Revenge: Nooksack Valley takes down LC in rematch

Continued from B1 roughout the regular season and postseason, Nooksack Valley was the most dangerous 1A girl's team in the state. ey nished the year with a 27-1 record and that one loss came to one of the best 4A girls in the state.

Even though the Lyncs did not win the gold this year, they powered through an adversarial state tournament and always played like it would be the last time they picked up a basketball.

LC head coach Brady Bomber said he is incredibly proud of his girls and how they progressed through the year.

“I thought our girls stuck together through some really challenging games this year,” Bomber said.

LC will have their rstplace state trophies from years prior to look back on and second place is still an impressive feat in a talented slate of teams. But this year, it was Nooksack Valleys' turn to bring home the hardware.

Head coach Shane Wichers said they played great defense at the end of the game and they knew this game was going to be a battle.

“ e kids did an incredible job. I thought we got some critical stops and big rebounds,” Wichers said.

Coppinger played like she has been all year. She led the game with 20 points and added six rebounds and a game-high four steals. She was named the Most Valuable Player of the 1A girl's state tournament.

Junior Tana Hoekema was another spotlight player. She had six points and a game-high 10 rebounds. Hoekema was named to the all-tournament second team for the 1A girls.

Nooksack Valley senior Taylor Lentz had one of her best state tournament games in the championship. She was second on the team with eight points and added three rebounds, one steal and one block. She hit some big shots down the stretch to help Nooksack Valley get the edge on LC. e state championship game was a dog ght. In the rst half, Nooksack Valley and LC traded the lead seven times.

On the Lyncs' side of the ball, sophomore Grace Hintz stood out. Hintz had a team-high 10 points while adding six rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block.

Hintz had a solid showing at state and was named to the All-Tournament rst team.

LC senior Daisy Poag also had a fantastic showing. Her consistent threepoint shooting helped LC get to the state championship game.

Against Nooksack Valley, Poag had nine points, all from beyond the arc. Poag was named to the AllTournament second team.

Senior Demi Dykstra was also named to the All-Tournament second team.

By the end of the rst quarter, LC and Nooksack Valley were knotted at 4-4. It was a combination of strong defense and a lot of shots rolling in and around the hoop. e o ense did not kick into gear until the second quarter. LC went into halftime with a 22-20 lead after six points by Poag. Nooksack Valley junior Lainey Kimball also had six points in the second quarter. Neither team could nd the edge, but LC looked good head- ing into the break.

Each side continued to pass the lead back and forth in the third quarter and into the fourth. About midway through the fourth quarter, Hintz hit a huge three-pointer to give the Lyncs a 34-33 lead. Following that bucket, the Lyncs struggled to produce offense and it allowed Nooksack Valley to pull ahead.

Coppinger and Lentz scored back-to-back buckets to give Nooksack Valley a 37-34 lead with two minutes left. ere was not enough time for the Lyncs to claw back in and Nooksack Valley hit big free throws in the last minute to seal the deal on their championship victory.

Nooksack Valley held on for their very rst championship title in a thrilling conclusion to their historymaking season. “ ese girls have worked so hard and I am so proud of them,” Wichers said. “ is is a memory that we are never ever going to forget.”

Lynden Christian put up a valiant ght against a seemingly unstoppable team. ough there was heartbreak and tears, Bomber said, “ is group was humble, this group worked hard, this group sacri ced.”

“It never gets any easier to win the last one, but the way our girls went about it, I can leave here proud of what they did,” Bomber said.