By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
Trailing by 2 points with 4.8 seconds remaining and their top two offensive players fouled out, the Mt. Edgecumbe High girls basketball team saw their hope to win the Region V 3A girls championship fading slowly like the long line of cars leaving the B.J. McGillis parking lot each tourney night.
But from the village lineage of Emmonak, senior forward Faith Kameroff, generally a smooth shooter from inside the key, set her feet behind the arch and lofted a perfect jumper to the rim, arriving at the same time the buzzer welcomed its three-point total and the Lady Braves defeated the Sitka Lady Wolves 49-48 for the lone berth to the state championships in Anchorage, March 21-23.
“A lot of emotions,” Kameroff said. “I feel happy inside but I feel sad.”
Kameroff had dedicated her senior year to her uncle Dennis Westlock, who passed this summer.
“The shot was for him,” she said.
The shot clinched the best-of-three tourney series 2-0. MEHS won on Thursday 40-39.
The Mt. Edgecumbe Lady Braves celebrate the last second three-point shot by senior Faith Kameroff for their 49-48 Region V 3A Girls Championship game win over the Sitka Lady Wolves Friday in the B.J. McGillis Gymnasium. (Sitka Sentinel Photos by Klas Stolpe)
Friday’s game saw Mt. Edgecumbe take a 4-0 lead out of the gate as Sanora Bell (Yakutat) and Ashlyn Strom (Ft. Yukon) scored but Sitka rattled off eight consecutive points as senior Abby Forrester hit a free throw, a 3-point shot, and classmate Joei Vidad hit back-to-back buckets for an 8-4 advantage.
The Lady Wolves would keep the lead until the fourth quarter. The Lady Braves closed to within a basket or two on multiple occasions only to have the scores answered.
MEHS senior Catherine Sunny (Nightmute) picked up her second foul at the end of the first quarter, sending Forrester to the line and she hit two for a 14-11 Sitka lead.
Vidad stole the first play of the second quarter for a 16-11 Sitka advantage and junior Maggie Miller (Nome) answered for MEHS.
The Lady Braves Kameroff fouled Forrester who hit two, then Kameroff answered with her own shot.
Sitka was the benefactor of two straight fouls and Forrester sank two freebies and freshman Tawny Smith two with MEHS senior Brystel Charlie picking up her second foul and sophomore Autumn Beans (St. Mary’s) her first and the team’s eighth.
MEHS’ Bell scored inside and junior Verna Ramoth (Ambler) hit a rebound shot.
The back and forth would continue with Vidad scoring on a layup for Sitka and Bell hitting two back-to-back buckets, the second also earning a trip to the free throw line where she scored again.
Trailing 28-23, MEHS’ Sunny hit a long shot to cut that lead to 28-26 with 20 seconds remaining in the half.
Bell would then commit her second foul with 15 seconds left and Sunny her third with 5.5 seconds remaining, with Sitka senior Shaye Jensen hitting one of two and junior Tiffany Elefante missing her shot but being fouled on the rebound with 2.4 seconds left by Bell again.
Sitka would take a 30-26 lead at the half.
“Some of the calls were pretty questionable but it happens,” Bell said after the game. “This is my first time playing at regionals as an Edgecumbe Brave and to win it means everything – it was my first time ever cutting down a net and it’s the best feeling.”
The foul casualties mounted in the next stanza as Charlie, who played end-to-end hard-nosed defense the entire tourney, earned her third personal just seconds into play.
“I didn’t play really well,” she said. “But I’m really proud that my team was able to pull me through at the end. I am so happy we are going to state, especially in my last year.”
MEHS senior Leticia Skaflestad (Hoonah) commited her third foul at the four-minute mark and Bell and Sunny committing back-to-back fouls with under a minute left.
Sitka would lead 36-33 at the end of three quarters.
All-Conference selection Vidad cashed in a long three to start the fourth quarter for Sitka.
“It was a great game to end my senior year on and I have no regrets on how hard everyone on our team played,” she said after. “I am so proud of every single one of them and just the progression we made throughout the season is unbelievable. There were no regrets and everyone played really hard.”
After three MEHS misses junior Tyra Brown (Chevak) grabbed a key rebound and hit two free throws and Beans hit a runner to close to 39-37. Kameroff would tie the game a minute later and then score again on a rebound for the Lady Braves’ first lead since the opening seconds, 41-39.
In between, both teams went through a series of turnovers and missed shots.
Sitka finally scored again with 3:07 left on a shot inside by freshman Chloe Morrison to tie the score.
MEHS’ Brown rebounded a score for a 43-41 advantage and Sitka’s Elefante drew a charity shot to close within 43-42 with 1:38 left as MEHS’ Sunny was sent to the bench with her fifth personal.
“I am so glad the girls never gave up,” MEHS coach Kathy Forrester said. “It would have been easy to do with all the calls against us, and the tough pressure Sitka bestowed upon us. The two games we played against Sitka could have gone either way each night.”
Brown would add another free throw and a rebound score again to give MEHS a 46-42 lead with just over 20 seconds remaining, seemingly putting the game on ice.
Brown and Bell both drew back-to-back play fouls, second and fifth respectively, and Sitka senior Jessica Davis sank four free throws to put the Lady Wolves up 48-46 with just under five seconds remaining, setting the stage for Kameroff’s title-winning ESPN moment.
Sunny usually inbounds but she was fouled out. Bell was option two, also out. Beans was the first option but she was covered so Charlie reversed the ball. Kameroff stepped inbounds, took the pass, bent her knees, and rose with her right elbow bent, the ball resting perfectly on her hand and snapped her wrist over, pointing the ball over the edge of the rim.
“They ran the play like we practiced,” Coach Forrester said. “They didn’t panic, they held it together. Faith doesn’t normally shoot outside, but she has a great shot. Everyone worked hard. Sanora and Brystel kept the pace. Tyra started rebounding in the fourth quarter when we needed her to. What an effort, by both sides.”
Bell led Mt. Edgecumbe with 12 points, all in the first half, Kameroff had 9, Brown 7, Sunny, Beans, Strom, and Miller 4 each, Skaflestad 3, and Ramoth 2. Brown had 8 rebounds, Sunny and Bell 4 apiece. Charlie and Bell had 4 steals apiece.
The Lady Braves were 7-16 at the line, the Lady Wolves 23-36. MEHS committed 26 fouls and 23 turnovers, Sitka 17 fouls and 16 turnovers (unofficially).
Vidad and Forrester led Sitka with 13 points apiece, Smith had 7, Davis 6, Morrison 4, Jensen 3, and Elefante 2.
Joining Vidad on All-Conference were Sitka teammates Forrester and Elefante, and MEHS’ Bell, Charlie, and Sunny. The latter two had been freshmen on the last MEHS state qualifier.
“This is a great feeling,” Sunny said. “We worked hard to get to this point, and it’s just a great feeling, just like freshman year again. I didn’t play my best game but I tried my best to try and keep my head in it. We just told ourselves we had to keep the momentum going and we just picked everybody up and just motivated each other and encouraged each other.”
Sitka coach Sondra Lundvick said the Lady Wolves showed “a lot of guts” to come back after losing a tough and emotional one-point game the night before.
“It took a lot to come back and be ready again,” she said. “I am disappointed for my seniors, but absolutely proud of my team. This is one of those life lessons - tough, but I am so proud of the character these kids displayed all year.”
MEHS (4th seeded) opens the 3A eight team State tourney at 12:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, against 5th seed Kenai.
- SATURDAY GAMES -
3A/4A Crossover
MEHS defeated Region V 4A champion Ketchikan 50-48 in a cross-over contest with little meaning except Southeast bragging rights as neither team needed an at-large bid to state. Kayhi (8th seed) opens 4A play against top seed Dimond at 8 a.m. Thursday, March 21.
Both teams substituted generously and MEHS led 16-10 after the first quarter as Sunny, Beans, and Miller found shots from distance and Bell and Brown inside. The teams were tied 28-28 at the half with Kayhi senior Ashley Huffine notching her fourth shot from the arch and 10 points in the stanza.
Kayhi took a 39-37 lead ending the third quarter. MEHS held Kayhi to just three field goals in the final stanza, all from beyond the arch. The Lady Kings’ Huffine missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Bell led MEHS with 13 points, Sunny 11, Miller 9, Beans, Ramoth, and Charlie 5 each, and Brown 2. Bell had 6 rebounds, A. Strom 5, Lisa Strom 4, Sunny and Charlie 3. Charlie had 4 steals, Beans 2. Also playing were Skaflestad and sophomore Lizzy Allen (Dillingham).
Huffine led Kayhi with 23 points, junior Lianne Guevarra 15, junior Madison Rose 4, freshman Shaelynn Mendoza and junior Nadire Zhuta 3 apiece.
2A Craig 40, Metlakatla 32
The Craig girls topped Metlakatla in the second-place state qualifying game (Craig opens 2A State tourney play at 8 p.m., Thursday, March 14, against Cordova - 4th seed).
Sophomore Kennedy Stumpf led the Panthers with 15 points, senior Ashley Hansen 9, senior Sarah Yates 6, freshman Shaylee Johnson 5, senior Johanna Skan-Allen 5. FT 9-21.
Junior Alexis Russell led the MissChiefs with 14, junior Uniquea Clark 6, senior Lexi Eaton-Milne 6, freshman Samantha Marsden 3, senior Victoria Studstill 3. FT 6-19.
FRIDAY GAMES -
4A Ketchikan 47 Juneau-Douglas 43
Ketchikan won the Region V 4A championship over Juneau-Douglas 47-43 behind a game-high 20 points from Huffine, freshman Jenae Rhoads 10, Rose 8, Guevarra 7, sophomore Dyllan Borer 2. FT 10-12.
JDHS senior Caitlin Pusich scored 16, junior Sadie Tuckwood 13, Jenae Pusich 6, senior Alyxn Bohulano 5, sophomore Kiana Potter 3. FT 8-15.
The game was tied 11-11 after eight minutes, JDHS led 23-20 at the half and Kayhi 34-29 after three quarters.
2A Wrangell 41 Metlakatla 39
Wrangell won the Region V 2A Championship on a last-second shot by junior Kaylyn Easterly.
Metlakatla led 12-4 after one quarter and 22-17 at the half. Wrangell led 29-27 starting the final stanza.
Easterly led the Wolves with 16 points, senior Helen Decker 12, junior Maddy Harding 8, freshman Jamie Early 4, senior Abby Gerald 1. FT 10-13.
Russell had 16 for the MissChiefs, Eaton-Milne 9, Clark 8, Studstill 2, sophomore Kayana Buxton 2, Marsden 2. FT 7-12
The Wolves will be the Southeast top seed at the state championships and play Unakleet at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 14.
2A Craig 51 Petersburg 33
The Craig girls eliminated the Lady Vikings 51-33 behind 14 points from Stumpf.
Yates added 12 for the Panthers, Hansen 11, Skan-Allen 6, Bird 4, Johnson 4. FT 10-22.
The Lady Vikings were led by freshman Kaili Simbahon with 14. Freshman Ines Larson had 9, senior Tayla Heppe 6, sophomore Annie Christensen 4. FT 7-12.
Craig led 18-9 after the first quarter, 28-20 at the half, and 45-39 starting the fourth.
