Daily Sitka Sentinel

Sitka Boys, MEHS Grab Wins in Round 1

By TOM HESSE
Sentinel Staff Writer
    The Sitka High Wolves basketball team raced into the 2014/15 season with a pace that put up 30 points in the first quarter of their opening round win in the Holland America Holiday Shootout Thursday at Sitka.
    They also let their opponents gallop to the tune of 20 points in that same quarter.
    Sitka topped Nikiski 68-62 in the first on-court action of the new-look roster for the year. The Wolves were aggressive in pushing the tempo early in the game. After a slow start, Trevor Dalton scored 6-straight points beginning with a transition layup where he euro-stepped around Nikiski’s Luke Johnson for a layup plus the foul shot. After completing the traditional 3-point play, Dalton stepped into a transition shot from behind the arc to spot Sitka a 10-8 lead with 4:37 to play in the first quarter.
    Tevin Bayne heated up late in the first, getting to the line on seven occasions and hitting every one of his foul shots. He finished the game 15-18 from the charity stripe with 23 points on the night.
    Nathan Castens nearly stemmed the onslaught with a 3-pointer late in the quarter but Trevan Coleman answered right back with a quick transition 3. Coleman would pull the same maneuver in the second quarter after a 3-pointer by Sam Tauriainen.
    The Wolves did struggle defensively in the first half. Nikiski scored their first bucket of the game after a player was left wide-open following a basket by Sitka’s Marjo Vidad and Nikiski was able to score 37 first-half points despite shooting 5-16 on freethrows.
    Sitka’s lead was only 6 points entering the third quarter. After a 16-point first half, Bayne didn’t score again until nearly seven minutes had elapsed in the second half. By the start of the fourth quarter, Nikiski had cut the lead to 2 points.
    The Bulldogs grabbed their first lead of the half on a 3-pointer by Tauriainen midway through the fourth that put them up 55-54. Coleman got the lead back for the Wolves on an end-to-end transition layup with 2:45 remaining.
    The Wolves put the rest of the contest away at the freethrow line, led largely by Bayne who hit 6 of 8 to close out the contest. Nikiski had the score as close as 62-60 after a layup by Hunter Holloway but were forced to foul for the last 90 seconds of the game.
    The Wolves will play Houston tonight at 5:30 p.m. The Hawks lost to Craig Thursday afternoon. Sitka will end the tournament Saturday night with a 7 p.m. game against Craig.
Mt. Edgecumbe 40, Houston 32
    Mt. Edgecumbe High picked up its second win of the season and its first win in the Holland America Holiday Shootout Thursday afternoon as the girls squad held off Houston High School for a 40-32 victory.
    The Braves, who opened the season with a 36-33 win over Nikiski Wednesday, were sharper in their 8-point win over the Hawks in the opening game of the annual tournament hosted by Sitka High.
    It took nearly four minutes for Mt. Edgecumbe players to crack the scoreboard and when they did it was thanks mostly to their defense. A Julie Amaktoolik steal got Mt. Edgecumbe going when she found Renatta Olson for a transition layup that tied the game at 2 with 4:06 left in the first quarter. Then JoAllyn Johnson scored off a steal from Payton Weisz to give Edgecumbe a 4-2 lead. Neither team got much of any rhythm going in the first quarter but with time winding down the junior Weisz connected on a 3-pointer with 7 seconds to go that put the Braves out in front by 4.
    Houston got all of its scoring in the first quarter from junior Kimberly Quincy, who scored a game-high 14 points for the contest – 4 of which came in the opening quarter.
    Heading into the second quarter, Mt. Edgecumbe scored quickly on a bucket by Kerry Ahmasuk but then hit a lull as the Hawks climbed back into the contest, eventually pulling the score to within 1 with 1:22 to play on a putback layup by Quincy. Ahmasuk would hit a free throw before the half ended, giving Mt. Edgecumbe a 2-point lead.
    A sluggish start to the third quarter for the Braves finally ended when Olson, the Braves senior point guard, tapped into the playground bag of tricks on an inbounds pass.
    With 5:40 to play in the third, Olson, inbounding on the baseline, threw the ball off an opponent’s back and caught it herself for an easy layup. The bucket was Mt. Edgecumbe’s first field goal of the second half and started a run that would swell the lead to 10 points.
    On the next offensive possession, Zhane White scored on a put-back layup and then Weisz and Johnson hit consecutive 3-pointers that put the Braves on top by double figures with 2:10 to play.
    In the fourth quarter Houston narrowed the lead to within 6 points but Weisz – who scored all her points three-at-a-time – hit a three-pointer and followed it up with a 3-point play when she was fouled on a layup. The run put the Braves on top by 12 with just over five minutes to play.
    Weisz led the team with 12 points followed by Thomas and Johnson, who each had 7 points. Olson and Ahmasuk scored 5 points each and White finished with 4. The Braves are shorthanded for this tournament without White’s sister Taryn White, who will return to the team after the winter break.
    Mt. Edgecumbe will play Nikiski again today at 3:45 p.m. The Braves’ first matchup with the Bulldogs didn’t count toward the Holland America Tournament. In their matchup with host Sitka High School the Bulldogs rallied for a 30-27 win.
    Mt. Edgecumbe and Sitka will play each other on the final night of the tournament, Saturday, with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff.
    Nikiski girls 30, Sitka 27
    A 5-point advantage wasn’t enough insurance to weather a 7-minute scoring drought for the Sitka High girls basketball team.
    After a runner in the lane by Zosha Krupa gave the Wolves a 27-22 advantage with 6:50 to play in Thursday night’s matchup against Nikiski, the Wolves lost their offensive touch as the visiting Bulldogs climbed back for a 30-27 win at Sitka High in the opening round of the Holland America Holiday Shootout.
    The entire contest was indicative of a first-week matchup. For the Wolves it was the first game of the 2014 season. Nikiski played Wednesday night against Mt. Edgecumbe. Through the first five minutes of the contest the teams were tied at 2 with Sitka’s only bucket coming off a baseline jumper by senior Sid Riggs.
    Nikiski finally took advantage with a pair of buckets by Alison Litke giving them an 8-4 lead at the end of the first quarter. The Wolves finally tied things in the second quarter when Mackenzie Campbell hit a long 2-pointer with 2:25 to go. Campbell’s bucket spurred an 8-point run that allowed Sitka to close the half up 17-11.
    In the third period Sitka found a niche offensively, working a give-and-go between their guards that drew defenders away from the post. With five minutes left in the third, Hailey Denkinger hit Riggs cutting to the basket who, with the defense collapsing around her, shuffled the pass in stride to Elle Grey for an easy basket that gave Sitka a 10-point lead.
    Nikiski’s Rachel Thompson then scored 5 unanswered points, cutting the lead in half with 2:48 left to play. Sitka didn’t score the rest of the quarter.
    Both teams had trouble finding the bottom of the net in the fourth quarter. Nikiski got within 2 points on a shot from behind the arc by Litke. Litke added a free throw later to narrow the lead to 27-26.
    Nikiski scored their last two points at the free throw line. The Wolves, who were up against the clock, were forced to foul and the Bulldogs kept the game close by hitting on only 5 of 12 free throws in the finals minutes.
    The Wolves were never able to capitalize on the other end. Riggs’ desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was blocked by Thompson to secure the win for the Bulldogs.
    Thompson led all scorers with 11 points.
    Riggs carried the load for Sitka with 8 points. Kyla Young scored 5, Tatum Bayne and Krupa had 4 points. Grey, Campbell and Denkinger each had two points.
    Sitka will play Houston tonight at 7 p.m. Houston lost Thursday to Mt. Edgecumbe.
    The Wolves will end the tournament with a game against the Braves Saturday at 5:30 p.m.