Barrow girls edge Sitka in state title rematch to advance to semifinals of 3A basketball tournament

The most competitive game of Wednesday’s opening round of the 2023 Alaska state championship basketball tournament for the 3A girls featured the same two teams from last year’s state final and saw the same outcome unfold.

In the second game of the quarterfinals, reigning champion Barrow narrowly defeated 2022 state runner-up Sitka 47-45 at the Alaska Airlines Center in a back-and-forth game that went down to the wire.

“This is huge for us confidence-wise because our players feed off this,” Barrow coach Makana Ahgeak said. “Coming off a good hard win is better than winning a game by 30 or 40 or losing a game by 30 or 40 because you don’t learn much in those games.”

Junior Kiara Burnell broke a 45-45 tie with a layup with less than a minute left to put the Whalers back in front but then she and the rest of her teammates and coaches had to hold their collective breath.

Instead of driving to the basket for a layup attempt that could’ve tied the game again and forced overtime, Sitka junior Naia Nelson decided to go for the win in the waning seconds of regulation. She pulled up from behind the arc for what would’ve been the game-winning 3-pointer had the ball not bounced off the rim.

“I was just scared,” Burnell said. “I thought she was going to pull up and make it. She’s a good shooter.”

Sitka opened the game with a 7-0 run and Barrow responded with a 18-7 run to take a 22-18 lead into halftime. But the Wolves wouldn’t stay down as they took the lead several times in the second half.

“Second half, we knew that they were going to come out stronger than the first half,” Burnell said. “That’s what kind of threw us off a little bit but then we got back in the game.”

It marked the second time that the two teams faced off since their title bout last year and the Whalers’ third straight victory over the Wolves in the past year.

Even though the end result wound up being the same for Barrow, the roster is vastly different compared to a year ago. So is the experience level of the coach at the helm of the program.

“We lost six seniors and the seventh player we lost was another starter from our lineup last year,” Ahgeak said. “She tore her ACL during volleyball season and missed the entire basketball season. We had to fill three starter spots and the rest of the bench.”

Ahgeak’s father, Derek, had to step away from his post as the team’s head coach after leading the Whalers to their first state title since 2016 due to health concerns. That resulted in Makana Ahgeak being promoted to interim head coach midway through the season.

“It was a very nervous game,” Ahgeak said of his debut. “It was my first time head coaching this year. I had to fill in mid-January so it was very nerve-racking for me.”

Under his guidance the team has won nine straight games and appears to be peaking at the right time as it looks to defend the title and repeat as state champions.

The Whalers had a pair of players reach double figures in scoring and were led by Burnell’s 14 points followed by Kimberly Wolgemuth with 13. The Wolves also had two players record double figures in scoring and were led by Ava Brady’s game-high 15 points and Adriana Denkinger’s 11.

Up next for the Whalers is the tough task of taking on top-seeded Grace Christian on Thursday at 4:45 p.m.

Girls

Grace Christian 56, Bethel 27

Top-seeded Grace Christian opened the first game of the day with a 10-0 run and kept pouring it on, cruising to a lopsided victory over eighth-seeded Bethel. The Grizzlies didn’t allow the Warriors to record their first points of the game until nearly midway through the first quarter and allowedBethl just seven points in the entire first half. Grace Christian had a trio of players reach double figures in scoring, led by Ella Boerger’s game-high 15 points, followed by Sophie Lentfer (14) and MJ Van der Horst (11). Bethel had a pair of players record double figures, Briella Herron with 13 points and Allie Alexie with 10.

Monroe Catholic 53, Kenai Central 27

Second-seeded Monroe Catholic also had a strong showing in the quarterfinals with a commanding win over seventh-seeded Kenai Central. The Rams more than doubled the point total of the Kardinals in all but the fourth quarter but by then, victory was already well in hand. Both teams only had one player reach double figures in scoring. Monroe Catholic was led by Miranda Wilderson’s 12 points while Kenai Central’s Emma Beck finished with a double-double, recording game highs in points (19) and rebounds (16).

Mt. Edgecumbe 49, Valdez 34

Third-seeded Mt. Edgecumbe pulled away in the second half to prevail over sixth-seeded Valdez. After a tightly contested first half in which the Braves held a two-point 21-19 lead at halftime, they distanced themselves from the Buccaneers with a 28-15 advantage in the final two quarters. Mt. Edgecumbe had a pair of players reach double figures in scoring, led by Bessie Williams’ game-high 18 points, followed by Tessa Anderson with 10. Valdez didn’t have any players reach double figures in scoring but Masen Holmes recorded a game-high 12 rebounds.

Boys

Grace Christian 68, Delta 36

Top-seeded Grace Christian continued its domination in tournament play with an overwhelming triumph over eighth-seeded Delta. Like their female counterparts, the Grizzlies more their doubled the Huskies’ point total in three of the four quarters and had a 32-point lead by halftime. Grace Christian had three player record double-digits in scoring, led by Kellen Jedlicka’s 20 points, followed by Sloan Lentfer with 15. Lentfer also finished with a double-double after recording a game-high 10 rebounds. Delta didn’t have any players reach double figures but did have two tie for the team lead with nine points apiece.

Mt. Edgecumbe 43, Kenai Central 37

Fourth-seed Mt. Edgecumbe bested fifth-seeded Kenai Central in the second-closest game of the 3A early session. The Braves were narrowly outscored in each of the first two quarters and at one point in the second quarter, trailed by nearly double figures at 20-11. After outscoring the Kardinals 10-3 in the third quarter, Mt. Edgecumbe opened the fourth with a 30-23 lead and would go on to prevail. Both teams only had one player reach double figures in scoring with Mt. Edgecumbe being led by Kaison Hermann’s game-high 18 points. Kenai Central’s Wade James had 11 points.

Nome-Beltz 65, Barrow 50

Reigning champion and second-seeded Nome-Beltz got its title defense started on a high note with a comfortable victory over seventh-seeded Barrow. After only having a one-point advantage after the first quarter, the Nanooks used the second and third to extend their lead to a wide enough margin that when the Whalers were able to nearly match their scoring output in the fourth (16-15), it was too late. Nome-Beltz had a trio of player record double figures in scoring, led by Jade Greene’s 24 points, including five 3-pointers. Finn Gregg (18) and Richard Cross (16) also reached double figures. Barrow had two players record double figures in scoring, led by Sasita Unutoa’s 17 points and 10 rebounds to complete a double double, followed by Loia Dias (12).

Houston 64, Valdez 51

Third-seeded Houston used an explosive fourth quarter to come from behind and avoid an upset against six-seeded Valdez. After leading by double digits at the end of the opening quarter, the Hawks went on to trail the Buccaneers at halftime and heading into the fourth quarter. But in the final eight minutes, the Hawks outscored their opponent a whopping 30-5 margin to take the lead and emerge victorious. Houston had two players reach double figures in scoring and were led by Cole Taylor’s 28 points that included eight 3-pointers followed by Noah Whitted (15). Valdez also had a pair of players record double figures in scoring, led by Bryce Tucker’s 19 points follow by Dillon Fowler (12). Both teams had a player record double digit rebounds as the Hawk’s Deegan VanDussen and the Buccaneers’ Allen Watson each logged 10 apiece.

State 3A Tournament results

Girls

Wednesday

Grace Christian 56, Bethel 27

Barrow 47, Sitka 45

Monroe Catholic 53, Kenai Central 27

Mt. Edgecumbe 49, Valdez 34

Thursday

Semifinals

Monroe Catholic vs. Mt. Edgecumbe, 3:15 p.m.

Grace Christian vs. Barrow, 4:45 p.m.

Boys

Quarterfinals

Wednesday

Mt. Edgecumbe 43, Kenai Central 37

Grace Christian 68, Delta 36

Nome-Beltz 65, Barrow 50

Houston 64, Valdez 51

Thursday

Semifinals

Grace Christian vs. Mt. Edgecumbe, 6:15 p.m.

Nome-Beltz vs. Houston, 7:45 p.m.