Nooksack Valley's revenge tour season ends with WIAA Class 1A girls championship

YAKIMA – Devin Coppinger called Saturday’s Class 1A girls state championship victory over conference rival Lynden Christian “history making.”

The star junior point guard for Nooksack Valley is right.

The Pioneers (27-1) defeated the Lyncs, 43-36, giving the school its first-ever state championship, on the Yakima Valley SunDome floor.

Coppinger, who was named the tournament MVP by media and statistical staff, led the way for Nooksack with 20 points, six rebounds and four steals.

What also made it so sweet was the victory gave the Pioneers some redemption, after they lost last year’s state title game, 57-56, to Lynden Christian — who also happens to be Nooksack’s long-time Northwest Conference rival.

It was also Pioneers coach Shane Wichers’ first state title in the 27 seasons he’s been at Nooksack Valley.

“We knew we had a battle on our hands,” Wichers said. “I’m just happy it wasn’t a one-point game.”

So was Coppinger.

“There is that saying, ‘To be the champions, you have to beat the champions,’” Coppinger said.

Nooksack did it all three times they faced the Lyncs this season — once in the regular season, once in district tournament, and the state final.

“It’s hard to beat them three times,” Coppinger said. “They’re an amazing team, and we know them. We’ve played against each other since we were all in third grade.”

How does a team prepare for an opponent it has seen six times in the last two years?

“We are both so familiar with each other,” Lynden Christian coach Brady Bomber said. “This is our third time playing each other. We played three times last year. There are not a lot of secrets.”

Indeed. This title game had 10 lead changes, and it was tied 10 more times. It was like they were mirror images of each other.

That’s what it looked like in the first quarter, which ended in a 4-4 deadlock.

Defensive players seemed to know where their opponent was headed during a play.

Hands in the faces of shooters forced the ball to just miss its mark.

It was the Lyncs’ Grace Hintz who gave her team a halftime lead, at 22-20, with two consecutive baskets.

But in the second half, Coppinger started to take control. She scored four points in the third quarter, as the Pioneers outscored the Lyncs 11-7 for a 31-29 lead entering the final quarter.

“We know so much about each other. It came down to who wanted it most,” Coppinger said. “It comes down to the little things. Who gets that defensive stop. Who gets that free throw.”

That turned out to be Coppinger, who scored Nooksack Valley’s final 6 points — the last four as clutch free throws.

And the Pioneers defense did its job, too.

Demi Dykstra scored LC’s last basket, off a Hintz assist, with 2:05 remaining to cut Nooksack’s lead to 37-36. But the Lyncs couldn’t convert any shots over those final 2 minutes — going 0-for-5 from the floor and turning the ball over three times in that final stretch.

Hintz led the Lyncs with 10 points and six rebounds.

Bomber gave Nooksack its due praise.

“We have tremendous respect for Nooksack,” Bomber said. “If we couldn’t win it, I was happy for Coach Wichers. And I was proud of our girls for how hard they played.”

Coppinger pointed out how night in and night out, nothing is ever easy in the Northwest Conference.

“We know we’re one of the best conferences in the state,” she said. “Whoever you play (in our league), it’s going to be a good game no matter where you are.”

But she’s glad she and her Nooksack Valley teammates got the last win of the season.

“Winning the state title is unreal. It’s a history-making win,” she said.

Notes: Three of the four Lynden Christian’s losses this season came at the hands of Nooksack Valley. … Besides Coppinger being named tournament MVP in the unofficial poll of media members and statisticians, others name to the tournament’s first team were Hintz, KK Bass of Wapato, Deer Park’s Darian Herring, and Kaleo Anderson of King’s. … The second team consisted of Lynden Christian’s Demi Dykstra and Daisy Poag, Nooksack Valley’s Tana Hoekema, Deer Park’s Brooklyn Coe, Freeman’s Jaycee Goldsmith, and Cashmere’s Ellie Bessonette.