After slow start, Lynden girls rally to reach 2A championship game
It took them a while to get going, but once the Lynden Lions found their groove they muscled past W.F. West, 61-53, in the girls’ Class 2A State Tournament semifinal Friday night.
Elisa Kooiman scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds and Lynden hit some clutch late free throws to hold off the Bearcats and reach the title game for the second straight year.
They will play a familiar foe.
Burlington-Edison knocked off top-seeded Black Hills, 59-55, in the other semifinal and will meet the Lions at 7 p.m. Saturday for the 2A championship. Allyson Ray had 18 points and 13 rebounds for the Tigers.
Those two teams, Northwest Conference rivals, played a classic in the regional tournament last week, with Burlington-Edison winning, 51-50. It was the Tigers’ third win over Lynden this season.
Lynden got off to a dreadful start against W.F. West, falling behind 11-0 in the first quarter behind the Bearcats’ balanced attack. That lead held until hafltime, when Lynden trailed 29-18 as Kooiman scored 10 first-half points.
She added nine more in the third quarter, sparking a 22-6 blitz that gave the Lions a lead they never relinquished.
It was a rugged contest, as three players fouled out, including Lynden’s Jasmyne Neria.
“It was more like a wrestling match at times,” she said. “We knew they played physical but we got right back at them. ... I’ll need some ice tonight.”
Coach Rob Adams said W.F. West “physically imposed their will” in the first half, but his team kept its poise.
“That was the coolest (halftime) locker room I think we’ve had in 10 years,” Adams said. “We knew if we were going to get beat, let’s get beat on our terms. The kids held together.”
Faith Dut scored 8 points off the bench and Neria, Sierra Smith and Mariah Gonzalez added seven points apiece for Lynden, 20-6.
Shasta Lofgren scored a team-high 14 points, hitting some key 3-pointers late for W.F. West. Julia Johnson added 13 for the Bearcats, 21-4.
Lynden 61, W.F. West 53
Lynden | 6 | 12 | 22 | 21 | 61 |
W.F. West | 14 | 15 | 6 | 18 | 53 |
LYNDEN — Neria 2-2 2-3 7, Smith 1-4 4-6 7, Elisa Kooiman 7-19 7-12 21, Vander Haak 0-3 0-0 0, Amos 2-5 0-0 5, Zwiers 2-4 2-4 6, Gonzalez 3-4 1-2 7, Dut 4-7 0-0 8, Hershey 0-3 0-0 0, Bonsen 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 21-51 16-27 61
W.F. WEST — Julia Johnson 4-10 2-6 13, Shasta Lofgren 4-8 3-7 14, Brumfield 2-8 3-5 7, Steen 2-2 204 6, Strasser 3-8 3-4 9, Valada 1-5 0-1 2, S. Hakkenson 0-1 0-0 0, Noble 1-2 0-2 2, Bennett 0-2 0-0 0, Fast 0-2 0-0 0, M. Hakkenson 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 17-49 13-29 53.
3-point goals - Lynden 3-8 (Neria 1-1, Smith 1-2, Vander Haak 0-2, Amos 1-1, Zwiers 0-1, Hershey 0-1); WF 6-20 (Johnson 3-6, Lofgren 3-5, Brumfield 0-1, Valada 0-3, S. Haakenson 0-1, Bennett 0-2, Fast 0-2). Fouled-out - Jasmyne Neria, Kiara Steen, Lexie Strasser. Rebounds - Lynden 42 (Kooiman 10); WF 32 (Brumfield 9). Assists - Lynden 6 (Kooiman 3); WF 3 (Lofgren 2). Turnovers - Lynden 16, WF 11. Total fouls - Lynden 22, WF 23.
This story was originally published March 3, 2017 at 11:51 PM with the headline "After slow start, Lynden girls rally to reach 2A championship game."