Approximately 20 hours after the Kake B Bracket team upended Yakutat, the Masters team followed suit.
Jay Peterson and Lloyd Davis combined for 34 points as Kake defeated Yakutat 60-50 Wednesday at the Gold Medal tournament.
Kake, the runner-up in last year’s tournament, plays either Hoonah or Klukwan on Friday.
Ralph Johnson scored 17 points for Yakutat, who had to work for every shot in the second half as Kake’s defense picked up.
As Kake kept its players fresh in the second half with regular substitutions, Yakutat players were forced to remain on the floor for much of the game. By the time a Yakutat player positioned the ball for a shot, a Kake defender had a hand up.
“They only had two guys on the bench and that’ll hurt you in the Masters. You got to have three or four guys there, at least,” Kake forward Nick Davis said.
After trailing 33-26 at halftime, Yakutat went on an 8-2 run to start the third quarter. Kake gradually increased its lead over the ensuing minutes, making extra passes and finding open players under the basket.
“Just good team basketball, that’s how Kake is. They have good chemistry, they know where they’re going,” Yakutat guard Jerry Riddlington said.
Kake’s lead was up to eight to begin the fourth quarter when Yakutat appeared like it might go on another run. Yakutat scored three quick points but Kip Howard helped stabilize the game. Howard played tough defense in the paint while also finding teammates upcourt with long passes.
“He does everything,” Nick Davis said of Howard. “You seen him swatting the ball, passing and rebounds. It was pretty much all-around a good game.”
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com.
Kake’s Keith Nelson, right, blocks a shot by Yakutat’s Greg Indreland in the Masters bracket in the Juneau Lion’s Gold Medal Basketball Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Wednesday, March 21, 2018. Kake won 60-50. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)
