The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears boys and girls basketball teams will begin the Region V 2A/4A Basketball Tournament on Thursday in Ketchikan. The Crimson Bears girls play Kayhi at 6 p.m. and the boys play Kayhi at 7:45 p.m. Southeast teams from 2A schools will begin play Wednesday.
“I think if we just keep playing the way we are playing right now, making sure our energy is right, our communication will kind of dictate that and our energy is going to follow our voices,” JDHS boys coach Robert Casperson said. “I like how we have been playing. We are getting Joren (Gasga) back this week; he’s been cleared to play coming off an ankle injury. We’ve been without him the last two weeks and we built some depth and increased our capacity without him in that sense. Ketchikan is really good at what they do. If you were to find their stats I am sure you would see that Marcus Stockhausen is first in just about every single category for them. So he presents some challenges, and we’re going to have to see how we can defend him and try to make somebody else beat us.”
The JDHS boys are 1-3 in the 4A Southeast Conference and 10-15 overall. Ketchikan is 3-1 in the conference and 16-8 overall.
Since their last meeting at Ketchikan Feb. 14-15, which they split — JDHS won 61-50, Kayhi won 58-53 — they each have defeated North Pole, with JDHS winning 76-54 and 54-44 and Kayhi 68-35 and 58-49.
Kayhi also split their last two games at home against Mt. Edgecumbe, losing 56-52 and winning 76-69. JDHS lost to Mt. Edgecumbe at home 80-66 and 68-47.
“We’re going down there 1-3 against Ketchikan this year,” Casperson said. “We’ve got nothing to lose really. We’ve just got to pin our ears back and play as hard as we can. We’ll be happy with our effort at the end of the day. If we do the best that we can and don’t win, then you can’t ask for anything more than that. I do think we have a good opportunity though with the way we are playing to be competitive down there. I think a good Region V tournament is always well run. It’s so fun to be around coaches and athletic directors and the different communities getting together down there. That’s always a real positive and that makes the tournament successful, too. The relationships that are formed there, each kid will be friends with people from around Southeast for decades based on their interactions in southeast sometimes so it’s pretty awesome.”
The Kayhi Kings played a schedule this season that according to the Alaska School Activities Association’s Ranking Percentage Index (RPI), ranks them as eighth in the state. The ranking is used to place conference tournament qualifiers into the state tournament eight-team bracket.
The RPI formula involves a team’s record against eligible 3A/4A varsity teams, opponents’ winning percentage, winning percentage of an opponent’s opponent and overall win/loss record against 3A/4A teams.
“I believe that we have got to take care of the basketball against what we know is going to be intense pressure,” Ketchikan boys coach Eric Stockhausen said of facing JDHS. “We’re going to have to defend the arc from very good shooters and I think rebounding will be really important for success against a team that we know is very aggressive, very physical and athletic. We have a big challenge ahead of us and we’re hopeful we can do those things.”
Grace Christian sits atop of the boys rankings followed by defending state champion Bettye Davis East Anchorage (Cook Inlet Conference), West Valley (Mid Alaska Conference), Wasilla (Northern Lights Conference), Dimond (CIC), Colony (NLC), Service (CIC), Kayhi (SEC), Monroe Catholic (MAC), Palmer (NLC), West Anchorage (CIC), Lathrop (MAC), South Anchorage (CIC), Bartlett (CIC), Mountain City Christian Academy (NLC), JDHS (SEC), Soldotna (NLC), Chugiak (CIC), Kodiak (NLC), North Pole (MAC) and Eagle River (CIC).
The CIC and NLC each send two, automatic region tournament winners and runners-up to the state tournament, the SEC and MAC one each. There are two at-large bids across the state for the final two state berths.
“I think if we go out and play, I mean we just spent three-and-a-half months getting ready to play our best basketball,” coach Stockhausen said. “If we can look at ourselves in the mirror and if we go out and do the things we are capable of doing and if they come out and beat us, but we did what we were supposed to do, that’s life. What we don’t want to do is leave something on the table that we had been doing or know we can do and chose not to. I’ve been here a long time. If you think you know what is going to happen you probably don’t. Rivalry games and just the intensity — we know they are a tough opponent for us. All of our games were very close. I think the team that probably makes the fewest mistakes has the better chance to be successful.”
The JDHS girls are 4-0 in the conference and 17-6 overall. Ketchikan is 0-4 the conference and 8-15 overall.
“In order for us to be successful we need to keep our intensity high for 32 minutes every game,” JDHS girls coach Tanya Nizich said. “We need to attack the basket and make the most out of each possession. Defensively, we know the gym will be loud so communication on defense needs to be top notch.”
Since their last meeting at JDHS, in which the Crimson Bears won 52-23 and 51-23, both teams finished the season on their home courts. JDHS split with Monroe, winning 52-40 and losing 40-33, and the Crimson Bears defeated North Pole 59-29 and 55-26. Kayhi lost to North Pole 51-23 and 35-20 and defeated Mt. Edgecumbe 41-40 and 44-34.
Prior to their last Ketchikan series, JDHS split with Dimond at home, winning 62-48 and losing 53-43. They defeated MEHS on the road 71-54 and 69-54, then hosted and lost to Wasilla 65-34 and 46-30.
“A successful Region V tournament for us is for our players to cut down the net,” Nizich said. “Our Region V tournament is the best tournament in the state. It’s exciting, loud and full of intensity. Playing in that atmosphere is something you will never forget.”
The JDHS girls played a schedule this season that currently ranks them fourth in the state, according to the ASAA RPI. They trail Colony (NLC), Mountain City Christian Academy (NLC) and Wasilla (NLC) and sit above Bartlett (CIC), Dimond (CIC), North Pole (MAC), West Anchorage (CIC), Service (CIC), Soldotna (NLC), Lathrop (MAC), Palmer (NLC), Chugiak (CIC), Ketchikan (SEC), Kodiak (NLC), South Anchorage (CIC), Bettye Davis East Anchorage (CIC), West Valley (MAC) and Eagle River (CIC).
The Kayhi Kings girls are not to be overlooked, definitely not at a region tournament and definitely not at home.
“We need to play hard,” Ketchikan girls coach Kelly Smith said. “A successful tournament is one we can look in the mirror and be proud of at the end. It’s not about winning it’s about looking at yourself in the mirror and saying you gave it your all. If you can do that you win in life.”
REGION V 2A/4A SCHEDULE:
WEDNESDAY
Game 1 _ 2A Girls – No. 4 Craig vs. No. 5 Petersburg, 2 p.m.
Game 2 _ 2A Boys – No. 4 Wrangell vs. No. 5 Petersburg, 3:45 p.m.
Game 3 _ 2A Girls – No. 2 Craig vs. No. 3 Haines, 5:30 p.m.
Game 4 _ 2A Boys – No. 2 Wrangell vs. No. 3 Haines, 7:15 p.m.
THURSDAY
Game 5 _ 2A Girls – No. 1 Metlakatla vs. Wrangell/Petersburg, 11 a.m.
Game 6 _ 2A Boys – No. 1 Metlakatla vs. Craig/Petersburg 12:45 p.m.
Game 7 _ 2A Girls – Loser G1 vs. Loser Game G3, 2:30 p.m.
Game 8 _ 2A Boys – Loser G2 vs. Loser G4, 4:15 p.m.
Game 9 _ 4A Girls – Kayhi vs. Juneau-Douglas, 6 p.m.
Game 10 _ 4A Boys – Kayhi vs. Juneau-Douglas, 7:45 p.m.
FRIDAY
3-point contest, 9 a.m.
Game 11 _ 2A Girls, Winner G7 vs. Loser G5, 11 a.m.
Game 12 _ 2A Boys, Winner G8 vs. Loser G6, 12:45 p.m.
Championship Session
Game 13 _ 2A Girls Championship, 2:30 p.m.
Game 14 _ 2A Boys Championship, 4:15 p.m.
Game 15 _ 4A Girls – Kayhi vs. Juneau-Douglas, 6 p.m.
Game 16 _ 4A Boys – Kayhi vs. Juneau-Douglas, 7:45 p.m.
SATURDAY
Dance Adjudication, 12 p.m.
Game 17 _ 2A Girls Second-Place, Winner G11 vs. Loser G13, 3 p.m.
Game 18 _ 2A Boys Second-Place, Winner G12 vs. Loser G14, 4:45 p.m.
Game 19 _ 4A Girls – if necessary, 6:30 p.m.
Game 20 _ 4A Boys – if necessary, 8:15 p.m.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stole@juneauempire.com.
