Lynden Christian senior basketball duo has connection that traces back to elementary school
The Lynden Christian boys basketball team's dominance in Class 1A doesn't appear to be on hold anytime soon.
With the state tournament now here, the Lyncs are 22-2 and the tournament's No. 2 seed. Their notable wins include victories over Class 1A power King's along with Class 3A schools Mount Vernon and Mountlake Terrace.
A number of players have stepped up for Lynden Christian this season to fill the holes left by the 2023 graduating class.
Senior Dawson Bouma and junior Gannon Dykstra have capably filled in at the guard position, but the Lyncs also have a couple of not-so-secret weapons down low in seniors Kayden Stuit and Jeremiah Wright.
Photo by Hailey Palmer
Wright is coming off a tremendous junior year where he helped guide the Lyncs to back-to-back 1A titles and was named tournament most valuable player, while Stuit is making a return to the court after sitting out his junior year.
"I was planning on it because it's good to be a multi-sport athlete," Stuit said. "Coming back to play with my guys and my team was a pretty easy decision."
Stuit and Wright have been playing basketball with each other since elementary school, so getting Stuit back on the court for their senior year has been a welcomed sight.
Having Stuit back has given the Lyncs a boost in a spot where they already had a bit of an advantage in Wright. The combination of the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Stuit and Wright at 6-5 and 220 pounds has given opposing teams fits this season trying to find a way to match up with them.
"Either I'll be getting a rebound or he's getting the rebound. It pretty much creates mismatches for every team," Wright said. "Not a lot of teams have two guys that are 6-5, so, usually, one of us is going to be open down there. It's fun creating mismatches against teams together."
Photo by Sean Carter
Stuit said it's been fun playing in tandem with Wright, but a lot of practice happens behind the scenes for the two to be as seamless with each other as they are.
"It's definitely a task getting rebounds and it's not without hard work," Stuit said. "We complement each other pretty well passing the basketball underneath the hoop to each other, and then dishing out to our guards and getting them open."
With just four days left in the season, the Lyncs will be looking for their third-consecutive WIAA championship in Yakima.
"It would be awesome," Stuit said of another championship. "I was part of the team my sophomore year, but I didn't really play. Having a bigger role is definitely different."
Wright said a three-peat for the Lyncs would be a big milestone.
"We'd put ourselves next to a small group and it'd be pretty cool to tell your kids one day that you won three in a row," Wright said. "It would just show that a small town can still do a lot of big things."
Photo courtesy of Jeremiah Wright
