YAKIMA, Wash. – Three Whatcom County teams are bringing state championship trophies home after winning it all at the Yakima SunDome Saturday.
The Nooksack Valley girls are 1A state champions after outlasting Northwest Conference rivals Lynden Christian 43-36. Junior guard Devin Coppinger had a game-high 20 points and earned the tournament’s Most Valuable Player award. It was Nooksack’s first 1A title in program history.
The Lynden Christian boys held onto the Gold Ball trophy as they repeated as 1A state champs with a 57-47 win over the King’s Knights. Junior post and tournament MVP Jeremiah Wright put up 15 points and 14 rebounds. Lane Dykstra assisted the winning effort with 11 points on 3-4 3-point shooting.
It was the second straight state title match between the Lyncs and Knights, with Lynden Christian climbing back from a 16-point deficit at halftime to edge them out last year, 61-58. It was the Lyncs eighth state championship overall.
The Lynden Lions boys continued to dominate at the state level as they won their second-consecutive 2A title 61-43 over Mark Morris. Junior Anthony Canales scored 23 on his way to a second-straight 2A tournament MVP. Senior Kobe Barr chipped in with 16 points and 10 rebounds.
It was the Lions’ fourth championship in five years and 12th in school history.
