YAKIMA — The second day of the 1A/2A state boys and girls basketball tournaments Thursday, March 6, were full of surprising outcomes, including three-time defending state champion Lynden boys getting upset in the 2A state quarterfinals.
Lynden Christian girls, the top-seeded 1A team, and the defending state champions Lynden girls, the top-seeded 2A team, each advanced to the semifinals. Meridian boys were felled by No. 1 Annie Wright, but are still alive.
Lynden Christian boys
No. 3 Lynden Christian boys capped off Thursday night with a dominating 69-44 victory against No. 5 King’s in the 1A quarterfinals.
The Lyncs could not have asked for a better start in the first quarter, taking a 21-5 lead after the first eight minutes. Luke VanKooten shined in the first quarter with a pair of 3-pointers near the top of the key.
King’s crept back into the game with a 12-3 run in the second quarter. But Lynden Christian finished strong with Kaden Veldman’s 11 first-half points to give the Lyncs a 34-18 lead at halftime.
The Lyncs had a dominant third quarter, outscoring the Knights 21-10, including a handful of baskets from Gunnar Dykstra, who finished with a team-high 18 points. The Lyncs cruised in the fourth quarter for the win.
Lynden Christian will play the winner of No. 9 Chelan and No. 2 Royal in the semifinals at 9 p.m. on March 7.
Lynden girls
The defending 2A state champion Lynden girls had no trouble blowing past No. 7 Columbia River, 59-20.
The Lions dominated the first half with a 30-10 lead. Lynden was shooting nearly 54% from the field in the first half, headlined by Finley Parcher’s 16 points and Payton Mills’ nine.
Parcher finished with 22 and Mills had 15. The Rapids were only able to take 10 shots the entire first half and connected on three of them.
In the second half, Lynden extended its hot streak by reeling off a blistering 24-3 run. The Lions led by as much as 39 points but slowed down in the fourth quarter and secured the win.
Lynden will face No. 6 Prosser in the semifinals at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, March 7. Prosser beat No. 5 Archbishop Murphy 68-49 in its quarterfinal match.
Meridian boys
No. 7 Meridian boys couldn’t keep up with a high-powered and top-seeded Annie Wright squad in the 1A quarterfinals, losing 53-22.
It was a slow start for both teams in the first quarter. After an opening 3-pointer from Annie Wright, neither team could score for the next few minutes. The Gators started the game on an 8-0 run until Meridian senior Jaeger Fyfe was fouled and nailed both free throws with three minutes left in the quarter.
Talon Jenkins and Trey Alexander made a combined three free throws to end the first quarter with a 15-5 Gators lead. Besides a Jenkins’ jump shot and James Hedahl’s layup, the Trojans scored the rest of their first half points from the free throw line, trailing 33-10. Hedahl led with five points.
Both defenses continued to dominate the third quarter as Annie Wright only scored seven points to take a 40-14 lead. Meridian fared a little better in fourth quarter, scoring eight points, including a couple baskets from the reserves. But Annie Wright’s pressure and athleticism were too much to overcome.
Meridian will play in a loser-out game against No. 6 Seton Catholic at 12:15 p.m. on March 7. Seton Catholic lost 61-59 to No. 4 Zillah in its quarterfinal matchup.
Lynden boys
Top-seeded Lynden’s run to a fourth straight title was cut short after losing to No. 10 Prosser, 60-54, in the quarterfinals. The Lions opened the game with a 20-18 lead after the first quarter. By halftime, the Lions held a slim 31-30 lead.
Lynden was shooting over 42% from the field and 55% from the 3-point line in the first half, but went cold in the second half.
Lynden scored only five points in the third quarter and tried to respond in the fourth but could not climb back. On the other hand, Prosser scored 19 points in the third quarter, led by Koby McClue with 22 points in the game.
Lynden went 0-for-15 from the 3-point line in the second half and 7-of-28 from the field. Brant Heppner led with a game-high 28 points and 11 rebounds. Lynden will face a loser-out game against Columbia River at 9 a.m. on March 7 in the consolation bracket.
Lynden Christian girls
The top-seeded Lynden Christian girls advance to the 1A semifinals after defeating No. 7 Cashmere 45-32.
Cashmere struggled to find a rhythm in the first half, going 3-for-19 from the field and 0-for-8 from behind the arc. On the other hand, the Lyncs went 12-for-28 from the field and held a 29-9 lead at halftime.
Cashmere opened the third quarter by outscoring the Lyncs 10-6 to slim the lead. Lynden Christian held strong to secure the victory. Allison Shumate led with 15 points and nine rebounds.
The Lyncs will play No. 4 King’s in the semifinals at 3:45 p.m. on March 7.
Nick Zeller-Singh is CDN's sports reporter; reach him at nickzellersingh@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 104.
