HS Basketball News
The state basketball tournament tips off tonight.
First up, the top-seeded Lynden girls begin their path to winning a third-straight state title by hosting 8th-seeded Selah at 6:00.
Farther south, the 16th-seeded Nooksack Valley boys are on the road against 9th-seeded Fort Vancouver in a loser-out game with another 6:00 tipoff from Camas High School.
After that, the 9th-seeded Lynden boys are hosting 16th-seeded Franklin Pierce in another loser-out match. Coverage begins at 7:45 and tipoff is at 8:00 on KGMI with Randy Farmer and Jason Upton on the call.
Meanwhile, the 8th-seeded Lummi Nation girls are facing a tough test against top-seeded Neah Bay, they tip off at 8:00 from the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma.
Coming up tomorrow, the Lummi boys start off the action as they begin their road to repeat as 1B champions. The top-seeded Blackhawks are hosting 8th-seeded Wahkiakum at Lynden High School at noon.
After that, the 9th-seeded Nooksack girls take the court against 16th-seeded King’s Way Christian in a loser-out game. Tipoff is at 2:00 on KGMI with Rick Todd and Jason Upton on the call from Lynden High School.
The 2nd-seeded Lynden Christian boys follow when they host 7th-seeded Chelan at 4:00. And the 3rd-seeded LC girls cap off the night by hosting 6th-seeded Bellevue Christian, who are the defending 1A state champs.
The Lyncs girls tipoff at 6:00, both those LC games will also be played at Lynden High School.
Winners of the loser-out games will move on to play in the Round of 12 in Yakima on Wednesday, along with the losers of the other games. The winners of the non-loser out games will book a ticket to the tournament quarterfinals.
WWU Vikings News
The Western men’s basketball team got a huge win last night to keep their postseason hopes alive.
The Viks beat Central 103-92 to earn their first away game win of the season and stay in contention for the GNAC Championships.
Western trailed by six points going into the second half, but opened with a 13-2 run to spark the win. Senior forward Garrett Levesque led the way with a career-high 28 points.
The Viks now sit a single game behind the final spot in the six-team conference tournament. They’ll need a win against Northwest Nazarene on the road tomorrow if they want a chance to extend their season.
That game tips off at 6:00 tomorrow from Nampa, Idaho.
Meanwhile, the Western women thumped Seattle Pacific 72-43 last night at Carver Gym to win their seventh straight game. Senior forward Olivia Hodges led the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds to help the Viks pull into a tie with Central for first place in the GNAC standings.
Hodges will be honored along with Aspen Garrison and Anna VanderYacht tomorrow during the team’s Senior Night in their regular season home finale against Montana State Billings. Tipoff is at 5 pm from Carver Gym.
The game will also feature a special halftime ceremony to induct several new members into the WWU Athletics Hall of Fame.
Kraken News
It’s been a rough return to the ice for the Kraken.
Seattle fell to the St. Louis Blue 5-1 yesterday in their second straight loss coming off the break for the Olympics. They’ve been outscored 9-2 and are clinging onto a narrow lead for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.
Several hours after last night’s defeat, Seattle lost Tye Kartye to the New York Rangers. The Kraken put the 24-year-old forward on waivers yesterday and the Rangers snatched him up. He had three goals and five assists in 40 games with Seattle this season.
The Kraken now return home for an extended six-game stint at Climate Pledge. It starts tomorrow against the Vancouver Canucks, with coverage beginning at 6:30 and puck drop at 7 on KPUG.
Mariners News
The Mariners are back tonight as they wade deeper into Cactus League play.
They’re facing the Arizona Diamondbacks in a reunion for former D-Back Josh Naylor, who recently signed a 5-year contract to stay in Seattle after getting traded from Arizona at last season’s trade deadline.
The M’s offense will look to keep up its production after putting up 26 runs in their last three games. Luis Castillo will also be making his spring training debut on the mound.
Coverage begins at 5:00 and first pitch is at 5:10 on KPUG.
