Tikigaq boys erase 18-point fourth quarter deficit to advance to Alaska 2A basketball championship

For the primary time since 2019, each the Tikigaq girls and boys basketball groups shall be enjoying within the 2A state championship video games.

That season, each groups introduced dwelling state titles to the small neighborhood of Level Hope in Northwest Alaska and they’re going to have an opportunity to take action once more after the 2 Harpooner hoops squads got here out on high of dramatic victories within the semifinals on Friday evening on the Alaska Airways Middle.

Whereas their top-seeded ladies group needed to maintain onto their lead for pricey life, the No. 3-seeded Tikigaq boys engineered an enormous comeback, incomes an 18-points deficit with 6 minutes left within the fourth quarter to beat Metlakatla 67-63 in an epic end.

“I by no means doubted in my thoughts that we may come again and win,” Tikigaq boys coach Teddy Frankson mentioned.

The massive deficit had some gamers with their heads down, however mentioned Frankson by no means wavered.

“It’s what he says to us,” senior Benjamin Lane mentioned. “He mentioned he believed in us so I give him all of the credit score.”

The Harpooners trailed by double digits for a lot of the second quarter however closed the hole had been solely down 9 factors at halftime 32-23 after senior Joelian Lane knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers.

The Chiefs would take management of the sport within the third quarter and went again forward by double figures. That lead would would stay till Aqquiluk Hank made it a seven-point sport on the 4:30 mark after making a layup, drawing a foul, and efficiently making a free throw try.

Tikigaq saved chiseling away and after Metlakatla’s Trinity Jackson, who recorded a game-high 11 rebounds, fouled out with 1:44 left on the clock, the Harpooners rattled off a 6-0 run to tie the sport at 63-63.

With all of the momentum and help of a surging crowd, Benjamin Lane hit a giant shot with 15 seconds left in regulation.

He opted to not drive the ball and determined pull up from behind the arc as a substitute and his daring gamble paid off after the ball banked in off the glass for a profitable 3-pointer to provide his group its first lead of the sport.

“I used to be simply hoping it might go in,” Benjamin Lane mentioned. “I simply bought fortunate with the financial institution I assume.”

Each his cousin Joelian Lane and Frankson questioned his determination within the second however after he made the shot, they couldn’t assist however rejoice.

“At that time, I knew we had it within the bag,” Joelian Lane mentioned.

With the win, Tikigaq not solely punched its ticket again to the state title sport after a one-year hiatus but additionally avenged a loss suffered in final 12 months’s semifinal spherical that prevented the Harpooners from having a chance to increase their state title streak to 3 straight.

“Final 12 months we misplaced to this similar group they usually got here again and beat us after we had been up 18 or 19,” Frankson mentioned. “It feels lots higher being on high this time round.”

After not with the ability to have their typical massive and rowdy crowd at areas attributable to weather-related journey points, the Harpooner devoted have been loud and proud this week, which the gamers respect.

“The group is out greatest motivation as a result of we’re a household,” Benjamin Lane mentioned. “We’re one neighborhood and we assist one another out.”

Whereas Benjamin Lane was the one who hit the game-winning shot, it was Joelian Lane who took the sport over within the fourth quarter as he recorded 17 factors within the ultimate eight minutes alone to report his second straight 36-point sport.

Metlakatla had 4 gamers report double figures in scoring and had been led by Cameron Gaube’s 16 factors adopted by Jackson (12) and Jayden Buhler (12).

Tikigaq ladies fend off livid rally from Glennallen

It appeared on Friday as if the reigning 2A Alaska state champion and top-seeded Tikigaq ladies basketball group was going to cruise to the 2023 state finals for an opportunity to say back-to-back titles.

The Harpooners had constructed up a commanding 25-8 lead over unranked Glennallen at halftime however ended up narrowly escaping with a 40-35 victory. The Panthers made a ferocious rally within the second half to claw their approach again and virtually mounted an unimaginable comeback.

“That was my fault,” Tikigaq coach Ramona Rock mentioned. “(Glennallen) wasn’t hitting the three′s within the first half and I informed the group they had been going to come back out and provides it their all within the second half. I ought to’ve had them matchup early and go man-to-man.”

The Harpooners had been in a position to keep away from what would’ve been a surprising upset thanks largely to sophomore Jennifer Nash. She scored almost half of the group’s whole factors with a game-high 18.

“We simply needed to quiet down, run our offense, and make it up on protection,” senior Jadyn Lane mentioned.

The Panthers outproduced the Harpooners 17-8 within the third quarter to open the fourth solely down by eight factors at 33-25. At one level, Glennallen lowered the deficit to simply two factors however Tikigaq was in a position to prolonged their lead late with scoring from Virginia Teayoumeak, who led the group with 11 rebounds and completed with 9 factors.

The group would love nothing greater than to reward their passionate supporters by capturing a second straight state championship.

“We’ve bought lots of people that made it in so I’m glad they wish to carry some happiness and pleasure to the village,” Rock mentioned.

Metlakatla ladies maintain on to get previous Su-Valley

Second-seeded Metlakatla is headed again to the 2A state championship sport for the primary time since 2018 after beating third-seeded Su-Valley 28-24 in Friday’s semifinal spherical.

“Typically we allow them to hurry us up just a little bit and began making some questionable passes simply to eliminate it however general, we did fairly good limiting the turnovers within the second half” Metlakatla coach Julian Russell mentioned.

Despite the fact that the Chiefs struggled to place up factors in opposition to the Rams, they used a relentless effort on protection and a few late free throws to punch their ticket to the finals.

“They work so laborious and talk very well,” Russell mentioned. “That’s what I instill in them proper from the start, communication. The frontline gamers want the backline to inform them who’s coming and who’s going … We’ve been in a position to maintain some actually good groups to low digit numbers.”

Metlakatla’s Bree Chavez obtained participant of the sport honors after main the group with a game-high 12 factors.

Su-Valley was led by Alana Baron’s 12 factors, which accounted for 50 % of her group’s whole offensive manufacturing on the evening.

The final time the Metlakatla reached the state title sport additionally occurred to be Russell’s first 12 months on the helm of this system. Mockingly that sport was in opposition to Tikigaq, who Metlakatla will face Saturday.

“We did very well for 3 and a half quarters in opposition to them (on Jan. 19) on the Alaska Airways Basic,” Russell mentioned. “They only made some extra performs within the final half of the fourth quarter and beat us (70-58) however we all know we are able to run with them.”

Ninilchik boys pulls away from Petersburg in second half

Reigning 2A state champions and top-seeded Ninilchik was given all it may deal with within the first half in opposition to the fifth-seeded Petersburg Vikings in Friday’s semifinal. However Wolverines had been in a position to put a long way between the 2 groups on the scoreboard within the ultimate two quarters to win 53-42.

“They had been sort of controlling the tempo,” Ninilchik coach Nick Finley mentioned. “They prefer to sluggish us down they usually did job of that. That’s Southeast basketball in a nutshell proper there.”

The Wolverines would’ve gone into halftime knotted at 19-19 had it not been for a protracted jumper from Jaylin Scott simply contained in the arc to provide them a two-point lead. They might lengthen that lead within the second half by outscoring the Vikings 16-9 within the third quarter and 16-14 within the fourth.

“We had been in a position to get good pictures after which get our shooters open outdoors just a little bit,” Finley mentioned.

Ninilchik senior guard Colvin Moore earned participant of the sport honors for the second day in a row after persistently making his presence felt on each ends of the court docket and scoring almost 30 factors.

“In my thoughts, he’s the perfect participant at this stage,” Finley mentioned. “He does all of it. He rebounds, performs protection and he can rating from wherever inside or outdoors.”

Each of the beginning put up gamers for Petersburg recorded double figures on scoring with Kyle Biggers’ 19 factors main the group, adopted by Jack Engell, who scored 10 earlier than he fouled out of the sport.

Women

Friday’s outcomes

Semifinals

Metlakatla 28, Su-Valley 24

Tikigaq 40, Glennallen 35

Consolations

Craig 41, Haines 36

Unalakleet 52, Chevak 39

Saturday’s video games

Championship

Tikigaq vs. Metlakatla, 6:30 p.m.

Third/fifth place

Glennallen vs. Su-Valley, 11 a.m.

Fourth/sixth place

Craig vs. Unalakleet, 8 a.m.

Boys

Friday’s outcomes

Semifinals

Tikigaq 67, Metlakatla 63

Ninilchik 53, Petersburg 42

Comfort

Unalakleet 72, Hooper Bay 56

Wrangell 61, Cordova 47

Saturday’s video games

Championship

Ninilchik vs. Tikigaq, 8:30 p.m.

Third/fifth place

Petersberg vs. Metlakatla, 12:30 p.m.

Fourth/sixth place

Unalakleet vs. Wrangell, 9:30 a.m.