Boys Basketball / Northwest AA District -- Jackson Can't Keep Early Lead -- Bellingham Cruises To State Tournament

MARYSVILLE - Luke James had just made a three-pointer, capping nine consecutive points for the Bellingham High School boys basketball team.

And, as the senior center signaled to Red Raider fans to "raise the roof," Jackson's lead and hopes for victory caved in.

The Timberwolves squandered a one-point halftime lead as Bellingham cruised to a 66-53 Northwest AA District tournament victory at Marysville-Pilchuck High School last night.

Bellingham (17-5) clinched a berth in the Class AA state tournament at the Tacoma Dome March 12-15. The Red Raiders will play Lynden next Saturday for the district championship.

Fourth-ranked Jackson (16-6) will play Lake Stevens at 8 p.m. Thursday at Marysville-Pilchuck in a loser-out game. The Timberwolves need two victories to claim their first state-tournament berth.

The Raiders, the No. 2 representative from the Northwest League, got a 21-5 run in a decisive third quarter, then sealed the victory with accurate foul shots in the fourth.

"We made it a tough loss because we sabotaged ourselves," Jackson Coach Greg Garrison said. "We came out and gave them three easy baskets (in the third quarter), and we didn't get the shots."

Trailing 30-29 at halftime, the Raiders used a 14-2 run in the final six minutes of the third quarter for a 50-35 lead. James led Bellingham with seven points. Seniors Charlie Van and Nick McMurry each had six.

Jackson, the Western AA Conference champion, shot almost 52 percent from the field in the first half. But the Timberwolves had six turnovers, made only two of 13 shots and scored five points in the third quarter.

"We panicked, and our inexperience showed," Garrison said. "I thought we had pretty good shots but none of them went in. It was ugly."

Garrison was disappointed that the Timberwolves squandered a six-point lead in the second quarter with four turnovers in five possessions.

Senior Zach Miller was the lone standout for Jackson, scoring a game-high 21 points, including three three-pointers. The flashy, 5-foot-9 point guard scored 10 points in the fourth quarter as the Timberwolves outscored the Raiders 18-16.

But Jackson made only two of its last nine shots, and Bellingham made seven of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter to hold on. Van finished with 16 points, Jack DeWaard 14 and McMurry and James each 12.

Lynden 58, Burlington-Edison 34

Lynden (21-2) dominated rebounding, used stifling defense and a quick transition offense to score 22 fourth-quarter points to seal a victory and a state-tournament berth. Junior guard Treven Vander Ploeg scored 19 points for the Lions.

Lynden and Bellingham, which have qualified for state, will play next Saturday for state-tournament seedings and the district title. Burlington-Edison (12-10) will play Monroe at 6:30 p.m. Thursday at Marysville-Pilchuck High School in a loser-out game.

Lynden's Adam Enfield scored 16 points and had seven rebounds. Drew Dahlstedt led the Tigers with 15 points.