NWC Team Previews – 2A – Lynden Lions

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Here I will be starting the team previews for each team 2A team in the Northwest Conference now that I finished 1A. Not every team will have their own article, as I will be combining those teams in which I don't have much information on. I will be dividing this up by class, then by team within the NWC. The first 2A team up is the Lynden Lions.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions has an amazing season last year, taking home the 2A state title and only losing 2 games along the way, going 21-1. They managed to hand the 1A state champions, Lynden Christian, their sole loss on the year. They easily won the district tournament. They defeated Squalicum 64-50 in round 1 of the district tournament. In the semi-final round, they took care of Lakewood 57-41. In the district championship game against Sehome, they dominated winning by a wide margin, 76-49. They were able to earn a bye during round 1 of the state tournament, being the number 2 overall seed. In the 2nd round of the state tournament, they defeated Sehome once again, this time being 72-60. In the 1A state semi-final game, the Lions faced off against RA Long HS and had arguably the toughest test for them all season long. They escaped with a 46-44 win, barely sneaking by the Lumberjacks. In the 2A state tournament game, they faced Pullman HS and played very well. They won the state championship game in dominant fashion, 51-34. </p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Graduated: </strong>Kaleo Jandoc, Jordan Medcalf, Max Moore, Dawson Adams</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Returning:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1417278' first='Coston' last='Parcher'] ('23), [player_tooltip player_id='1450490' first='Anthony' last='Canales'] ('24), Trey Smiley ('23), Brant Heppner ('25), [player_tooltip player_id='1439242' first='Kobe' last='Baar'] ('23), Lane Simonsen ('24)</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p><strong>Breakout Player: </strong>[player_tooltip player_id='1417278' first='Coston' last='Parcher'] <strong>Other Breakout Players:</strong> [player_tooltip player_id='1450490' first='Anthony' last='Canales'], Brant Heppner</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p></p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:acf/evaluation-block {"id":"block_635d8fa4121eb","name":"acf/evaluation-block","data":{"player_evaluations_0_player":["1450490"],"_player_evaluations_0_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_0_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_0_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"Anthony is ranked as a top 5 player in the state of Washington for good reasons. He plays very laid back, but you can tell he has the passion for the game. He creates his shot well, especially his mid-range shots. He played a huge role on the 2A state champions team last year, being named the 2A state tournament MVP. He has the chance to win the NWC MVP in my eyes. His game is still growing, which shows how much potential Canales has.","_player_evaluations_0_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_1_player":["1417278"],"_player_evaluations_1_player":"field_62ab9d62ecf2c","player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"","_player_evaluations_1_override_profile_image":"override-player-profile-image","player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"","_player_evaluations_1_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"Parcher was included in one of my recent articles about the best facilitators in Whatcom and Skagit Counties. He finds his teammates well and is a fantastic team player. He also has the capability to take over a game with his scoring. I watched him over the summer take over a game and score 8-10 straight points for his team when they needed. He as able to get to the spots he wanted, mostly at the elbow for a nice pull-up jumper.","_player_evaluations_1_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":["not_in_db"],"_player_evaluations_2_not_in_database":"field_62aba48cecf2d","player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_selected_featured_image":"field_62cca28ffa4e7","player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"Brant Heppner","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_player_name":"field_62aba4c9ecf2f","player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"2025","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_graduating_class":"field_62aba4ddecf30","player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"6'6u0022","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_height":"field_62aba4e8ecf31","player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"77245","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_position":"field_62aba4f0ecf32","player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"Lynden HS","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_school":"field_62aba4fdecf33","player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details_club_team":"field_62d20e723441a","player_evaluations_2_player_details":"","_player_evaluations_2_player_details":"field_62aba4afecf2e","player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"Brant has been making some noice on the football field, having some breakout games at the quarterback position while splitting time with senior Kaeden Hermanutz. Heppner has a big frame, being able to dominant down low. He didn't have much playing time last year as a freshman, but that should change as a sophomore. He's going to be on a lot of peoples radars after he displays his talents more on the court.","_player_evaluations_2_evaluation":"field_62aba51aecf34","player_evaluations":3,"_player_evaluations":"field_62aba7547dc44"},"align":"","mode":"preview"} /--> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Lions have a good amount of returning players, including 2 key starters and leaders in Parcher and Canales. They should again compete for the 2A state title, as most of their retuning players have that post season experience that will help them late in the season. Canales was the 2A state tournament MVP and could very much content for the NWC MVP, maybe even taking the honor home. I personally think Parcher has all the capability to contending for the NWC MVP as well. They are going to be a fun team to watch this season, will they be able to go back to back?</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->