Kake boys rely on depth to roll past Lumen Christi in first round of 1A state basketball tournament

There haven’t been too many problems for the undefeated Kake boys basketball team this year. But one thing that is a constant struggle for head coach Anthony Ross is finding competition for his team.

For the school from the Southeast Alaska community on the outskirts of the Tongass National Park, getting to games virtually always means taking a flight.

So the Thunderbirds have done their best to create competition within the team. That depth showed in their 72-28 victory over Lumen Christi in Wednesday’s opening round of the Alaska 1A State Basketball Tournament at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The team’s balance was apparent as eight players scored, led by Brandon Ward’s 18 points. Deontay Jackson and Ethan Kadake both scored 14 for the Thunderbirds.

“We’ve got 12 guys that can play,” Ross said. “That makes it easy on a coach. The trust (in the players) coming off the bench and the energy everyone brings — it’s really nice.”

Seeded No. 3, the Kake offense was churning at high speed in the first half, and the Thunderbirds went into halftime with a 50-17 lead. Ross said the team has relied on solid defense to take advantage early all season, and Wednesday was no different.

“And to come out and get the whole team involved, too,” he said. “We get pretty intense and mix it up with the starters and the bench. I think (the depth) keeps us fresh.”

Taizano Nelson’s nine points led Lumen Christi.

Girls

Cook Inlet Academy (Soldotna) 49, St. Mary’s 35

Cook Inlet Academy got off to a quick start and held on to beat St. Mary’s in the opening round. CIA led 26-14 at halftime and was led by Tatum Rozak’s 21 points. Ella Rollman (14) and Hope Hillyer (12) added double figures. Marina Westdahl led St. Mary’s with 17 points.

Lumen Christi 40, Akiachak 19

Top-seed Lumen Christi used a smothering defense to top Akiachak in the first round. The Archangels didn’t allow more than seven points in any quarter in coasting to a win. Emily Ross (18) and Natalie Grubba (12) both reached double figures for Lumen Christi.

Newhalen 55, Kake 34

After scoring just 15 points in the first half, Newhalen kicked it into high gear and scored 21 and 19 in the third and fourth quarters, respectively to roll to a win. Newhalen’s Aileen Lester scored 23 and Dannika Wassillie added 16. Mamie Crookes of Kale led all scorers with 24 points.

No. 2 Shaktoolik 67, Akiuk (Kasigluk) 29

Shaktoolik held a relatively narrow 31-23 halftime lead but busted the game open in the second half, outscoring Akiuk 36-6 to run away with the win. Naomi Savetilik led all scorers with 18 for the Wolverines, and teammate Kayleigh Sagoonick added 13. Akiuk was led by Denise Kalila with 15 points.

No. 3 Tanalian (Port Alsworth) 47, Nunamiut (Anaktuvuk Pass) 33

After a low-scoring first quarter, the team from Tanalian School in Port Alsworth pulled away for an opening-round win. Nunamiut led 2-1 after the first quarter, but Tanalian held the advantage in each of the final three quarters and went on for the win. Ellah Wardell led Tanalian with 17 points, and Nunamiut’s Arianna Hart had 13 points.

Aqqaluk (Noorvik) 49, Klawock 47

Aqqaluk came back from a five-point deficit to start the fourth quarter to defeat Klawock in a game that was tight and competitive throughout. The two teams were tied 25-25 at halftime, and Klawock extended a 38-33 lead after the third quarter. But the Aqqaluk High School from Noorvik stormed back as Eva Johnson made five 3-pointers to lead her team with 19 points. Klawock’s McKinley Holien led all scorers with 27 points.

Shishmaref 40, Walter Northway 37

Shishmaref edged Walter Northway in a low-scoring second half to take a victory in the first round. The two teams were tied at 32-32 at halftime, but after a scoreless third quarter, Shishmaref outscored the Warriors 8-5 in the final quarter. Lorraine Aloysis-Nutting led all scorers with 17 points for Walter Northway. Shishmaref’s leading scorer was Vicki Olanna with 12 points.

No. 4 Buckland 60, Scammon Bay 27

Buckland got off hot on both offense and defense and cruised to a win. The Sissauni outscored Scammon Bay 16-0 in the opening quarter and held a double-digit lead throughout. Kiah Melton led Buckland with 20 points, and teammate Ava Jones kicked in 18. Scammon Bay’s top scorer was Sandra Tunutmoak with eight.

Boys

Tri-Valley (Healy) 69, Buckland 65

Tri-Valley fended off a fourth-quarter rally to defeat Buckland in the opening round. The Warriors led throughout, but the Sissauni cut the lead to just four in the fourth quarter. Tri-Valley was led by Michael Rebshaw’s 23 points and Christopher Graham’s 20 points, which included four 3-pointers. Buckland was led by Keldon Melton’s 15 points, and Austin Hadley (13) and Willie Hadley (11) added double figures.

Newhalen 69, Shaktoolik 32

Newhalen scored first and didn’t let up, cruising to an opening-round victory over Shaktoolik. The Malamutes outscored the Wolverines by double digits in every quarter but the second. Newhalen was led in scoring by Josiah Young’s 19 points, followed by Bryce Olympic (17), and Keilen Wassillie (14). Shaktoolik’s top scorer was Ricky Paniptchuk with 11.

No. 2 Cook Inlet Academy (Soldotna) 64, Emmonak 45

Cook Inlet Academy cruised to an opening-round victory with the help of Alex McGarry and Ian McGarry. Alex notched a team-high 22 points while Ian added 14 in the win. Abraham Henderson controlled the pain for CIA with 14 points and 13 rebounds. Emmonak’s Sean Borkowski with 29 points and added five steals.

Napaaqtugmiut (Noatak) 51, Shishmaref 45

The team from Napaaqtugmiut School in Noatak held on to take a 51-45 win in the opening round, pulling away in the fourth quarter. Fred Walton scored 20 for Napaaqtugmiut, which outscored Shishmaref 18-15 in the final quarter. Abraham Swan added 13 for the Lynx. Carter Kokeok of Shishmaref led all scorers with 22.

No. 1 Scammon Bay 88, Nunamiut (Anaktuvuk Pass) 54

Top seed Scammon Bay used an explosive second quarter to cruise to a victory in the opening round. The Eagles outscored Nunamiut 35-13 in the second quarter en route to the easy win. Stewie Sundown scored 22 for Scammon Bay, and teammate Cassius Sundown added 17. Justus Mulcahy led the Wolves with 22 points.

King Cove 40, Klawock 39

King Cove overcame a big game by Klawock’s Marley Kness to escape with a first-round win. Kness scored a game-high 26 points accounting for two-thirds of his team’s total. But King Cove had three players in double figures and outscored Klawock 10-8 in the final quarter to secure the win. Riley Koso led the T-Jacks with 12 points.

Aniak 49, Nelson Island 47

Aniak won Wednesday night’s final game in a tightly contested battle with Nelson Island. The Halfbreeds trailed by a point entering the final quarter but outscored the Islanders 13-10 in the fourth quarter. Aniak’s William Morgan led all scorers with 24, and teammate Ryan Steeves added 17. Nelson Island’s leading scorer was Raymond Chanar, who contributed 15 points.

1A Girls

Wednesday

First round

Cook Inlet Academy (Soldotna) 49, St. Mary’s 35

No. 1 Lumen Christi 40, Akiachak 19

Newhalen 55, Kake 34

No. 2 Shaktoolik 67, Akiuk (Kasigluk) 29

No. 3 Tanalian (Port Alsworth) 47, Nunamiut (Anaktuvuk Pass) 33

Aqqaluk (Noorvik) 49, Klawock 47

Shishmaref 40, Walter Northway 37

No. 4 Buckland 60, Scammon Bay 27

Quarterfinals

Thursday

Aqqaluk vs. Shaktoolik, 8 a.m.

Cook Inlet Academy vs. Tanalian, 9:30 a.m.

Newhalen vs. Buckland, 3:15 p.m.

Lumen Christi vs. Shishmaref, 4:45 p.m.

1A Boys

Wednesday

First round

Tri-Valley (Healy) 69, Buckland 65

Newhalen 69, Shaktoolik 32

No. 2 Cook Inlet Academy (Soldotna) 64, Emmonak 45

No. 3 Kake 72, Lumen Christi 28

No. 4 Napaaqtugmiut (Noatak) 51, Shishmaref 45

No. 1 Scammon Bay 88, Nunamiut (Anaktuvuk Pass) 54

King Cove 40, Klawock 39

Aniak 49, Nelson Island 47

Quarterfinals

Thursday

Scammon Bay vs. King Cove, 11 a.m.

Aniak vs. Napaaqtugmiut, 12:30 p.m.

Newhalen vs. Kake, 6:15 p.m.

Tri-Valley vs. Cook Inlet Academy, 7:45 p.m.