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LC senior Demi Dykstra blows by two Freeman defenders for a layup. Dykstra was tied for leading scorer on the Lyncs with 13 points. (Nathan Schumock/Lynden Tribune)
LC Sophomore Grace Hintz working a defender for a basket. Hintz broke the Lyncs single season scoring record in their win over Freeman to advance to the semifinals on March 2. (Nathan Schumock/Lynden Tribune)
YAKIMA — The Lynden Christian girls basketball team played the nail biter of the night in their 46-44 overtime victory over Freeman on Saturday, March 2.
The Lyncs were one free throw away from being eliminated from championship contention. LC controlled the game throughout three and a half quarters, but midway through the fourth quarter, they started to falter.
LC was leading 31-27 heading into the final quarter of play and seemed to have a solid grasp of the game. That was until Freeman started to go on a late run. Midway through the fourth quarter Freeman hit a three-pointer and jumped ahead by six points.
LC senior Demi Dykstra blows by two Freeman defenders for a layup. Dykstra was tied for leading scorer on the Lyncs with 13 points. (Nathan Schumock/Lynden Tribune)
The Lyncs did not back down and battled back after big buckets by seniors Demi Dykstra and Reganne Arnold.
The Lyncs were down two points and Arnold hit a layup to tie the game at 40-40 with 35 seconds remaining. Following the equalizing basket, the game got out of hand. LC had possession with about five seconds left and ran a fast break through sophomore Grace Hintz. She missed the layup, Freeman rebounded and then LC fouled a Freeman player.
Freeman was in the bonus, so they received free throws but missed both. The game stayed knotted at 40-40 and went into overtime. Each team struggled to score in overtime, but Hintz showed up when it mattered. She caught the ball as she drove to the hoop and layed the ball in for the game-winning shot.
LC head coach Brady Bomber said he is proud of how his players persevered through all the adversity they faced in the game.
“Our girls have really pursued trying to use adversity to strengthen them this year,” Bomber said. “Whether it is in practice, whether it is how a game goes, how a play goes. I thought tonight was a great picture for us where we were able to do that.”
LC Sophomore Grace Hintz working a defender for a basket. Hintz broke the Lyncs single season scoring record in their win over Freeman to advance to the semifinals on March 2. (Nathan Schumock/Lynden Tribune)
Collectively, it was a rough shooting game for both sides. The two teams shot a combined 34-103 from the field. LC senior Demi Dykstra was the most efficient shooter for the Lyncs with 13 points on 6-10 shooting.
Hintz also had 13 points on 6-21 shooting. Hintz made LC history in the game. Her 13 points gave her the single-season scoring record for the Lyncs. She has 550 points through 27 games to surpass Jasmine Hommes's 542 points in 2011. It is a very impressive achievement for Hintz and she will probably pass her own record in the next couple of years.
With the win, LC advances to the 1A state semifinals for the second straight year. Last year they defeated Nooksack Valley in the championship game and they could potentially meet again.
