Lynden’s Battle for the Top Continues After Another Win

By Makayla Sparks

FERNDALE – A three-way tie at the top of the Northwest Conference 2A bracket has Lynden aiming to stay on top as the season winds down. The Anacortes Seahawks and Sehome Mariners are both tied with the Lions in the number one spot in 2A, each with only one loss to each other, but it was the Ferndale Golden Eagles that posed Lynden’s next challenge on Tuesday night. The Lions got the job down and they did it well, taking home a 69-32 win.

Ferndale had time to get excited early in the first quarter as they won the tip-off and scored the game’s first four points. But Lynden was just getting its engine going. The Lions quickly took a 7-6 lead and the momentum with 3:42 left in the first quarter. The Lions then scored 10 unanswered points, finishing the quarter with a 17-6 lead.

The second quarter saw Lynden’s best offense of the night. The Lions’ quick passing forced the Golden Eagles into challenging situations as Lynden piled 21 more points onto its total. The Lions led 38-16 going into the half.

Fouls made for a rough third quarter as both teams combined for 18 points. The quarter ended with a highlight reel-worthy three-pointer as Lynden sophomore forward Brant Heppner got the shot off seconds before the buzzer, giving the Lions an over thirty-point lead. The third was completed with Lynden up 52-20.

Both Lynden and Ferndale began rotating in more players from their benches as the game went into the fourth quarter. Lion junior Weston VanDalen created a show for spectators in attendance as he scored eight points in the final quarter alone. Ferndale finally started to find some light on offense as they put up 12 points. The Golden Eagles took the last shot as the game clock ran down and the Lions officially claimed their 17th win of the season.

Ferndale struggled with fouls all game long but Lynden not giving up any points from behind the three-point arc didn’t help either. Golden Eagle freshman forward Mantaj Singh led his team with eight points and was closely followed by senior forward Damien Toney and sophomore guard Lincoln Thomas each scoring six points.

Lynden’s top scorer was junior guard Anthony Canales who put up 17 points on the night. Heppner added 14 points of his own to the total with VanDalen and senior point guard Coston “Bubba” Parcher both contributing another eight points each.

Ferndale’s next game will be played on Thursday, February 2nd, at Blaine high school against the Borderites. Lynden’s next game will be played Saturday, February 4th, on the road against the Lynden Christian Lyncs.