By KLAS STOLPE
Sentinel Staff Writer
The Sitka High School boys basketball team lost to the Seward Seahawks 63-51 on the opening day of the Homer Winter Carnival Tournament.
“They’re a disciplined team,” Sitka coach Jarrett Hirai said. “They play to their strengths.”
Sitka also seemed to be disciplined and playing to their own quickness and aggressiveness. The Wolves took a 17-14 first quarter lead as juniors Mason Eubanks and Gavin Flores connected from long range and seniors Aedon Dumag, Morgan Simic and Austin Morrison provided the inside punch.
Sitka seniors Aedon Dumag, left, Austin Morrison, right, and Morgan Simic, below, are shown in action this past Tuesday againt Mt. Edgecumbe at the Sitka gym. (Sentinel Photos/James Poulson)
The Wolves would hit just three shots in the second quarter as Simic, Eubanks and Flores all found the basket from beyond the arch. Seward also matched that output to trail 26-23 at the half.
In the second half Seward put up back-to-back quarters of 20 points.
The Seahawks took the lead in the third quarter, 43-36. Wolves senior Garrison Lass scored twice inside for Sitka and Eubanks and senior CJ Taccad added a basket apiece.
Seward would go 10-15 at the free throw line in the fourth quarter, plus bag a couple of long range shots, while Sitka tried to rally with Taccad, Flores and Lass scoring, but fell short.
“We just can’t put together a full game,” Hirai said. “At the end of the third our defense gave up too much and we found ourselves in a similar situation as many of our other games.”
Sitka, a 3A Southeast Conference school, was led by Flores with 11 points, Eubanks added 11, Lass 9, Simic 7, Taccad 6, Dumag 3, and Morrison 2.
The Wolves were 9-14 at the line, the Seahawks 19-29.
Seward, from the 3A Southcentral Conference, was led by 17 points from Spanos. Koster added 12, Nilson 10, Pfuffienbeinger 9, Moriarty 7, Baralo and Ingalls 3 apiece, and Garvis 2.
“We have to figure out how to finish games and keep our heads,” Hirai said. “We need to learn to play to our strengths as a team down the stretch.”
The Homer Winter Carnival is a vital tourney in that the teams all could be getting valuable at-large rankings for the state tournament if they don’t qualify as the top team from their respective conferences.
Sitka (4-12) will finish tournament play against the 3A Aurora Conference’s Galena Hawks today and the Homer Mariners on Saturday.
The Sitka Lady Wolves (8-9) play the Galena Lady Hawks today and the Lady Mariners on Saturday.
The Lady Wolves defeated Seward Lady Seahawks 50-33 Thursday.
Despite a slow start to the game, scoring just 5 points in the first quarter on baskets by sr. Shaye Jensen and jr. Tiffany Elefante and trailing 9-5, the Lady Wolves started to roll.
Sitka scored 12 points in the second stanza as freshman Chole Morrison and seniors Joei Vidad, Abby Forrester and Jessica Davis led the way to a 17-15 halftime lead.
The Lady Wolves defense also got into gear, holding the Lady Seahawks to just 6 points in the third quarter and taking a 30-21 advantage behind Vidad’s stroke from outside and the team’s press.
Morrison and Forrester controlled the inside for the final 8 minutes and Sitka claimed the win.
Morrison led the Lady Wolves with 13 points, Elefante, Vidad and Forrester added 9 each, sr. Kyleigh McArthur 4, fr. Tawny Smith, Jensen, and Davis 2 each.
Sitka hit 19-22 at the charity stripe, Seward 6-11.
Von Borstel led the Lady Seahawks with 12 points, Sewell 7, Schilling and Sieverts 4 apiece, Lemme, Ammbrosiani, and Jackson 2 each.
Later in the day Sitka senior Abby Forrester won the tournament’s free throw competition as well.
