JDHS girls fall in fast-paced game to visiting Dimond squad

The Dimond High School girls basketball team used some home town lineage to topple Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on Saturday as the visiting Lynx downed the Crimson Bears 53-43 inside the George Houston Gymnasium thanks to a pair of hoopsters with Southeast ties.

“My dad told me about the energy, and how fun it was to play in those games and watch those games,” Dimond senior center Evan Hamey said of playing at Juneau. “Just how much of a legacy it was and the environment. You know coming down here I was super excited to experience it, and get to play in my dad’s old gym and my grandpa’s old gym, so it was super exciting.”

Evan’s father Chris Hamey was an all-state player for the Crimson Bears, graduating in 1995, and went on to earn all-conference honors at the University of Alaska Anchorage, graduating in 2000. Her grandpa James Hamey, who coached both the JDHS boys and girls for a combined two decades also spoke of those days.

“Just how fun it was,” E. Hamey said. “How great it was to coach here and he had some great stories…They both told me to just ignore the noise and play our game.”

Dimond did just that as both the Lynx, and the Crimson Bears put on an energetic display of defensive pressure and contested shots.

Lynx senior Mecca Goldsberry opened the game with a steal and score for a 2-0 lead, and classmate Sienna Pederson picked off a pass, but could not convert and Crimson Bears senior Cailynn Baxter stole a rebound inside for a 2-2 tie.

JDHS senior Kerra Baxter followed with a steal and was fouled, hitting two free throws for a 4-2 lead.

Hamey would hit inside for Dimond to tie the score at 4-4.

Steals and turnovers would help and hamper both sides.

Dimond junior Kinsey MacDonald scored inside off an assist from Hamey who stole a pass, and a Hamey rebound led to a fast-break basket by Pederson for an 8-4 advantage.

JDHS would also find thievery as senior Addison Wilson recorded a steal and passed to junior Cambry Lockhart who scored and was fouled. Cambry missed the extra shot and junior Gwen Nizich rebounded, but her put back shot was blocked by Dimond’s Hamey to end the quarter with the Lynx up 8-6.

“Dimond is a good team,” Gwen Nizich said. “They came out with fire tonight. They had us in a half-court trap. I think our takeaway from their defense especially was just to keep our composure with the ball, not putting it straight to the ground and just making our smart passes with ball fakes because turnovers were a huge dagger tonight. I think just limiting those with smart passes and ball movement is going to be super key moving forward.”

JDHS’ K. Baxter rebounded a missed shot and fed sophomore Layla Tokuoka to tie the game at 8-8 opening the second quarter.

Dimond’s trap involved Pederson, junior Katie MacDonald and freshman Khloe Mack along the half-court, and Pederson found herself open past the arch after a JDHS turnover and drained a shot for an 11-8 lead.

Back to back steals by JDHS’ Wilson and C. Baxter were sandwiched between Crimson Bears turnovers as both teams continued to defend across the half-court line.

Hamey would record two more blocks in the quarter for Dimond but JDHS went on a 5-2 run on baskets by K. Baxter and Lockhart and another free throw by K. Baxter to tie the game at 13-13.

Hamey hit a short jumper to give Dimond the 15-13 lead but JDHS’ Nizich hit a free throw, stole a ball and then scored on a give-and-go from C. Baxter to lead 16-15.

With 11 seconds remaining in the first half Hamey hit from long range to give Dimond an 18-16 lead but Nizich answered with a basket at the buzzer to tie the game at 18-18.

“What we took away from this game is to just really expect everything,” K. Baxter said. “And not to take anything for granted…we’re just going to go to practice on Monday and work really hard, and keep up the intensity. Their press bothered us.”

Dimond would open the second half with a basket by Katie MacDonald that was answered by JDHS’ K. Baxter.

Then Dimond’s Goldsberry was fouled on a scoring basket and hit the free throw for a 23-20 lead.

Lockhart answered for JDHS but Dimond’s Katie MacDonald was fouled on a rebound and hit both free throws, and Pederson was fouled after a steal and hit a free throw, Hamey blocked a shot and rebounded another and threw an outlet pass to Goldsberry who found a shot past the arch for a 28-22 lead which forced JDHS to take a timeout.

Goldsberry had moved from Nome to Sitka in second grade and stayed through seventh grade, went to Colony for eighth grade and freshmen year, moved back to Sitka for her sophomore campaign and then to Dimond.

“I miss the community of Southeast the most,” Goldsberry said. “And how hyped everyone is for games and how supportive the whole community is. I know every single one of the Juneau players. I grew up playing all of them since fourth grade.”

Goldsberry said she sold the virtues of Southeast to her Anchorage teammates.

“For this game I let them know that this is going to be the most packed game we have played,” she said. “There’s going to be a band, there’s going to be a crowd. It’s going to be the hypest game we are going to be at…I loved it. It made me feel like I was back at Sitka, back kind of like in my home town and I love that home town energy where the whole town shows up for the game and supports everybody.”

Coming out of the time out JDHS found G. Nizich open from the corner and she drained a deep shot to pull to 28-25 with four minutes left in the stanza.

Dimond answered with a score by Pederson, JDHS’ G. Nizich hit inside and Dimond’s Goldsberry scored to force another JDHS timeout.

Coming out of that rest the Crimson Bears again found G. Nizich for a deep shot past the arch to close to 32-30, but Dimond answered again as Hamey hit from past the arch for a 35-30 lead.

Hamey was an all-state tournament selection last season and Goldsberry a player of the game selection. Both were key components on the team that fell to Thunder Mountain and the Baxter twins in the state quarterfinals, but went on to place fourth.

“Last year was a tough game so coming down here and being able to get a win is everything,” Hamey said. I’m super proud of my team and it was just a great experience to play here and get a win here…I think we came together over that loss and bonded and talked through it and we knew what we had to do to come out and get a win, so we did it…it was great to be here. It was a lot of fun and the environment is great.”

JDHS’ K. Baxter would hit two free throws and G. Nizich scored on a fast break to close within 35-34 as the third quarter ended.

Dimond would open the final stanza on a 6-0 run that included baskets by Mack, Hamey and Pederson to lead 41-34.

K. Baxter scored inside, but Dimond’s Katie MacDonald hit inside and then from past the arch for a 46-36 lead.

JDHS’ G. Nizich scored on a fast break and then stole a ball for another score to close to 46-40 with 2:16 remaining to play.

Dimond called a timeout and came out of the rest with junior Kinsey MacDonald receiving an assist by sister Katie MacDonald for a score inside and a 48-40 lead. Katie MacDonald added two free throws for a 10-point lead and Hamey blocked her fifth shot of the game.

JDHS’ G. Nizich hit her third shot past the arch to cut the lead to 50-43, but Hamey was fouled and hit two free throws with 1:17 remaining for a 52-43 lead, and then blocked her sixth shot of the game which led to a fast break and a free throw by Pederson for the 53-43 final.

“Tonight just way to many turnovers,” JDHS coach Tanya Nizich said. “I think we had 16 in the first half. We know as a whole that is unacceptable. We can’t have that. We have been picking up full-court most of the time and on the half-court side of things we were being a little bit more passive and letting them dictate how they want to play instead of us dictating it. Just working on those things. It teaches us a lot. We’ll watch some film. We’re going to have some hard practices, prepare, and be ready for our next series and then Wasilla.”

Nizich knows the Hamey competitive spirit, having played for JDHS (1996-2000) under coach James Hamey.

“Jim started coaching me in seventh grade,” Tanya Nizich said. “Through their summer team camp program.”

Evan Hamey’s uncle Bryan (2003 JDHS graduate) played for the University of Fairbanks and uncle Jeremy Hamey (1992 JDHS graduate) was a two-time all-state guard and played at Southern Maine University.

“It was just amazing to watch her,” Chris Hamey said of the weekend series. “It has been a long time since I have been back and watched a game as a spectator in this gym. My oldest son never got a chance to come here and play in high school, so the fact that she’s a senior and they have a great group and are competitive, it was a real joy to see friends and family and all share in that experience.”

When asked who wins in the basketball shooting contest HORSE, Evan said, “Ooo it’s close, I haven’t beat him yet but I’m getting there.”

Said Chris, “Oh wow, it’s competitive, but she gives me a run for my money that’s for sure.”

On Saturday G. Nizich led JDHS with 22 points, K. Baxter added 11, Lockhart six, Tokuoka and C. Baxter two apiece.

The Crimson Bears hit 6-10 at the charity stripe, the Lynx 11-15.

Hamey led Dimond with 16 points, Katie MacDonald 13, Pederson 11, Goldsberry seven, Kinsey MacDonald four and Mack two.

JDHS had won 62-48 on Friday.

“To get a win down here is always tough,” Dimond coach Jasmine Whilden said. “The girls were tired day one when we got down here. Today they were ready, they were rested. They really wanted this. I have a good group. I just took this team over this year, but they are willing to put in the work, and they want to work hard and they want to be successful. So I have a team that really wants to work for me and I do everything I can for them, and coming out with a win after yesterday is great and going home 1-1 is not bad at all. We’re really happy about that. And Juneau is a tough team. They were very physical and our girls were tired, we were going down, but we were happy we came out tonight with a win…the kids were excited for the week we have coming so this was a big challenge that we were looking forward to and we’re glad that we took it.”

JDHS 10-3 overall and 2-0 Southeast Conference plays at 3A Mt. Edgecumbe next weekend and hosts defending 4A state champion Wasilla the following weekend. Dimond, 6-2 overall and 3-0 in the 4A Cook Inlet Conference, faces West, South and Service next week.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.