Cook Inlet Academy girls avoid the ‘quicksand’ and advance to 1A state basketball semis

Cook Inlet Academy coach Josh Hawley’s message to his team at halftime of its quarterfinal game at the Alaska state 1A girls basketball tournament was simple: Stay out of the quicksand.

More specifically, he reminded his players that worrying about previous mistakes only made them more likely to compound.

The Eagles rallied from a double-digit deficit in the fourth quarter to top No. 3 seeded Tanalian 52-47 and advance to Friday’s semifinals.

“I preach a lot about forgetting about what happened in the last second and moving on,” he said. “It’s hard because we get emotional, and we get caught up in what they call ‘quicksand’ — one mistake leads to another, and you try to fight out of it until you relax and say, ‘OK, I’m letting go and moving on.’”

While the Eagles stayed close for most of the game against the Tanalian School team from Port Alsworth, they found themselves in a hole in the final quarter.

But sophomore post Ella Rollman provided an offensive punch, and the Eagles were more effective both on defense and with rebounding. They tied the game at 41-41 with 3:19 remaining and took a lead at 44-43 less than a minute later when Hope Hillyer hit a 3-pointer.

From there, it was mostly Rollman scoring from the post and free-throw line with a key basket by Kaitlyn Liles in the final minute helping seal the win.

Hawley said Rollman is often the third option on offense, behind Hillyer and senior Tatum Rozak. But Thursday, she led team from Soldotna with a game-high 24 points.

“She does bring a lot to the team with her height and her skill level,” he said. “Really, this is her first year actually playing organized basketball. She played a little in middle school, but she’s come a long way.”

CIA was able to get the win with just four players scoring and with Rozak struggling from the field. She made just one of 12 efforts from the 2-point range.

The Lynx, who finished sixth last year at state, were led by Brielle Lorentzen’s 15 points and Ellah Wardell added 12.

Shaktoolik 63, Aqqaluk 44

Shaktoolik dug out of a first-quarter hole, playing improved defense in the second half to take the 63-44 quarterfinal win. Naomi Savetilik scored a game-high 29 for the Wolverines, who trailed 18-13 after the first quarter. In the second half, they outscored Aqqaluk 29-11 to pull away for the win. Hannah Hawley (16) and Eva Johnson (14) were double-figure scorers for the Bears.

Buckland 53, Newhalen 45

Buckland pulled ahead in a high-scoring first half and never relinquished the lead in the second half in knocking off the two-time defending champions. Amy Curtis led Buckland with 15 points and teammates Ava Jones (13) and Nicole Ticket (10) reached double figures. Senior Aileen Lester scored 17 for the Malamutes.

Lumen Christi 32, Shishmaref 24

Neither team got much offense going but Lumen Christi, the tournament’s top seed, had enough to advance into Friday’s semifinals. Lumen limited Shishmaref to 12 points in the first three quarters and pulled away in the first half, leading 23-10 at halftime. Emily Ross led the way for Lumen Christi with 16 points. Renee Kiutelluk was the Northern Lights’ top scorer with eight points.

[Newhalen senior Aileen Lester hopes to add to her already legendary legacy]

Boys

Scammon Bay 80, King Cove 65

In a high-paced back-and-forth game, top seed Scammon Bay was in control for most, but not all, of the quarterfinal matchup. King Cove, led by Jager-Sean Brandell, made some runs that got the T-Jacks right back in the mix. Brandell scored a tournament-high 42 points for King Cove. Stewie Sundown (26) and Cassius Sundown (19) were the top scorers for Scammon Bay.

Aniak 64, Napaaqtugmiut 55

In a game that was dominated by either team for points, Aniak got the last laugh in a 64-55 win. The Halfbreeds outscored the Napaaqtugmiut Lynx from Noatak 20-9 in both the first quarter and last quarter. But in the middle two quarters, the Lynx held a 37-24 scoring advantage. Aniak’s Ryan Steeves led all scorers with 36. Fred Walton (17) was the leading scorer for Napaaqtugmiut.

Kake 67, Newhalen 45

Kake continued its impressive run on Thursday, topping Newhalen to move into the semis. After taking a 21-8 lead after one quarter, the Thunderbirds never looked back. Ethan Kadake paced three Kake players with double figures with 17. Dominic Ross scored 14 and Deontay Jackson chipped in 11. Newhalen’s leading scorer was Aiden Wassillie with 18.

Tri-Valley 65, Cook Inlet Academy 63

Tri-Valley edged Cook Inlet Academy in a back-and-forth game, rallying in the fourth quarter to take the win. Tri-Valley trailed by five after the first quarter, led by seven at halftime and trailed by five entering the fourth quarter. The team from Healy charged back in the fourth, outscoring second-added CIA 24-17. Tri-Valley’s Joshua Renshaw led all scorers with 28 points. CIA’s Ian McGarry had 26.

Girls

Quarterfinals

Thursday

Shaktoolik 65, Aqqaluk 44

Cook Inlet Academy 52, Tanalian 47

Buckland 53, Newhalen 45

Lumen Christi 32, Shishmaref 24

Consolation

Klawock 39, Akiuk 29

Nunamiut 53, St. Mary’s 43

Kake 47, Scammon Bay 34

Walter Northway 35, Akiachak 26

Friday’s games

Semifinals

Shaktoolik vs. Cook Inlet Academy, 3:15 p.m.

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

Boys

Quarterfinals

Thursday

Scammon Bay 80, King Cove 65

Aniak 64, Napaaqtugmiut 55

Kake 67, Newhalen 45

Tri-Valley 65, Cook Inlet Academy 63

Consolation

Klawock 69, Nunamiut 50

Nelson Island 68, Shishmaref 61

Shaktoolik 49, Lumen Christi 40

Buckland 69, Emmonak 55

Friday’s games

Semifinals

Scammon Bay vs. Aniak, 6:15 p.m.

Kake vs. Tri-Valley, 7:45 p.m.