By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
The brief holiday reprieve for local basketball teams is about to end.
Only the Sitka High School boys (4-3) had games last weekend. The Wolves fell to the Service Cougars on Thursday 45-36, then defeated the Bethel Warriors 50-46 on Friday and 48-33 on Saturday.
Against Bethel on Friday, Sitka seniors Morgan Simic and Austin Morrison led the way with 11 and 10 points, respectively; junior Mason Eubanks added 9 points; senior CJ Taccad and junior Gavin Flores 8 apiece; and junior Asa Demmert 4. Bethel’s Jamin Crow had a game high 18 points for the Warriors. Sitka hit 5-8 at the charity stripe, Bethel 6-8.
Sitka senior Garrison Lass (34) scores against Craig senior Lewis House (23) during action in the Coastal Holiday Shootout earlier this season at the Sitka High School gymnasium. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
Bethel led 17-11 starting the second quarter and Sitka 24-23 at the half. Sitka managed just 6 points in the third quarter and Bethel had a 33-30 advantage starting the final eight minutes of play, before losing by 4.
On Saturday Flores led the Wolves with 13 points, Morrison and junior Liam Miller 10 apiece, Simic 6, Taccad 5, and Eubanks 4. The Warriors were led by Crow’s 15 points. Sitka hit 3-4 at the line, Bethel 10-14.
The teams were tied 13-13 after eight minutes of play. Sitka defense held Bethel to just six points in the second quarter and led 30-19 at the break. Sitka led 38-22 starting the final stanza.
In the loss to Service, all Sitka players found the score book. Simic led with 8 points, Miller 6, Morrison and Taccad 5, Flores 4, Demmert 3, Eubanks and senior Aedon Dumag 2 apiece. The Cougars were led by 14 points from William Morgan and 12 from Branden Gall. Sitka hit 13-23 at the line, Service 8-15. Service led 9-6 after eight minutes and Sitka 19-16 at the half. Service led 25-24 after the third quarter and scored 20 points in the final stanza.
According to schedules received from SHS, the Wolves and Lady Wolves play next at the Palmer Invitational Tournament Jan. 17-19. The Sitka junior varsity teams will travel to Petersburg this week for a junior varsity tournament beginning today.
Sitka’s Makenna Smith (13) defends Juneau’s Sadie Tuckwood during the Capital City Classic at JDHS. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
The Mt. Edgecumbe High teams return to action this week.
The Braves (2-1) play at Homer on Thursday and at Soldotna on Saturday. The Lady Braves play at Ketchikan on Friday and Saturday.
Both the Mt. Edgecumbe boys and girls teams will volunteer at the Mt. Edgecumbe Invitational Adult Basketball Tournament at the B.J. McGillis Gymnasium on Jan. 16-19. The tourney is the only fundraiser for the MEHS basketball teams.
Mt. Edgecumbe’s Catherine Sunny (11), from Nightmute, dribbles past Thunder Mountain’s Khaye Garcia (2) and Neal Garcia (3) during the Coastal Holiday Shootout in December. (Sentinel Photo by Klas Stolpe)
The Sitka boys’ loss to 4A Service is instrumental in that the Cougars are in the middle of the Cook Inlet Conference, which includes teams such as South, East, West, Bartlett, Chugiak, and Eagle River. Both Sitka and Mt. Edgecumbe not only play for the 3A Southeast state conference bid but if they have strong enough schedules against 2A, 3A and 4A opponents they could earn an at-large bid to state.
The Wolves’ wins over Bethel are big in that Bethel defeated 4A Kodiak. Kodiak leads the Northern Lights Conference (Colony, Wasilla, Soldotna, Palmer) with a 4-2 record. Of those two losses, one was to Mt. Edgecumbe and the Braves will get a shot at the Soldotna Stars this weekend while the Wolves will get chances against Palmer in a few weeks.
Both Mt. Edgecumbe teams will travel to the Barrow Invitational in a few weeks. That tourney features the 3A Valdez boys (7-1) who have defeated a strong 4A schedule including South, North Pole and West Valley, and 3A teams Glennallen and Barrow. Valdez’ lone loss is to 3A Anchorage Christian. The ACS Lions will also be at the Barrow Invite and are 5-1, their lone loss coming out of state.
Delta sits atop the Aurora Conference with a 3-0 mark but has not played Valdez. Delta defeated Sitka and 2A Craig at the Coastal Tournament here and will play at Barrow later in the season. Barrow lost to 4A Juneau-Douglas at the Capital City Classic last week and defeated 4A Lathrop. JDHS sits at the bottom of the three-team Southeast conference behind Ketchikan and Thunder Mountain. TMHS has defeated Sitka and 4A Lathrop. Ketchikan has defeated 4A Wasilla, 2A’s Petersburg and Metlakatla, and won their own tourney against out-of-state visitors.
With just four weeks elapsed in the high school basketball season, the parity of teams shows that any game can be of importance.
