LYNDEN — Lynden Christian is undefeated no longer.
The Lyncs dropped their first game of the season in the Lynden Christmas Classic championship, falling 54-46 to Class 4A Eastlake on Friday night.
LC, a 1A school, could not keep pace with goliath despite sophomore guard Grace Hintz scoring a game-high 25 points. Eastlake forced the Lyncs into tough shots and matched each point LC added on its home court.
“There was no easy stops for us, which was great experience,” LC coach Brady Bomber said. “Every possession, we had to really battle to get one stop. We’re excited for the opportunities to grow from this and the learning we’re going to do from the tape.”
Hintz, who poured in more than half of LC’s points, played well, but the Lyncs’ offense was severely limited as a unit.
Those restrictions, in large part, were due to Ava Schmidt, Eastlake’s 6-foot-2 senior bruiser in the post. Schmidt also added 14 points on the offensive end.
Bomber said his team never found its typical rhythm as a result of the Wolves’ stifling defense.
“We never could string [together] three offensive possessions in a row,” Bomber said. “It’ll be interesting to watch the film to see what opportunities maybe we missed, or things we need to look for if we play a team like that [again].”
Eastlake took an early 6-0 lead, holding LC without a bucket for nearly six minutes to start the game. Hintz drilled a 3-pointer with 2:20 remaining in the first quarter for her team’s first points.
The Wolves’ conditioning was impeccable, even after playing three games in three days. Eastlake managed to swarm whichever Lyncs player had the ball, suffocating LC’s offense the whole game while rarely needing to make substitutions.
Eastlake coach Sara Goldie said the weight room and conditioning is a point of emphasis for her team, and it allows them to play their brand of defense.
“We just want to be in the best shape in the fourth quarter against the best teams in the state, and that’s the situation we had tonight,” Goldie said. “Our conditioning put us in a position to be successful.”
Eastlake held a 12-6 advantage after one period.
An 8-1 run by LC to begin the second quarter was punctuated by a Taryn Herwerden 3-pointer, and the senior guard gave the Lyncs their only lead of the game at 14-13.
Eastlake was quick to respond, countering with its own 13-2 run that put the Lyncs down 26-16 at halftime.
Rhythm, or lack thereof, remained an issue for LC in the third quarter. The Lyncs shaved two points off the Wolves’ lead in the third but entered the fourth quarter trailing 37-29.
“We knew that we had to keep sight of [Hintz], but we also knew we had to stop their dribble penetration,” Goldie said. “That’s really what initiates their offense.”
Lyncs senior guard Demi Dykstra drained a wide-open 3-pointer with seven minutes remaining to cut Eastlake’s lead to four, giving her fans and bench reason to erupt.
Despite the injection of energy by the home crowd, Eastlake kept its cool and methodically stretched its advantage back to eight.
Hintz, trying to save the game for LC, sank a 3-pointer with 48 seconds to play to make it 48-43. The Lyncs forced a jump ball on the ensuing inbounds pass, resulting in an Eastlake timeout.
LC missed on a key 3-pointer, and Eastlake made its game-sealing free throws to give the Lyncs their first loss of the season.
“Their length and athleticism combined with how hard they play made it really hard,” Bomber said. “We had to earn every bucket.”
Dykstra finished with seven points on the night, with Hintz being the Lyncs’ only double-digit scorer. Junior forward Tabby DeJong added four.
Junior guard Sofia Aluas led Eastlake with a team-high 16 points, while junior post Krista Kostoff tallied 10.
LC dropped to 9-1 overall (4-0 Northwest Conference) on the season and will host Mount Baker (2-5, 0-4 NWC) on Jan. 4 at 7:15 p.m.
Score by quarter
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Total |
| Eastlake | 12 | 14 | 11 | 17 | 54 |
| Lynden Christian | 6 | 10 | 13 | 17 | 46 |
