Seven extra losses against 4A schools and seven new varsity players are just two ways this season has proven different than last for the Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team.
However, they both share a trip to the March Madness Alaska 4A Boys Championships in Anchorage.
The Crimson Bears (16-10) play the East Anchorage Thunderbirds (22-4) at 6:30 p.m. Thursday in the first round of the tournament.
It’ll be JDHS’ third trip outside of Southeast Alaska this season after playing seven games over 10 days on back-to-back weekend roadtrips.
Both teams will be plenty rested — the Crimson Bears and Thunderbirds’ last respective games came on March 11 when JDHS won over Ketchikan in the Southeast Conference Championship and East Anchorage lost to Dimond in the Cook Inlet Conference Championship. According to JDHS coach Robert Casperson, the team is in good spirits, having mapped a way back to Anchorage via a dramatic run through the Region V (SE Conference) tournament.
“The guys are feeling great about that because they know that when you get to state, you have a chance, and that’s all they wanted, they wanted to have a chance,” Casperson said last week.
Despite winning five of their last six regular season games, few could have expected JDHS’ valiant run at the Region V tournament. After dropping a first round game to Thunder Mountain High School, the Crimson Bears went 3-0, allowing an average of just 51 points during those wins.
If JDHS can replicate those defensive showings on the big stage against East Anchorage, opponents better look out.
“One of the things that we had to contend with here was the strength of our conference opponents’ guards,” Casperson said, alluding to Marcus Lee and Jake Smith of Ketchikan, and Chase Saviers and Noah Reishus-O’Brien of Thunder Mountain.
Casperson said those guards are a taste of East Anchorage’s all-state backcourt of Moses Miller and Trey Huckabay.
“We know they are very dynamic but we also know that our work here in conference and the region helped hopefully to prepare us for this type of challenge,” he said.
Going toe-to-toe with such high-caliber athletes excites junior Kasey Watts.
“I always like being the underdog, because you come in, you really have nothing to worry about,” Watts said. “If you’re the top dog, you know you can’t lose or else people will hate on you.”
As one of the seven players on last year’s state championship squad, Jordan Milligan is helping teammates like Watts prepare for the ‘madness’ that awaits in Anchorage.
“It’s pretty cool to share some of the experiences I’ve had with the newer guys and the younger guys so they can learn from it and have a good time up there,” he said.
A win Thursday could set up a 2016 state championship rematch with Dimond in the second round. A loss and the best the Crimson Bears can place is fourth.
In other first round games, Ketchikan plays Bartlett while top seed Wasilla contends with Kodiak in a rematch of the Northern Lights Conference championship.
The NFHS Network will be webcasting all 118 games throughout March Madness Alaska. For $9.95 you can watch all tournament games on your computer or mobile device at nfhsnetwork.com.
•Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
