Hoonah Lady Braves win first region title since 1997, advance to state
- Klas Stolpe
- 3 hours ago
- 11 min read
Skagway Panthers win boys title, Klawock boys and Kake girls earn second seeds to state
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Hoonah Lady Braves upset the top-seeded Kake Thunderbirds on Friday during the Region V 1A basketball championships in Sitka, winning the first region title for the Lady Braves since 1997.
"We did it!" Hoonah sophomore Nevaeh Campbell exclaimed. "We did it! We won the championship. My mom was on the last team that won it, back in '97. Finally, we won it again."
For Hoonah coach Marlene Duvall the title honors the entire community. The town held a parade today from the school to the ferry terminal and to the post office. Despite the snow, fans lined up along Front Street and cheered and cars followed the parade.
"There is a real sense of pride, unity and collective joy in Hoonah as a result," Duvall said. The community of Hoonah supports these girls in so many ways; showing up to fundraisers, coming to our games and cheering the girls on, traveling to watch them play, even giving them pointers on the game."
Hoonah will be the top seed from Southeast heading into the 1A state tournament March 11-14 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
“I am elated for this group of young Hoonah women to have come out the victor of this matchup with the young women of Kake,” Hoonah coach Marlene Duvall said. “The Hoonah-Kake matchup is always intense and full of energy on both sides. My girls have worked hard this season to prepare for whatever they may face in big games such as the regional championship and they certainly delivered. I am so proud of how they handled the pressure, the crowd, the unexpected and the very physical nature of the matchup.”
Last season Hoonah lost the championship to Klawock by one point, 34-33, at the region tournament in Juneau. Hoonah took the lead by a point with 13 seconds left as then-junior Paige Woitte hit a jumper, but Klawock senior Lea Armour pushed the ball up court and then junior Keira Sanderson scored with six seconds left to play. Hoonah’s final desperation shot was tipped away by Armour for her (she and Kaiya Marvin played on varsity since eighth grade) and Klawock’s fifth region title in a row.
But all of that was last season, and many of Hoonah’s roster returned.
“This two-point victory had a feeling of redemption and celebration all at the same time,” Duvall said. “This group of girls has matured a lot over the season and have learned to handle pressure by trusting in each other and themselves and having fun in moments of close competition. Their mindset and confidence heading on to the floor for tip-off was right where it needed to be to get the job done.”
Woitte, now a senior, and Campbell pulled down seven and nine rebounds, respectively. The Lady Braves' board work was a key element in the win.
“Both brought in the majority of rebounds helping us control the ball as much as we were able to,” Duvall said. “Ava Hinchman came up big with a couple of free throws at the end to ensure we would win. She really stepped up on defense and did a fantastic job helping to break Kake’s full-court press throughout the second half. Payton Smith played tough defense and had some key steals in the last couple of minutes of the game.”
The Thunderbirds’ press is notorious in Southeast as one of the toughest to get through.
Hoonah junior Jora Savland handled the pressure of the Kake traps well during the game and on defense she would register nine steals.
Hoonah led just 6-5 after eight minutes, 19-13 at the half and 33-23 after three quarters. Kake outscored Hoonah 14-6 in the fourth quarter, with Brooklyn Hallingstad hitting two shots past the arc and getting within two points before falling 39-37.
Easton Ross led Hoonah with 11 points despite only playing in the first half due to foul trouble. Woitte added nine points and five steals. Campbell scored eight, Savland seven and Hinchman four. Hoonah was 12-26 from the line.
B. Hallingstad led Kake with nine points, Clair Davis and Aurora Davis eight apiece, Eden Hallingstad six, Kristina Jackson-Walainez four and Lydia Chang two. Kake shot just 1-2 from the line.
"To bring the title back to Hoonah for the first time since 1997 is overwhelming and humbling," Duvall said. "It serves a huge motivator to keep striving to be the best we can be and a key way for us to acknowledge all the support given over the years in Hoonah, keeping girls basketball going and growing in the community."
Hoonah had fallen to the unbeaten Kake girls by scores of 49-38 and 41-30 during the 1A Southeast season but know the talent is just as tough across the state.
“From our experience at the state tournament last year and also playing some of the top five 1A teams in the state during our regular season this year, we expect to see fast-paced action on both ends of the court,” Duvall said. “We know winning battles for rebounds and making free throws any time we get to the line will be major contributors to the outcome of the games we play at state this year. The girls are focused and understand that making it to state isn’t an ‘arrival’ situation. Making it to state is a part of a process for them as individual basketball players and also as a team. They have goals for the state tournament and there is much work to do this week to ensure they are prepared to reach their goals with successful outcomes. They are not afraid of the hard work they need to do this week and are very excited to make a showing at the 1A state tournament for a second year in a row.”
The Kake girls bounced back after the 39-37 loss to Hoonah on Friday with a convincing 47-19 victory over Skagway on Saturday in the second-place game that decides the second berth to state.
“I have got great senior leaders,” Kake coach Anthony Ross said. “Our goal was always to win regionals from day one, but we ultimately fell short by two points. It was a tough loss. But our focus then went towards making state with the idea that everyone starts 0-0. And to do that we had to move on quickly.”
The Thunderbirds bombed away from long range in their win over Skagway, scoring 30 of their 47 points from beyond the three-point arc.
“It was our first loss of the season, but the girls responded well,” Ross said. “We used that frustration and disappointment to fuel our game against Skagway. The girls opened the game determined to redeem themselves and their season. Much like my previous teams, we are built on defense and pressure with a rotating bench 10 deep. We are excited to showcase what we can do and what we bring next week at the state tournament.”
B. Hallingstad led Kake in the win, hitting five three-pointers and finishing with 17 points. A. Davis added four 3-pointers and finished with 14 points. C. Davis finished with nine points for Kake.
The Thunderbirds led 12-2 after the first quarter and were up 19-10 at the half before putting the game away by outscoring Skagway 19-5 in the third quarter.
Kelsey Cox led Skagway with eight points. Milly Meyers finished with seven.
“We had a solid team capable of getting one of the two state tournament berths,” Skagway coach Nathan Jennings said. “But our shots just did not fall this week.”
Earlier on Saturday, Skagway had kept its hopes alive with a 34-27 elimination game win over Angoon. Meyers led Skagway with 15 points, MacKenzie Mixon added nine. Angoon did not hit a single two-point field goal in the loss, scoring its points on eight three-pointers and three free throws.
“They never quit,” Skagway’s Jennings said. “They gave me everything they had.”
The Region V 1A Girls All-Conference team was Skagway’s Lennon Jennings and Millie Myers; Kake’s Claire Davis and Brooklyn Hallingstad; Hoonah’s Paige Woitte and Easton Ross; Klawock’s Jacqueline Fairbanks and Keira Sanderson; Yakutat’s Avery Jensen; and Angoon’s Lisa Kookesh-Booth.
On the boys' side, the Klawock Chieftains were the top seed in the region after going 12-1 in conference play during the regular season, but the Skagway Panthers were right behind at 10-2.
Klawock would fall to Skagway 46-43 in the Region V title game Friday, and edge Hydaburg 54-50 to claim second place on Saturday.
“Our pregame discussion prior to the championship game was about being committed to the process of what you are doing without being emotionally invested in the outcome of what you are doing,” Klawock coach Nate Yockey said. “With emotional investment in the outcome comes fear of failure. We asked the boys, ‘Can you be committed to doing the things that champions do without being emotionally invested in whether or not you become a champion?’ The rebound after the loss to Skagway, from a coaching standpoint, felt easy. The boys did everything that champions do, they defended hard, they played together and they followed the game plan. Skagway is a great team and they hit a few more shots than we did, especially from the foul line.”
In Friday's title game, Klawock built an early 18-10 lead, but Skagway came back to tie the score, 25-25, at the half. In the second half, Skagway used a 7-0 run to claim a 41-30 lead in the fourth quarter, but Klawock responded with a 9-0 run of its own, cutting the deficit to 41-39 on a 3-pointer by Connor Bagby with 2:37 left in the game.
“Our defense and rebounding kept us in the game,” Skagway coach Ross Barrett said. “Offensively I just wanted our guys to be patient finding our windows to attack the basket. Our shots were not falling early, but told them to keep shooting with confidence.”
Klawock got within a point on a couple of occasions in the final minute of play, but Skagway made enough free throws down the stretch to hold on. Trailing 45-43, Klawock had a chance at a go-ahead three-pointer with five seconds left before Skagway added one more point at the free throw line with a fraction of a second left on the clock.
Royce Borst and Camden Lawson led Skagway with 16 points apiece, Kaleb Cochran, Malcolm Lawson and Ryder Calver had four each and Luca Tronrud two. The Panthers hit 8-16 from the line.
Senior Connor Bagby led Klawock with 17 points, Ray Fairbanks added 11 and Tristan Ryno, Paul Lingley and DJ Peel five each. The Chieftains went 0-6 at the line.
“I am very proud of how everyone played as a team,” Skagway’s Barrett said. “They trusted each other and played their roles. Overall we had three great team wins. We expect each game at state to get progressively harder. Our goal all year has been to play our best in March. I believe when we win the rebounding battle, limit our turnovers, and get good shots, we are capable of beating anyone.”
Klawock would earn the second seed to state on Saturday by playing in the second-place contest for the fifth year in a row, and for the fourth time the Chieftains won the game, defeating Hydaburg 54-50.
“I am proud of the character of our boys to battle through adversity the entire tournament,” Klawock coach Yockey said. “It is difficult to beat any good team twice, let alone to play Hydaburg six times this season, twice that tournament, and gut out wins despite Hydaburg’s talent and their grit that is always defined them as a program.”
Klawock started strong against a Hydaburg team playing its second game of the day, building a 22-10 lead after the first quarter of play. Hydaburg trailed 31-19 in the second quarter, but scored the final eight points of the half to go into the break down just 31-27.
In the second half, Hydaburg opened with an 11-2 run — making it a 19-2 run spanning the break — to vault into the lead, 38-33, before Klawock was able to shake out of its offensive malaise. The Chieftains went on a 10-0 run to reclaim the lead, 43-38. An old-fashioned three-point play from Bagby and a three-pointer from the arc finished off the run.
Hydaburg tied the game 50-50 on a steal and a layup from Alan Kaneki with just over two minutes to play. Lingley put Klawock back on top with a drive to the basket for a layup just seconds later. Hydaburg had an open look at a potential go-ahead three-pointer with a minute remaining and later had a mid-range pull-up shot miss before Klawock was able to put the contest away with a pair of free throws with 14 seconds left.
Bagby finished with 20 points for Klawock, including three three-pointers. Raymond Fairbanks had 13 points and Paul Lingley scored 10. Tyrone Carlson finished with a game-high 32 points to lead Hydaburg. Carlson was 12 for 12 at the free-throw line and hit four 3-pointers.
It was the second meeting of the region tournament between Hydaburg and Klawock. The fifth-seeded Warriors upset No. 4 Hoonah 58-51 in the first round to set up a semifinal matchup with Klawock, which toppled Thorne Bay 68-29 in the opening round.
Klawock beat Hydaburg 63-49 in the semifinals before falling to Skagway in the championship game. In the consolation bracket, Hydaburg eliminated four-time defending region champion Kake 61-50 on Friday, and then edged Angoon 48-43 Saturday morning to earn the rematch with Klawock in the second-place game.
In the Saturday morning game, Hydaburg trailed Angoon 16-11 after the first quarter, but then outscored Angoon 10-0 in the second quarter to take a five-point halftime lead. Carlson scored 14 points and Kaneki had 13 points to lead Hydaburg.
“The preparation for state is the same as it has been for us all season,” Klawock’s Yockey said. “The next week of practice we will focus on the process, managing the things we can control — our effort and attitude — and honing our identity as a defensive team.”
The Region V 1A boys All-Conference selections were Hoonah’s Lawrence T. Howland; Thorne Bay’s Davin Hamby; Skagway’s Royce Borst and Camden Lawson; Gustavus’ Tucker Kelly; Klawock’s Raymond Fairbanks, Connor Bagby, and Tristin Ryno; Kake’s Xzavier Munoz-Torres; Angoon’s Beebuks Kookesh; and Hydaburg’s Tyrone Carlson and Alan Kaneki.
Region V 1A Boys/Girls Championships
Wednesday Games
Boys No. 8 Thorne Bay 59, No. 9 Yakutat 17
Boys No. 1 Klawock 68, No. 8 Thorne Bay 29
Boys No. 5 Hydaburg 58, No. 4 Hoonah 51
Boys No. 2 Skagway 68, No. 7 Gustavus 24
Boys No. 3 Angoon 43, No. 6 Kake 41
Girls No. 4 Angoon 40, No. 5 Klawock 36
Thursday Games
Boys Elimination game - Hoonah 64, Yakutat 45
Boys Elimination game - Kake 71, Gustavus 53
Boys Semifinal- Skagway 79, Angoon 30
Boys Semifinal - Klawock 63, Hydaburg 49
Girls Semifinals - No. 2 Hoonah 44, No. 3 Skagway 21
Girls Semifinals - No. 1 Kake 50, No. 4 Angoon 8
Friday Games
Boys Elimination game - Hoonah 71, Thorne Bay 38
Boys Elimination game - Hydaburg 61, Kake 50
Boys Elimination game - Angoon 61, Hoonah 56
Girls Elimination game - Skagway 53, Klawock 19
Boys Championship game - Skagway 46, Klawock 43
Girls Championship game - Hoonah 39, Kake 37
Saturday Games
Boys Elimination game - Hydaburg 48, Angoon 43
Girls Elimination game - Skagway 34, Angoon 27
Boys Second-place game - Klawock 54, Hydaburg 50
Girls Second-place game - Kake 47, Skagway 19
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com. Richard Larson of the Ketchikan Daily News contributed to this report.
