Thunder Mountain boys are golden at home tournament
- Klas Stolpe
- 19 hours ago
- 5 min read
Falcons hoopsters defeat Sitka in Icebreaker Invitational overtime
By Klas Stolpe
Juneau Independent
The Thunder Mountain Middle School Falcons A team showed they were the class of their Icebreaker Invitational Basketball Tournament with a 35-32 overtime win against the Sitka Huskies A team.
“Playing as a team was key,” TMMS eighth grader Marquis Lim said. “Everybody contributed in their own way and that is it.”
The first half was an exchange of fast-paced baskets with Sitka’s Stephen Black hitting a short jumper to open action.
TMMS eighth graders Mast Mallott and Gavin Kohan and seventh grader Elias Lockhart put the Falcons up 6-2 with 14:04 left in the first half.
Sitka’s Black tied the game with two baskets in succession, Jian Arce gave them the lead with a score and Zian Cabudol-Manuel hit a free throw for a 9-6 advantage.
TMMS’ Kohan showed he would be hard to handle inside as he battled for two scores to take a 10-9 lead. After Sitka’s Cabudol-Manuel made a layup, Kohan hit a pull-up jumper for a 12-11 Falcons advantage with 2:12 left in the first half.
Sitka’s Garrett Johnson scored on a contested drive through the lane, and Black hit a short jumper to give the Huskies a 15-12 lead after 20 minutes of play.
Sitka’s Cabudol-Manuel hit inside and Black from the arc to sandwich two scores around a basket by TMMS’ Kohan and open the second 20-minute half with a 20-14 Huskies lead.
TMMS would storm back with a basket by E. Lockhart, a block by Kohan leading to a layup by Lim, a driving score by E. Lockhart, a rebound by Kohan leading to a score by eighth grader Yokobi Cole, a basket by eighth grader Henry Olmstead and a driving score by Kohan for a 26-20 Falcons lead with under three minutes to play.
“Sitka is fast and they like to push the pace,” Cole said. “But we matched them and we just kept the intensity the whole game. And we just got out with the win.”
Sitka’s Black hit from inside to pull to 26-22, and after TMMS eighth grader Bridger Lockhart hit for a 28-22 lead Sitka’s Black hit from the arc with 38.6 seconds remaining and teammate Chatham Mork stole a ball and hit from the arc to tie the game at 28-28 with 12 seconds remaining.
“I think we had to go against a different team than how we play,” B. Lockhart said. “Because we had to adapt to what they were throwing at us and I think we did that pretty well.”
A turnover by TMMS forced them into full court pressure and they fouled Sitka, but the Huskies missed two free throws and TMMS’ Kohan rebounded for possession, but the Falcons could not score.
The five-minute overtime stanza saw Sitka’s Cabudol-Manuel steal a ball and score for a 30-28 lead, but TMMS’ Lim dribbled through the lane to score and tie the game at 30-30.
TMMS’ tough, full-court defense forced a turnover and Kohan scored inside and was fouled, completing the three-point play for a 33-30 lead.
While the TMMS ball-sharing offense was key, the Falcons inside defense by Kohan, Mallott and fellow eighth graders Micah Polasky and Logan Fanning was critical in the Falcons win.
“I just try not to let them get the ball,” Kohan said. “I just kept my hand down most of the time, I posted up and rebounded, I don’t know, it was a team win.”
Sitka was forced to foul as TMMS controlled possession, and the Falcons’ Mallott hit a pair of free throws for a 35-30 lead with 47 seconds remaining.
TMMS’ Kohan blocked a Sitka shot with under 30 seconds remaining but the Falcons turned the ball over. Sitka’s Black tipped in a Huskies shot at the buzzer to close to the final 35-32 score.
Players for both teams included TMMS’ Lim, Mallott, Kohan, Cole, E. Lockhart B. Lockhart, Olmstead, Polasky and Fanning and Sitka’s Black, Cabudol-Manuel, Mork, Arce, Sam Ploetzner, Elliott Bagley, Garrett Johnson and Brady Smith.
The complete tournament Icebreaker MVP Awards went to Ivy Elliott - Haines; Lila Tarleton - Haines; Kennedy Wilson - Angoon; Alee Bohulano - Juneau; Ngai Kivalu - Juneau; Juliana Acebo - Whitehorse; Addison Smith - Hoonah; Ellaina Johnson - Yakutat; Parker Baumgartner - Haines; Nathan Sweet - Haines; Zian Cabudol-Manuel - Sitka; Jace Wolfe - Sitka; Connor Kookesh - Angoon; Thane Ligsay - Juneau; Marquis Lim - Juneau; Gavin Ribao - Juneau; Landon Lane - Hoonah; Shea Jackson - Yakutat; Karli Morris - Juneau cheer.
The complete Icebreaker All-Tournament Team selections were Brinley Ganey - Haines; SuniMaRae Duncan - Angoon; Minali Reid - Juneau; Ellie Macht - Whitehorse; Trissa Shepard - Hoonah; Talia Johnson - Yakutat; Brooklyn Jensen - Yakutat; Parker Baumgartner - Haines; Garrett Johnson - Sitka; Fredrick Washington - Angoon; Colin Daniels - Juneau; Devlyn Smith - Hoonah; George Converse - Yakutat; Lucy Burke - Juneau cheer.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@gmail.com.
More photos from the TMMS Icebreaker Invitational Basketball Tournament
(Klas Stolpe / Juneau Independent)
