Capital City Classic basketball tourney starts Saturday
- Klas Stolpe
- Dec 26, 2025
- 7 min read
Crimson Bears welcome Fort Yukon, Kake, Monroe and Petersburg
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears girls and boys varsity basketball teams will begin defense of their home court Saturday during the Capital City Classic basketball tournament inside the George Houston Gymnasium.
At 1 p.m., the Crimson Bears girls, who placed fifth in last season’s Alaska School Activities Association (ASAA) 4A state tournament, tip off the tournament action against the two-time defending ASAA 1A state champion Fort Yukon Lady Eagles.
“We are so very excited to be the host for the Capital City Classic and welcome Monroe, Fort Yukon, Petersburg and Kake,” JDHS girls head coach Tanya Nizich said. “This tournament is a chance for our community to show up, be loud, and remind these players that their dedication matters.”
The JDHS girls return seniors Cambry Lockhart (#3) and Gwen Nizich (#11), junior Layla Tokuoka (#14), and sophomores Sadie Lockhart (#4), Lydia Goins (#15) and Athena Warr (#21). They are joined by senior Raynona Fracker (#20), sophomores Freyja Shelton-Walker (#10), Kyndal Saceda (#12), and Heaven Hotch-McGraw (#25) and freshmen Blythe Lockhart (#5) and Bela Pyare (#23). Assistant coach is Kara Lockhart and athletic director is Julie Herman. At state last season, JDHS defeated Bartlett 49-44, lost to eventual state champion Colony 56-34 and fell to Mountain City Christian Academy 57-37.
The Fort Yukon Lady Eagles are seniors Jane Ward (#3), Nellie Ward (#35), Kylee Carroll (#2) and Jewel Mahler (#24), junior Karli Thomas (#21), and sophomores Heidi Cadzow (#12) and Shandace Carroll (#20). Head coach is Joshua Cadzow and athletic director is Shandace Carroll.
No seniors graduated last season from Fort Yukon, meaning the Lady Eagles return their entire state championship roster from the team that defeated Cook Inlet 55-20, Bristol Bay 45-33, Napaaqtugmiut 38-34 and Shaktoolik 37-33.
At 3 p.m. ASAA 3A third-place finishing Monroe Catholic Rams boys will take on last season’s ASAA 1A state third placer, the Kake Thunderbirds.
The Rams are seniors Ryan Mavencamp (#13) and Isaiah Snow (#12), juniors AJ Geyer (#3), Zavier Oleson (#24), Brayden Washburn (#25) and Cooper Wentz (#30), and sophomores Brayden Oleson (#1), Harrison Roberts (#4), Makai Bond (#21) and Alden Wilbur (#5). Head coach is Jason McCullough, assistant coach is Jeremy Evans and athletic director is Abe Siddall.
The Thunderbirds are juniors Xzavier Munoz-Torres (#1) and Daniel Bean-Willis (#23), sophomore Tyler Davis (#34), freshman Erik Davis (#20), and eighth graders Andre Bean (#3), William Kadake and Fokis Aceveda. Head coach is Shane Padget, assistant coach is Charles Jackson and athletic director is Anthony Ross.
“There are always high expectations when it comes to Kake basketball,” Padget said. “Our boys are very excited to travel to Juneau and perform in the Capital City Classic. This year Charles Jackson and myself a couple of local former T-Birds are coaching and taking the place of Anthony Ross, our beloved boys’ coach, and splitting the duties of boys’ coach this year. We are looking forward to a fun and exciting season. Currently we only have five boys eligible, but these five are the future of the T-Birds. So far this season, they have trained hard and played hard out on the court. We are currently working on how our off-court work ethic translates to the basketball court, and so far so good!”
Six seniors graduated, but four T-Birds return from last season’s team that was within six points of winning the state championship among the 16 schools participating. Munoz-Torres, T. Davis, Bean-Willis and E. Davis all played. Kake defeated King Cove 61-41, lost in the semifinals 68-67 to Shishmaref, defeated Davis Romoth 61-53 and defeated Tri-Valley 62-75.
“Four of the five here (Juneau) played on the team last year,” Padget said. “So they have the experience to help guide us.”
Only two Monroe seniors graduated from their team that defeated Wasilla 50-38 at state, lost to eventual state champion East 48-40 in the semifinals and defeated top-seeded Grace Christian 53-37 for third place. Grace had lost to state runner-up Ketchikan in the semifinals 46-43. The Rams' entire returning roster played at state last season.
At 5 p.m., the Crimson Bears girls return to the court to face last season’s 3A ASAA third-place finisher, the Monroe Catholic Lady Rams, who graduated just three seniors.
The Lady Rams are seniors Emersyn Cortez (#13) and Trinity Turiel (#32), juniors Leila Church (#21) and Leyton Cortez (#11), sophomore Chany Turiel (#3), and freshmen Gemma Geyer (#24), Payton Martino (#20) and Kinsley Owens (#5). Head coach is Tim Church, assistant coach is Jeremy Evans and athletic director is Abe Siddall. Only the Lady Rams freshmen were not on last season’s state team that defeated Mt. Edgecumbe 42-30 at state, lost to state runner-up Barrow 48-33 and topped Kenai 45-18 for third.
At 7 p.m. the Crimson Bears boys will go up against the Petersburg Vikings.
The Vikings are seniors Brayden Kai-Tucker (#0), Noah Pawuk (#12), Alex Holmgrain (#1), Aiden Knudsen (#34) and Logan Tow (#13), juniors Ben Kandoll (#2), Nolan Lutomski (#23) and Eli Anderson (#33), sophomores Mason Knudsen (#22) and Edgar Olsen (#15) and freshman Camden Johnson (#24). Head coach is Rick Brock and assistant coach is Dino Brock. In a December alumni game, the team hit 70% from past the arc and battled competitively on both the offensive and defensive boards in a win against a team laden with former state champions. Petersburg won state in 2024 and placed third in 2023.
“We are happy for the chance to play against one or more of the historically best programs in the state,” Rick Brock said of facing JDHS, Kake and Monroe.
The JDHS boys are seniors Noah Ault (#2) Kurt Kuppert (#3), Brandon Casperson (#5), Christian Rielly (#10), Ryland Carlson (#11), Joren Gasga (#12), Elias Dybdahl (#20) and Tyler Frisby (#21), juniors Hunter Carte (#15), Logan Carriker (#24) and Erik Thompson (#30), and sophomores Micah Nelson (#1) and Zachary Polasky (#44).
“I can say that on the boys' side, we're very happy to host a couple of our regional neighbors in Kake and Petersburg, and the same holds true for Monroe and that they made the trek all the way down from the Interior,” JDHS head coach Robert Casperson said. “We believe this field is a great way to honor the legacy of coach Houston, in his namesake tournament, who meant so much to basketball in the region and across the state. He graduated from UAF, so he always had a soft spot in his heart for the Interior teams.”
The JDHS Dance Team will perform Saturday during halftime of the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. games, at halftime of the 7 p.m. Monday game, and at halftime of the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Tuesday games. Tuesday night performances will be the team’s Light March.
“I am excited to work with this new team and see their growth throughout the season,” JDHS dance coach Kayla Price said.
The JDHS Dance Team are: seniors Yetke Mertl (captain) and Claire Snyder, juniors Nevaeh Algebre (captain), Kate Bovitz (manager), Aubrey Boyden, Linnea Bush (officer), Dalnoi Keaton (officer), Jillian Levy, Ava Meier (officer) and Genevieve Selvig-Baker, sophomores Radar Araujo, Romy Barrett, Azaleigha Castaneda, Nevah Lupro (officer), Baila Ouellette (officer), Calli Peterson (officer), Kallie Puustinen and Riley Severance, and freshmen Abby Boghosian, Aneeyah Bohulano, Analees Corcoran, Molly Duval, Sofia Fernandez, Kinley Johns, Sienna Lee, Elke Mertl and Hannah Mesdag.
The JDHS cheerleaders will also be providing spirit.
“With 13 seniors and 14 new athletes we have got a big team this year, made up of kids brand new to cheer and others who have been cheering for years,” JDHS cheer coach Carlene Nore said. “So there is a wide range of skills and a ton of potential. The team has been putting in the work, preparing for game days and just coming off an exciting week of choreography as we push toward qualifying for Nationals (Jan. 7-11), which means juggling practices, games and the holidays but we are pushing forward. It is not easy balancing game-day routines, competition material and stunt skills but the energy, effort and determination are there and we are taking it on as a team and supporting each other.”
The JDHS cheer team are seniors Hadley Bex, Kaiya Cropley, Marlee Gines, Renz Hill, Mati Iona, Simon Iputi, Jonah Mahle, Shaelyn Martinez, Megan Pierce, Kira Tupou, Richard Tupou, Arely Vera Garcia and Audr Yu, and underclassmen Adriana Blanton, Mae Butler, Azriel Cristobal, Josselyn Davis, Lumi Fermin, Viviana Flores, Aidan Lazo-Chappell, Rylie Mulkey, Laura Parker, Drew Ridle, Alexa Scarano, Hope Scharen, Roxanna Vetrano and Audr Yu. Coaches are C. Nore, Colby Sanders, Reuben Grimes and Chelsea Kilgore.
The George Houston Capital City Classic tournament runs through Tuesday.
Saturday:
1 p.m. - Girls - JDHS Crimson Bears vs. Fort Yukon Lady Eagles.
3 p.m. - Boys - Monroe Catholic Rams vs. Kake Thunderbirds.
5 p.m. - Girls - Monroe Catholic Lady Rams vs. JDHS Crimson Bears.
7 p.m. - Boys - JDHS Crimson Bears vs. Petersburg Vikings.
Sunday:
3 p.m. - Shooting Contests - Open to the public.
Monday:
1 p.m. - Girls - JDHS Crimson Bears inter-squad game.
3 p.m. - Boys - Petersburg Vikings vs. Monroe Catholic Rams.
5 p.m. - Girls - Ft. Yukon Lady Eagles vs. Monroe Catholic Lady Rams.
7 p.m. - Boys - Kake Thunderbirds vs. JDHS Crimson Bears.
Tuesday:
1 p.m. - Girls - JDHS Crimson Bears vs. Monroe Catholic Lady Rams.
3 p.m. - Boys - Petersburg Vikings vs. Kake Thunderbirds.
5 p.m. - Girls - Ft. Yukon Lady Eagles vs. JDHS Crimson Bears.
7 p.m. - Boys - Monroe Catholic Rams vs. JDHS Crimson Bears.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
