Who was the best basketball player in the Northwest Conference this season?

Squalicum High guard Damek Mitchell has been named the Northwest Conference Most Valuable Player in boys basketball, one of 13 Whatcom County players on the All-NWC team.

Mitchell, a four-year starter who was a first-team All-NWC pick as a junior, led all Whatcom County players with 24.2 points per game. He led the Storm to an 18-5 record and a spot in the Class 3A regional tournament and has signed to play for Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, Idaho.

Lynden senior Andrew Kivlighn was also named to the first team and sophomores Christian Zamora and Clayton Whitman were on the second team for the Lions, who finished 20-8 and won the third-place trophy at the Class 2A state tournament last weekend.

Lynden Christian, which went 20-7 and finished fifth at the Class 1A state tournament, had two players on the first team – Grant Rubbert and Cole Bajema.

Mount Baker also had two players on the first team – seniors T.J. Bass and Grant Balvanz. Bass, who was co-MVP of the 1A Northwest Conference in football, has signed to play football at the University of Idaho.

Bellingham’s Jonny Larson also was named to the first team and his coach, Brad McKay, was named Coach of the Year after the Red Raiders went 15-9 – an 11-win improvement over the 2015-16 season.

Anacortes, which won the Northwest League regular-season title and finished 22-3, had three players on the all-conference team – senior Jesse Keltner was on the first team and juniors Trystan Lowry and Jacob South were on the second team. The Seahawks finished fourth at the 2A Hardwood Classic.

This story was originally published March 8, 2017 at 3:20 PM with the headline "Who was the best basketball player in the Northwest Conference this season?."