Lynden Christian hangs on over city rival Lynden in battle of state contenders

Lyncs spoil Lions' chance at Northwest Conference title behind Dawson Bouma's 16 points

LYNDEN, Wash. – A more perfect script could not have been written for the boys wearing blue and white Saturday night in Lynden in the annual showdown between Lynden and Lynden Christian.

Bragging rights within the city of Lynden went back to the Lyncs following a 55-52 win in the Lions' gym.

Lynden Christian stormed out of the gate and raced out to an early 13-4 lead catalyzed by junior guard Dawson Bouma who scored eight of the Lyncs' first 13 points.

Bouma finished the first quarter with 11 points and Lynden Christian held a 20-8 advantage.

"He was really huge for us and Dawson is a great player," Lynden Christian coach Tim Zylstra said. "He works his tail off in practice and I'm happy for him that he was able to show that on a big night – that he's capable of doing that."

Bouma quieted down a bit after the first quarter, but the Lyncs had done plenty of damage and went into the break with a 32-23 lead.

Despite the big deficit, Lynden battled back in the second half, cutting into the Lyncs' lead and trimming it to just four after three quarters – thanks to the play of senior forward Kobe Baar.

With standout guard Anthony Canales having a slow night on offense through that point, Baar stepped up, scoring 10 of the Lions' 15 points in the third to keep Lynden in the game.

Both the Lions and Lyncs' focal points on offense struggled with Canales and Lynden Christian senior guard Tyler Sipma not able to find a rhythm until the fourth quarter.

Sipma finished with 12 points, but none were more critical than his five in the fourth quarter with the game on the line.

"I think at the end of the game my competitive nature took over and I was doing anything I could to get a bucket when we needed one," Sipma said. "My mind let me do that and I came through and I'm glad my teammates trusted me after I had a little bit of a rough shooting night."

After the Lions took a 51-50 lead with two minutes remaining, Sipma scored five consecutive points for the Lyncs, draining a deep 3-pointer with the shot clock winding down to put them back out in front and then a runner with 30 seconds left for a 55-52 lead.

"Tyler controls tempo, so I can usually put him in ball screens and get him loose," Zylstra said. "Tonight, he made good decisions and hit some shots when we needed it. That one at the end of the shot clock – that's Tyler. That's when he's his best. He improvises and hit a big three for us there that put us back in the lead."

Lynden's final attempt at a game-tying 3-pointer at the buzzer fell short.

Bouma and Sipma led the way for the Lyncs with 16 and 12 points, respectively. Junior forward Jeremiah Wright also scored in double-figures with 10.

"We dug ourselves too big of a hole. We've got to get our motor running faster," Lynden coach Brian Roper said. "I'm proud of our guys for coming back. At the end of the day, I tip my hat to Sipma. He had not shot well through that point and he hit two big shots – one up against the shot clock – that gave them the lead."

Roper said they came out too stagnant on offense and you can't afford to give Lynden Christian that big of a lead to start the game.

"You can't spot a good team like Lynden Christian [a 20-4 lead] and expect things to happen," he said.

Canales led all scorers with 20 points while Baar had 13. Senior guard Coston Parcher added 11 for the Lions.

(Featured photo by Nathan Schumock/Lynden Tribune)