. The Lyncs will play at 9 p.m. Thursday in Yakima.

BOYS BASKETBALL

Class 1B – Lummi

The No. 4 seed Blackhawks will have their hands full against No. 3 Muckleshoot Tribal in the second round of the 1B state tournament.

Time: 3:45 p.m. Thursday

Site: Spokane Veteran’s Memorial Arena

What’s at stake: The winner moves on to the state semifinals and will play the winner of the Odessa-Harrington vs. Almira Coulee Hartline matchup at 7:15 p.m. Friday.

Scouting the Kings

Coach: Andre Pleasant

State tournament appearances (record): Two (2-3)

State titles: None

RPI ranking: No. 3

League: 1B/2B Sea-Tac (second, 11-1)

Road to state: Lost to No. 6 seed Pomeroy 57-40 in the regional round of state. Beat Tacoma Baptist 67-35 in the opening round at state Wednesday.

The Kings are captained by 6-foot-4 senior Dontae Johnson in the middle and sophomore point guard Ryan Thompson. Muckleshoot Tribal lost to Lummi 72-56 on Jan. 21.

Scouting the Blackhawks

Coach: Jerome Toby

State tournament appearances (record): Seven (11-16)

State titles: One (2015)

RPI ranking: Fourth

League: Northwest 1B (tied for first, 13-1)

Road to state: Won the 1B Northwest District Tournament title and beat Chief Kitsap Academy to grab a regional berth out of District 1/2/3. Beat Yakama Nation Tribal 63-55 in the regional round.

The Blackhawks make their return to state after a one-year absence, looking for a second state title in three years. Senior Trazil Lane leads Lummi with a team-high 20.8 points per game. Lummi has won six straight since a Feb. 1 loss at Mountlake Terrace Cedar Park Christian.

GIRLS BASKETBALL

Class 1A – Lynden Christian

The second-seeded Lyncs square off against Northwest Conference rival Mount Baker in a 1A state second-round matchup.

Time: 5:30 p.m. Thursday

Site: Yakima Valley SunDome

What’s at stake: The winner will play in the state semifinals against the Meridian-Granger victor at 5:30 p.m. Friday in Yakima. The loser will play in the consolation bracket against the Meridian-Granger loser at 10:30 a.m. Friday.

Scouting the Mountaineers

Coach: Kim Preston

State tournament appearances (record): 13 (23-22)

State titles: None

RPI ranking: No. 8

League: Northwest Conference (second, 11-2)

Road to state: Finished third in the Class 1A Northwest District Tournament and beat University Prep 61-28 in the District 1/2 Tournament to advance to the regional round of state. Lost to top-seeded Cashmere 36-34 in the regional round of state. Beat No. 9 seed Zillah 48-34 in the first round at state.

The Mounties are a young team that plays with grit. They gave Lynden Christian a rare scare earlier in the season thanks to 22 points on 10-of-20 shooting by sophomore point guard Danielle Tyler. Baker coach Kim Preston said after the 55-46 loss she thought the game would help her team. “We likely will see them again, and we know we can compete if we shoot well,” Preston said. “The kids are hungry; it just came down to experience.”

Scouting the Lyncs

Coach: Brady Bomber

State tournament appearances (record): 36 (107-31)

State titles: 11 (1979, ’80, ’90, ’91,’92, ’96, ’98, ’99, 2008, ’14, ’16)

RPI ranking: No. 2

League: Northwest Conference (first, 13-0)

Road to state: Won the Class 1A Northwest District Tournament title and then beat Seattle Academy 62-37 in the District 1/2 championship game. Defeated La Center 56-38 in the regional round of state to earn a bye at state.

The defending state champions are making their 13th straight trip to state. The Lyncs’ only loss this season came by six points against Bishop Blanchet, a Class 3A school, on Dec. 22. Sam Van Loo leads the way for LC with 12.2 points per game, and Avery Dykstra averages 11.9. Isabela Hernandez averages 9.7.

The Lyncs won their only matchup with Mount Baker, 55-46 on Jan. 28. Dykstra had 25 points and five assists to lead LC, and Sam Van Loo had 13 rebounds and nine points.

This story was originally published March 1, 2017 at 7:56 PM with the headline "Lynden Christian, Lummi ready to join the party at state."