The neutralization of its all-time leading scorer and major defensive rebounding issues left Zillah searching for answers in Saturday night鈥檚 1A boys championship game.
A recent trend of poor outside shooting until a too-little-too-late outburst of four threes in the fourth quarter continued to plague the unbeaten No. 1 Leopards against No. 2 Lynden Christian, a rare team with the length and athleticism to stop Zillah from driving to the rim. Second-chance points and seven threes buried the Leopards while they scored a season-low in a 61-42 loss, just the second time they failed to reach 60 points.
Budda Aranda, who tallied a team-high 17 points, tied the game at seven before Lynden Christian took the lead for good with an 11-2 run. Mengarelli said a combination of strength and physicality enabled the Lyncs to grab 24 offensive rebounds and more than double up Zillah on the boards, 50-24.
鈥淭hey were big and strong and they were very physical on the glass,鈥 Menagarelli said. 鈥淓ven when we were trying to block out, we got shoved around I just told the guys we鈥檝e got to learn to get to the weight room.鈥
Mengarelli said Lynden Christian鈥檚 offensive rebounding led to a domino effect, forcing Zillah to take more chances and rush shots at the other end while facing a sizeable deficit most of the night. The Leopards committed 18 turnovers and made less than 33% of their field goal attempts.
A box-and-one defense on Dekker Van De Graaf combined with an ankle Mengarelli said the standout senior tweaked during the pregame shootaround limited him to four points on just eight field goal attempts. Van De Graaf carried the Leopards鈥 offense in Friday鈥檚 semifinal, posting a double-double with 34 points and 12 rebounds.
Mengarelli and Aranda both said officials allowed a more physical game than anything they鈥檝e seen this season, and the Lyncs took full advantage. Along with their dominance on the boards, Aranda said he felt a lot of contact anytime he drove into the lane, disrupting Zillah鈥檚 most effective offense during its first two games at the SunDome.
Zillah鈥檚 Budda Aranda, right, and Lynden Christian鈥檚 Gunner Dykstra battle for a loose ball in the 1A boys state basketball tournament championship game Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the 黑料福利社 SunDome in Yakima, Wash.
He stepped outside to knock down three fourth-quarter 3-pointers to cut the deficit to 13, but Lynden Christian responded with two quick layups. It鈥檚 certainly not the first time a team鈥檚 tried to contain Van De Graaf with a box-and-one, and Aranda said the Leopards should have responded better despite Van De Graaf鈥檚 decreased mobility and athleticism.
Jayden Saenz knocked down a pair of threes on his way to 10 points but Zillah hit just 2-of-11 shots from beyond the arc in the first half. Mengarelli said Lynden Christian, led by 18 points from tournament MVP Dawson Hintz and 15 from Gunner Dykstra, brought a different mentality and simply outplayed a Leopards team looking for its second championship in three years.
Zillah finished its season 26-1 and Mengarelli once again praised his team for the strong bonds it showed in the locker room and on the court. Aranda, a Wapato transfer, said he created many fond memories with friends and teammates.
Zillah鈥檚 Xavier Castilleja goes for a layup against Lynden Christian in the 1A boys state basketball tournament championship game Saturday, March 7, 2026, at the 黑料福利社 SunDome in Yakima, Wash.
鈥淚鈥檒l look back at it as just playing with my brothers one more time,鈥 Aranda said. 鈥淚鈥檝e always known them my whole life, so they鈥檒l always be my brothers.鈥
The junior will be one of two returning starters, along with point guard Xavier Castilleja, from a team featuring five seniors. Zillah鈥檚 won a trophy 13 of the last 15 tournaments and reached seven title games, winning four of them.
LYNDEN CHRISTIAN 鈥 Dawson Hintz 18, Gunner Dykstra 15, Boyce Robertson 13, Kaden Veldman 10, Maberry 5, Howell 0, Kamphouse 0, Ridnour 0, VanKooten 0, Kooiman 0, Herwerden 0, Voc 0. 23-61 8-11 61.
ZILLAH 鈥 Budda Aranda 17, Jayden Saenz 10, Jones 6, Van De Graaf 4, Castilleja 3, Reed 0, Curfman 0, Calzada 0, Groeneweg 0, McCullough 0, Maras 0, Matlack 0. 16-49 4-6 42.
Lynden Christian 18 14 11 18 鈥 61
Zillah 9 10 9 14 鈥 42
3-point goals: Lynden Christian 7-27 (Veldman 2-2, Dykstra 2-9, Maberry 1-1, Maberry 1-5, Hintz 1-8), Zillah 6-24 (Aranda 3-6, Saenz 2-5, Jones 1-4). Rebounds: Lynden Christian 50 (Veldman 11), Zillah 24 (Jones 5). Steals: Lynden Christian 8, Zillah 8. Turnovers: Lynden Christian 17, Zillah 18. Fouls: Lynden Christian 14, Zillah 12. Fouled out 鈥 None.
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