Lynden’s Somers highlights All-Whatcom County basketball stars
Lynden senior Sterling Somers has been selected the All-Whatcom County Boys’ Basketball Player of the Year for 2015-16 by The Bellingham Herald. Here is a look at what Somers and the 11 other first-team selections accomplished during the 2015-16 season:
PLAYER OF THE YEAR STERLING SOMERS
School: Lynden
Year: Senior
Position: Forward
What he did: An excellent senior leader who did a bit of everything for young Lions team. ... Provided big minutes when team needed it most. ... Co-2A Mr. Basketball selection by WIBCA. ... Averaged 18.9 points per game. ... A first-team All-NWC selection. ... Led Lynden to a third-place Class 2A finish and a 25-3 record.
FIRST TEAM
Player | School | Yr. | Pos. |
Connor Beard | Nooksack Valley | Sr. | G |
An ultra quick, athletic guard who nightly showed an ability to score in myriad of ways. ... A terrific defender and go-to player for the Pioneers. ... Averaged 18.9 points per game. ... A first-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Austin Honeycutt | Ferndale | Sr. | F |
A bully in the paint who owned a strong mid-range game and an overall knack for scoring. ... Good for around double-digit rebounds a night. ... Averaged 17.4 points per game. ... A first-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Noah King | Lynden | Sr. | G |
Provided key senior leadership for young team, great ball handling and had a sweet shot from 3-point range. ... Averaged 9.8 points per game. ... A second-team All-NWC selection. ... Led Lynden to a third-place Class 2A finish and a 25-3 record. | |||
Leighton Kingma | Sehome | Sr. | G/F |
A very polished player who could shoot extremely well beyond the arc and use length to get to the basket. ... Got a lot of blocks and brought in loads of rebounds. ... Averaged 17.4 points per game. .. A second-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Damek Mitchell | Squalicum | Jr. | G |
Great floor leader who possesses a great ability to get to the hole and score. ... A strong shooter, ball-handler and tremendous defensive player. ... Averaged 16.3 points per game. ... A first-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Jake Poag | Lynden Christian | Sr. | G |
A sharpshooting specialist who made a big impact on both sides of the court. .... Averaged 14.6 points per game. ... A second-team All-NWC selection who helped the Lyncs reach the regional round of the 1A state tournament. | |||
Darious Powell | Squalicum | Jr. | G |
Arguably the best 3-point shooter in the Northwest Conference who could turn the tide of a game with few shots from long range. ... Averaged 13.8 points per game. ... A second-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Zach Roetcisoender | Lynden Christian | Sr. | G |
Possessed ability to score in a myriad of ways en route to NWC scoring title. ... Probably the league’s purest scorer and also made a strong defensive impact ... Averaged 22.6 points per game. ... A first-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Timothy Soares | Mount Baker | Sr. | F |
With 6-foot-10 length and rare athleticism, was a handful for opposing defenses. ... Could play in the post and score along the perimeter. ... Big time shot blocker and rebounder. ... Averaged 16.5 points per game. ... A first-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Josiah Westbrook | Squalicum | Sr. | G |
A tremendous athlete and even better scorer. ... Had ability to score from 3-point range and could get to the rim. ... One part of an outstanding Storm backcourt. ... Averaged 16.9 points per game. ... A first-team All-NWC selection. | |||
Shaq Woods | Blaine | Sr. | F |
An impressive athlete for his size, showing an ability to score from inside and out while grabbing plenty of rebounds. ... A key reason for Blaine’s impressive season. ... Averaged 17.5 points per game. ... A second-team All-NWC selection. | |||
COACH OF THE YEAR BRIAN ROPER
Team: Lynden
What he did: Guided Lynden to a third-place Class 2A state finish and a 25-3 record. ... Coached two All-NWC selections and got a young team to mesh together as season went along.
HONORABLE MENTION
Player | Team |
Grant Balvanz | Mount Baker |
Josiah Meppelink | Lynden Christian |
Jonny Larson | Bellingham |
Brady Moore | Meridian |
Marcus Montag | Sehome |
Kier Munzanreder | Blaine |
Logan Deboo | Sehome |
TJ Bass | Mount Baker |
Aaron Bosscher | Nooksack Valley |
John Weg | Ferndale |
NOTE: Spelling of Larson's name corrected March 28, 2016.
This story was originally published March 25, 2016 at 10:51 AM with the headline "Lynden’s Somers highlights All-Whatcom County basketball stars."