Tikigaq wins Alaska’s big dance, then does an Eskimo dance

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Tikigaq celebrates their 47-38 victory over Metlakatla in the 2A girls Alaska State basketball tournament at the UAA Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska on Saturday, March 17, 2018. (Bob Hallinen / ADN)

Two teams from villages on opposite ends of Alaska met for basketball supremacy Saturday night at the Alaska Airlines Center, and at the end of the game, it was the Eskimos who were dancing.

"Come on! Eskimo dance!" Tikigaq coach Ramona Rock called to her players after the Harpoonerettes claimed the Class 2A girls basketball crown by beating Metlakatla 47-38 in the championship game.

And with that, the Harpoonerettes returned to the court and formed a circle for a brief traditional dance.

Maybe that's why March Madness is called the big dance.

Tikigag is the school in the Eskimo village of Point Hope, way up on the Chukchi Sea coast. Metlakatla is a Tsimshian village on Annette Island, way down near Ketchikan.

About 1,400 air miles separate the two villages, but through the first 20 minutes of play Saturday, barely a point or two separated these teams.

The game was tied five times in the first half, which ended with Metlakatla clinging to a 25-23 lead, and was tied three more times early in the third quarter, the last time at 29-29.

Then it became a matter of too many Metlakatla misses — and too much Bridgett Oviok.

Oviok, a deadly long-range shooter, scored seven of her 27 points in the final four minutes of the third quarter to give Tigigaq a 36-32 lead, and the Miss Chiefs never recovered.

Oviok drained six of 12 attempts from 3-point range for the game, sometimes shooting from Stephen Curry range. "She's a pure shooter," Rock said.

The Miss Chiefs have shooters too, but in the second half, the shots wouldn't fall. Their defense gave them chances — Drena Hayward came up with five steals — and they got decent looks, but the ball drew iron but not net too many times.

When Nichole Hank (12 points) banked in a shot to give Tikigaq a 42-34 lead with little more than four minutes left, the Harpoonerette fans sensed victory was coming and rose to their feet with a roar. When Rock emptied her bench a couple of minutes later, she shared a long embrace with senior leader Jordyn Lane.

"I've been waiting to win state for so long," Lane said as a single teardrop fell on her cheek. "All the hard work finally paid off."

Metlakatla gave Tikigaq fits in a fast-paced, well-played first half, thanks to its defense and the play of Hayward, who finished with 15 points, Tenisha Nelson-Jackson (9 points) and Alexis Russell (8 assists, 6 rebounds). But every time it looked like the Miss Chiefs might open up a gap, Oviok knocked down a 3-pointer.

The Harpoonerettes are regular participants at the state tournament, but this time, Lane said, they came to Anchorage as a true team. She credited her cousin, sophomore Angela Lane, for creating a strong team bond.

"It's her first year here (on the team) and she just really brings life to everybody," Lane said. "She's always pumping us up."

Angela Lane said when she joined the team this year, some of the players didn't talk to each other much.

"They all had drama," she said, "and I just brought them together."

Point Hope is a whaling community — Rex Rock, Ramona's husband and assistant coach, is a whaling captain — and teamwork is necessary to harvest a whale. Ramona Rock said she uses that as a metaphor to encourage a close bond between her players.

"We talk about putting everything else aside and working on one goal for our community," she said.

Nenana 71, Unalaska 47

Aquinnah Tremblay was all over the court for Nenana in a 71-47 victory that gave the Lynx third place in the tournament.

She scored 16 points to go along with seven assists, five rebounds and five steals. Teammate Julie Frankson added 13 points, six rebounds and five steals.

Hailey Wilson and Kayla Villamor both scored 12 points for Unalaska.

Wrangell 54, Dillingham 36

Wrangell stole the ball 18 times and limited Dillingham to seven field goals to cruise to a 54-36 win in the fourth-place game.

Helen Decker delivered 10 points and 10 rebounds, Kaylyn Easterly had 18 points and Madda Harding chipped in 14 points and five steals for the Wolves.

Dillingham was led by Kendra Kapotak's 15 points and Sue Lee's 12 points.