The Barrow boys are back in the state finals following a decade-long drought, after they shut down one of the state's top teams and all but silenced their biggest threat.
On Saturday, they'll face three-time defending 3A boys champion Monroe Catholic after they rolled over Grace Christian 48-42.
"We just had a couple more weapons than they did and we took advantage of them," said Monroe coach Frank Ostanik, referring to some of his top players.
As for Barrow, they beat powerhouse Anchorage Christian 50-40, but the Whalers won't be celebrating until it wins the crown, said coach Jeremy Arnhart.
"It's a good win but it's not a championship," he said in Barrow's locker room, as a trio of fans in fur-lined parkas slung leis made of candy bars over players' necks. "Our goal of winning that championship is still ahead of us."
Friday night -- before hundreds of stadium-rocking Whalers supporters at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage -- Barrow moved one game closer to that goal.
The victory was led by freshman guard Travis Adams, who conjured up ball-handling magic like a long-haired sorcerer, faking this way and moving that and occasionally seeming to freeze opponents in time. During one twisting dribble near the paint, he spun an opponent into the ground before storming off toward the hoop.
On the other side of his court his fellow freshman, the rangy Kamaka Hepa, worked his own magic to help shut down the 3A boys player of the year. ACS guard Levi Auble's only points came on a high-flying rebound putback in the third period.
The near-dunk wowed the crowd, but Auble, who averaged 22 points during the season, never found his groove.
"He's a great player," said Hepa. "I went into this game thinking he's the best player and I want to be the best. You have to beat the best to be the best."
ACS had narrowly beat Barrow earlier in the year, Hepa said. "It was a little personal."
Auble, a senior, said ACS's offense never clicked. Meanwhile, he made just 1 of 12 field-goal attempts.
"I wouldn't say they covered me hard," he said. "It came down to how the offense wasn't flowing."
Barrow led ACS from start to finish, including going up by 26-13 at the half. But ACS refused to surrender.
The Lions pulled within 4 points midway through the 4th quarter, with Bobby Wilson smoking Kevin Goodwin on a driving layup to put the score at 39-35. Wilson, with 18 points, brought his own playmaking wizardry to the stadium. He hit eight of 13 two-pointers, and led scoring for ACS with 19 points.
ACS stayed close, but it was all over when Wilson fouled out with two minutes left and Barrow picked up steam. The Whalers cemented the victory when Makana Ahgeak bombed the ball to Hepa for a fast-break layup.
"We didn't have the intensity," Wilson said. "They just played better. They're just a good team."
ACS assistant coach Zack Madren, who will be the ACS head coach next year, said his team shot terrible.
"You can't shoot 25 percent," he said. "We banged hard on the board but we couldn't score. We knew they'd come out and play hard and my hat's off to them."
Meanwhile, Barrow shot 51 percent but couldn't put away ACS because it fell prey too turnovers when ACS ramped up the pressure in the second half.
"We wanted to put the hammer down but never did," said Arnhart.
Adams, player of the game for Barrow with 21 points, said the win was for the Whalers' fans.
"We wanted to give this one to the crowd," he said. "They've been waiting for this for way too long."
The Barrow boys last championship game was in 2005, when they lost to Heritage Christian by 8 points. They'll face Monroe, which is looking to win its fourth championship in a row, on Saturday at 3:45.
Monroe coach Ostanik said the big game will be the first in a row for this new batch of Monroe players.
"This is a new group of guys and they're excited for the opportunity," he said.
In the Barrow-ACS game, Hepa scored 7 points for Barrow. He also had 9 rebounds, as did Antonio Dunbar.
Wilson was named player of the game for ACS. Zach Bronson was second in scoring for the team with 10 points. Randy Kohutek led rebounding for ACS with 9.
As for Monroe vs. Grace, Trevor Osborne led scoring and rebounding for Grace with 13 points and 7 rebounds. He was named the team's player of the game. Tobin Karlberg added 11 points for Grace.
For Monroe, Jalon McCullough led scoring in the game with 17 points. Michael Kluting led rebounding in the game with 9 and he added 9 points. Edwin Erickson, player of the game for Monroe, had 12 points and 5 rebounds.
"We wanted it more and we came out with the most energy," Erickson said.
He said Monroe lost to Barrow earlier in the year -- the score was 56-49 -- but isn't planning to lose again.
"We'll be ready for them tomorrow," he said.