Friday Gold Medal gives five teams a second chance at tournament championship
- Klas Stolpe
- 6 hours ago
- 14 min read
Each Saturday title game will feature the defending champion from previous year
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
Friday’s 77th annual Juneau Lions Club Gold Medal Basketball Tournament gave life to five teams as they survived the second-to-last day and a chance at winning a championship on Saturday. And with deep regards, five teams joined the list of tournament exits.
Friday began with Sitka defeating Hoonah 67-42. Sitka will look to avenge its opening day loss to Klukwan in Saturday’s 11 a.m. masters bracket championship. Sitka’s Thomas Anderson scored 16 points, Jeremy Plank added 14 and Jimmie Jensen 13 as the victors put a running clock on the scoreboard during the third quarter. Hoonah’s Jimmy Refuerzo scored 14 and Andy Gray seven.
Sitka is the defending masters bracket champions and will try to take back the crown after a couple morning coffees, stretches and icy hot rub downs before facing Klukwan with a tip off time of 11 a.m. Saturday. Hoonah will watch and cheer on one side or the other.
Masters elimination - Sitka 67 (2-1), Hoonah 42 (1-2)
Sitka 11 26 20 10 — 67
Hoonah 6 14 11 11 — 42
Sitka — Thomas Anderson 16, Jeremy Plank 14, Jimmie Jensen 13, Derek James 7, Efren Arce 5, Justin Bagley 5, David Johnson 4, Cliff Richter 3. 21 2PT / 7 3PT / 4-10 FT / 4 fouls - Richter 1, Johnson 1, Jensen 1, Plank 1.
Hoonah — Jimmy Refuerzo 14, Andy Gray 7, Arthur Campbell 6, Joseph Coronell 4, Mark Prpich 4, Archie Brown 3, Greg Brown 2, Scott Dybdahl 2. 16 2PT / 3 3PT / 1-5 FT / 7 fouls - Refuerzo 2, Glenn Pollau 2.
Friday also featured what was nearly the comeback of the tournament for the Metlakatla women. Trailing Yakutat 40-22 starting the final quarter, they slowly tried to work back into contention as Alexi Russell, Ryley Booth and Drena Hayward hit shots past the arc and started the stanza on an 14-2 run to pull to 42-36. Hayward hit three shots past the arc and Booth, Russell and Ashley Huffine one each.
“I was trying to catch our team up,” Metlakatla’s Drena Hayward said. “We didn’t play as we wanted, but we did what we could. Tried to come back but fell short. We haven’t been here since 2024. We wanted to come here, win some games. We tried to come through the back door but didn’t quite get it. I hope we will work on some stuff and come back stronger next year.”
Yakutat’s floor general Rose Fraker made sure her team stayed on top by spreading the floor and forcing Metlakatla to foul for possession. Fraker hit a show from the arc for a 45-36 lead.
“Our mindset was just keep it together,” Fraker said. “They were playing from behind so they are going to play aggressive and go hard for the steals so it just came down to us and how we were going to hold it.”
Hayward hit from the arc for Metlakatla. Lorena Williams and Fraker hit a free throw for Yakutat and Huffine hit from the arc for Metlakatla to trail 47-42. Kim Armendariz hit a free throw for Yakutat and Hayward hit from the arc and was fouled, completing a four-point play to pull Metlakatla to 48-46 with 26 seconds left. Yakutat’s Fraker hit a free throw with 21 seconds left and Metlakatla’s Russell hit two from the charity stripe with 4.9 seconds remaining to pull to 49-48. Metlakatla fouled Fraker immediately and with 3.1 seconds left she hit two free throws for the 51-48 lead. The last-second inbounds pass for Metlakatla was defended by Yakutat’s Shaye Jensen to secure the win.
“I was ready for it,” Jensen said. “I did the same thing last night in the final seconds so I was ready for it…. 2019 was my first year and I have never made it to a Gold Medal championship so I am excited. My first one.”
Yakutat (3-1) will have a rematch against Craig (2-0) for the title at 1 p.m. Saturday. Craig put Yakutat into the Friday elimination game with a Thursday night 56-50 win.
“I think our shots didn’t fall against Craig,” Jensen said. “We can do well against that team. I think we are ready for it and excited.”
Craig is the defending Womens bracket champion. The title game is slated for 1 p.m. Saturday.
Womens elimination - Yakutat 51 (3-1), Metlakatla 48 (2-2)
Yakutat 9 14 17 11 — 51
Metlakatla 5 10 7 26 — 48
Yakutat — Rose Fraker 13, Kim Armendariz 10, Shaye Jensen 8, Janie Jensen 8, Nadine Fraker 5, Malina Olney-Mille 4, Lorena Williams 3. 10 2PT / 5 3PT / 16-25 FT / 12 fouls - N. Fraker 4.
Metlakatla — Drena Hayward 20, Ryley Booth 11, Alexi Russell 11, Ashley Huffine 3, Jezimay Calf Boss Ribs 3. 7 2PT / 9 3PT / 7-13 FT / 20 fouls - Huffine 4, Disney Wiliams 4.
In the A bracket, FILCOM wanted revenge on Metlakatla for their Tuesday tournament opening 86-75 loss and they nearly got it. In a game with two of the most talented rosters battling for the right to stay alive one more tournament day, fans were treated to a highlight reel of athleticism and straight-out ballin’ fun.
You can’t write “loss” in a game like this, but a team had to be on the lower end of the score and Metlakatla defeated FILCOM 78-77 behind 29 points from Nate Yockey and 23 from Porter Nelson.
Metlakatla lead 56-40 in the third quarter but everyone in the gym knew the game was far from over and FILCOM ran off a string of shots inside and outside the arc by Sean Oliver, Phillip Gonzalez and Alwen Carrillo to pull to 56-53
Kyan Scudero hit inside and player-coach Nathan Yockey put Metlakatla up 61-53 with a shot past the arc. Metlakatla got a free throw from 33 and 23 electrified the bleachers with a long distance jumper at the buzzer to close to 61-57 with a final 10 minutes awaiting.
“This is huge,” Scudero said after the win. “It has been a long time coming getting a team like this together. It was put together last minute. I don’t know, we just have great team chemistry for never playing together, any of us. We have always been friends. It is just kind of there, it is exciting for sure. And having Nate overseeing us is huge. He is a great player, a great ball IQ. It is huge having him as a leader.”
Said Yockey, “It is a tough balance. As a coach you learn you have to coach guys differently. Each guy has their own thing. Some guys you have to pep up, other guys you have to tone down a little bit.”
Yockey tells his charges “positive masculinity is power control. Because you are no good if you have too much power and you are all over the place and are reckless and crazy. And you are no good to anybody if you are not powerful. As men, I think the best men have that sense of power but it is under control. So either you have to bring that fire out of a guy, tell them to lock in or you tell them to tone it down to hone it into what the team needs at a given moment… I met most of these guys when I was handing them our jerseys.”
FILCOM’s Bryce Swofford hit to open the final quarter and Metlakatla’s Yockey was fouled on a shot past the arc and hit all three shots from the charity stripe for a Metlakatla 64-59 lead. A rebound score by Metlakatla’s Archie Dundas JR moved that to 66-59 but FILCOM’s Bryson Echiverri and Brady Carandang scored to pull to 66-64 and Swofford blocked a shot on the other end to give Echiverri a fast break lay-in to tie the game at 66-66.
The action would flow back-and-forth with minor mishaps until Metlakatla’s Yockey drove the baseline and powered in a 68-66 advantage they would never relinquish despite FILCOM staying a basket away.
Metlakatla’s Porter Nelson hit on a drive and was answered by FILCOM’s Carrillo for a 70-69 score. A tough rebound by Clay Olstad gave Nelson another shot and he hit from the arc.
FILCOM’s roster is bound together by a Juneau upbringing in hoops, and it showed with a crowd that matched those cheering for Metlakatla.
“It is kind of surreal,” FILCOM’s Carrillo said. “I got to play with Sean (Oliver) and against Sam (Lockhart) in high school and it is kind of cool that we all just get to play together on the same floor, especially back in our hometown… It feels nice because in college you don’t really get the crowd that we get here at home. It feels like good old times.”
Added FILCOM’s Oliver, “When you hear the announcers asking for FILCOM or asking for Met, you hear those fans and that is what makes it important. That is what I love most about getting out here, just playing for those people who are supporting you. That is what it is about.”
FILCOM’s Samuel Lockhart answered from the arc for a 73-72 score. Nelson hit again for a 75-72 lead with under three minutes to play.
Metlakatla pulled the ball out and froze the play after FILCOM’s Echiverri hit on a drive to pull to 75-74. Forced to foul, FILCOM put Metlakatla’s Nelson on the line and he hit two for a 77-74 lead. FILCOM would miss a shot and Metlakatla’s Clay Olstad was fouled with 11 seconds left to play.
“Man, this means everything,” Olstad said. “We have obviously been playing against all these FILCOM guys since high school and stuff like that. A lot of our team weren’t even on my high school team but they have always been my friends and buddies. This was just last minute put together and it has been fun this whole week. We hope to have a good showing in the championship tomorrow.”
Olstad is an example of what much of the game provided. Hard hustle plays from both teams, some players not getting in the scoring column but providing intense defense and rebounding. Olstad hit his first free throw for 78 but the last rimmed out and FILCOM’s Carandang hit a shot from the arc as the buzzer sounded for the final 78-77 tally.
“Metlakatla is a community with a lot of pride,” Yockey said. “And I think it is defined by the things we saw today down the stretch… being competitors. What we talked about in pregame was that a great coach once told me it is not about Xs and Os it is about Jacks and Joes. It is about the kind of guys you have that play and not about schemes. And that is what it is like in this ‘A’ bracket. It is about how much you are willing to compete, how much you are willing to get after guys. That was our pregame message, Jacks and Joes.”
Metlakatla (2-1) advances to face AML (2-0) in the 3 p.m. Saturday championship. AML defeated Metlakatla 92-84 in a Thursday semifinal. AML is the defending A bracket champion.
A bracket elimination - Metlakatla 78 (2-1), FILCOM 77 (1-2)
Metlakatla 17 28 16 17 — 78
FILCOM 18 22 17 20 — 77
Metlakatla — Nate Yockey 29, Porter Nelson 23, Kyan Scudero 10, Archie Dundas JR 7, Brody Bazinet 5, Drew Yuniemi 3, Clay Olstad 1. 15 2PT / 13 3PT / 9-14 FT / 13 fouls - Yockey 3.
FILCOM — Brady Carandang 20, Allen Carrillo 18, Bryson Echiverri 13, Samuel Lockhart 6, Sean Oliver 6, Bryce Swofford 5, Pedrin Saceda Hurt 3, Phillip Gonzalez 3, Meki Toutaiolepo 3. 14 2PT / 15 3PT / 4-8 FT / 13 fouls - Swofford 4.
Definitely not overshadowed on talent, the night’s final two elimination contests were fan favorites in a packed gym. Hydaburg opened their C bracket game with a 22-14 first quarter lead behind a mix of three shots past the arc by Devin Edenshaw, Joe Young and Eric Hamilton and then fast-breaking scores by D. Edenshaw, J. Young, Ben Young and Darren Edenshaw. Kake stayed in the game with two shots past the arc by Shea Jackson and four field goals by Derek Knudsen.
The two sides stayed hot though the second quarter with Hydaburg scoring 27 points, including four shots past the arc by Devin Edenshaw, and Kake scoring 18 including eight from Trevor Rostad.
Hydaburg stayed hot in the second half adding another 24 points in the third quarter while Kake scored 17 to trail 73-49. A valiant effort in the final 10 minutes still left Kake trailing at the end despite a game-high 26 points from Knudsen on the night. Hydaburg was led by Devin Edenshaw’s 20 points and 17 from B. Young, and will get a second change at battling Hoonah in the 5 p.m. Saturday championship game. Hoonah (3-0) had defeated Hydaburg 75-65 in Thursday’s semifinal. Hydaburg (3-1) will be seeking to repeat as C bracket champions.
C bracket elimination - Hydaburg 88 (3-1), Kake 70 (2-2)
Hydaburg 22 27 24 15 — 88
Kake 14 18 17 21 — 70
Hydaburg — Devin Edenshaw 20, Ben Young 17, Joe Young 14, Eric Hamilton 13, Darren Edenshaw 10, TJ Young 5, Don Alander 4, Joe Sanderson 3, Tony Peele 2. 16 2PT / 14 3PT / 14-18 FT / 9 fouls - B. Young 3.
Kake — Derek Knudsen 26, Trevor Rostad 13, Shea Jackson 10, Rudy Bean 9, Kelly Brown 5, Travis Aceveda 4, Deion Jackson 2, Dean Cavanaugh 1. 22 2PT / 8 3PT / 2-4 FT / 15 fouls - Rostad 5, S. Jackson 4.
The balcony had been opened for Friday’s C bracket game and for the final game of the evening it was filled with fans for the Angoon and Yakutat B bracket clash. ‘Seating’ was a misnomer as fans were on their feet longer than in their seats with both teams’ cheering sections heard along the length of Glacier Avenue.
Angoon opened a crucial 28-19 first-quarter advantage behind five players hitting from past the arc. Tajaun Jamestown hit one (and scored seven in the stanza), Jonathan Jack Nixon hit one, Aquino Brinson hit one (and scored nine in the stanza0, Isaiah Nelson hit two and Duncan O’Brien hit one. Yakutat stayed within striking distance with Arthur Adams scoring twice past the arc and Kalen Klushkan hitting four shots closer in. Joshua James and Tracy Jackson added scores and Darren Silas hit a free throw.
Yakutat inched closer in the second quarter, outscoring Angoon 14-10 to trail 38-33 at the half, and outscored Angoon 15-14 in the third quarter behind nine points from Adams and a shot past the arc from Silas and Klushkan to trail 52-48. Adams added another eight points in the final 10 minutes and Silas six, but the game was evenly played, defensively, on both sides. Angoon hit 8-10 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter - Brinson was 6-8 - and Jamestown hit two driving shots in traffic and another past the arc.
Angoon (4-1) earned the chance to defend its B bracket championship and will face Haines (3-0) in the 7 p.m. Saturday title game.
B bracket elimination - Angoon 71 (4-1), Yakutat 65 (2-2)
Angoon 28 10 14 19 — 71
Yakutat 19 14 15 17 — 65
Angoon — Aquino Brinson 25, Tajaun Jamestown 14, Clayton Edwin 11, Kendrick Payton 9, Isaiah Nelson 6, Jonathan Jack Nixon 3, Duncan O’Brien 3. 13 2PT / 10 3PT / 15-21 FT / 13 fouls - Gregory Bennum 4, I. Nelson 3.
Yakutat — Arthur Adams 27, Darren Silas 15, Kalen Klushkan 15, Tracy Jackson 6, Joshua James 2. 15 2PT / 9 3PT / 8-11 FT / 22 fouls - Klushkan 5, Silas 4.
SATURDAY GAMES
11 a.m. Masters Championship - defending champion Klukwan (2-0) vs. Sitka (2-1)
1 p.m. Womens Championship - defending champion Craig (2-0) vs. Yakutat (3-1)
3 p.m. A Championship - defending champion AML (2-0) vs. Metlakatla (2-1)
5 p.m. C Championship - Hoonah (3-0) vs. defending champion Hydaburg (3-1)
7 p.m. B Championship - Haines (3-0) vs. defending champion Angoon (4-1)
GOLD MEDAL TOURNEY GAMES
SUNDAY SCORES
10:30 a.m. B bracket - Haines 98 (1-0), Klawock 58 (0-1)
12:00 p.m. Womens - Kake 62 (1-0), Metlakatla 46 (0-1)
1:30 p.m. B bracket - Hoonah 66 (1-0), Angoon 65 (0-1),
4:00 p.m. Masters - Hoonah 56 (1-0), Angoon 50 (0-1)
5:30 p.m. Womens - Yakutat 51 (1-0), Angoon 46 (0-1)
7:00 p.m. B bracket - Yakutat 65 (1-0), Metlakatla 58 (0-1)
MONDAY SCORES
9 a.m. B bracket - Hydaburg 82 (1-0), Kake 80 (0-1)
10:30 a.m. Womens - Craig 58 (1-0), Kake 50 (1-1)
12 p.m. C bracket - Hydaburg 94 (1-0), Yakutat 59 (0-1)
1:30 p.m. B bracket - Haines 79 (2-0), Hoonah 71 (1-1)
4 p.m. Womens - Yakutat 71 (2-0), Hoonah 26 (0-1)
5:30 p.m. Masters - Klukwan 86 (1-0), Sitka 66 (0-1)
7 p.m. B bracket - Yakutat 69 (2-0), Hydaburg 54 (1-1)
8:30 p.m. C bracket - Hoonah 82 (1-0), Angoon 51 (0-1)
TUESDAY SCORES
10:30 a.m. B bracket - Angoon 82 (1-1), Klawock 70 (0-2) eliminated
Noon C bracket - Hydaburg 95 (2-0), Kake 71 (0-1)
1:30 p.m. Open - AML 87 (1-0), Mt. Edgecumbe 79 (0-1)
4 p.m. C bracket - Hoonah 76 (2-0), Metlakatla 72 (0-1)
5 p.m. Open - Metlakatla 86 (1-0), FILCOM 75 (0-1)
7 p.m. B bracket - Kake 86 (1-1), Metlakatla 58 (0-2) eliminated
WEDNESDAY SCORES
9 a.m. B bracket - Angoon 85 (2-1), Hydaburg 77 (1-2) eliminated
10:30 a.m. C bracket - Kake 71 (1-1), Angoon 69 (0-2) eliminated
Noon A bracket - 2 OT, FILCOM 100 (1-1), Mt. Edgecumbe 91 (0-2) eliminated
1:30 p.m. Womens - Angoon 56 (1-1), Kake 48 (0-2) eliminated
4 p.m. Masters - Sitka 73 (1-1), Angoon 48 (0-2) eliminated
5:30 p.m. C bracket - Metlakatla 65 (1-1), Yakutat 53 (0-2) eliminated
7 p.m. Womens - Metlakatla 66 (1-1), Hoonah 32 (0-2) eliminated
8 p.m. B bracket - Kake 71 (2-1), Hoonah 45 (1-2) eliminated
THURSDAY SCORES
9 a.m. C bracket - Kake 70 (2-1), Metlakatla 57 (1-2) eliminated
10:30 a.m. Womens - Metlakatla 54 (2-1), Angoon 37 (1-2) eliminated
Noon B bracket - Angoon 80 (2-1), Kake 68 (2-2) eliminated
1:30 p.m. Masters semifinal - Klukwan 87 (2-0), Hoonah 60 (1-1)
4 p.m. C bracket semifinal - Hoonah 75 (3-0), Hydaburg 65 (2-1)
5:30 p.m. A bracket semifinal - AML 92 (2-0), Metlakatla 84 (1-1)
7 p.m. B bracket semifinal - Haines 81 (3-0), Yakutat 52 (2-1)
8:30 p.m. Womens semifinal - Craig 56 (2-0), Yakutat 50 (2-1)
FRIDAY SCORES
11 a.m. Masters - Sitka 67 (2-1), Hoonah 42 (1-2) eliminated
1 p.m. Womens - Yakutat 51 (3-1), Metlakatla 48 (2-2) eliminated
3 p.m. A bracket - Metlakatla 78 (2-1), FILCOM 77 (1-2) eliminated
5 p.m. C bracket - Hydaburg 88 (3-1), Kake 70 (2-2) eliminated
7 p.m. B bracket - Angoon 71 (4-1), Yakutat 65 (2-2) eliminated
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
