Skagway junior Royce Borst drove the baseline and threw down a dunk over a Thorne Bay defender and fans in attendance at the Thunder Mountain Middle School gymnasium knew the Alaska Airlines Region V 1A Basketball Tournament was underway.
The Panthers ran early and often in their 62-25 win over the fiesty Wolverines, opening with a 13-0 run with over five minutes remaining in the first stanza.
Borst had nine of the run, junior Camden Lawson and sophomore Ryder Calver the other baskets.
Thorne Bay junior Anna Congdon put the first two Wolverines points on the scoreboard with a rebound score to stop the Skagway blitz.
“It is awesome,” Congdon said after the game about being at regions. The Wolverines did not have enough girls to form a team so Congdon, junior Bonnie Campbell and freshman Madison Reid were allowed to play on the boys squad.
Thorne Bay would play the Panthers even down the final half of the stanza as senior Stephen Campbell, junior Davin Hamby and Congdon found the basket.
Skagway closed the quarter with Borst scoring six, and Calver and Lawson four apiece for a 27-12 lead. Borst would not return to the game due to an ankle injury, but is expected to be ready for their next game.
“I’ll see how my foot feels,” Borst said after the game. “There should be more in store. It feels good to be here. Our goal is to win it all. We just keep telling ourselves we have to keep the pressure, we can’t let up on these teams. Just got to keep going.”
The Panthers would hold the Wolverines to just seven points in the second quarter — all scored by Hamby — while Lawson found three shots past the arch to lead Skagway and take a 45-19 lead at the half.
Skagway would hold a 58-21 lead after three quarters.
“Basketball truly means a lot to us and we tried our hardest to make it here, and no matter what happens at regionals we did our best and that’s all that matters,” Thorne Bay’s Campbell said.
Added Thorne Bay’s Reid, “And it is an honor to be here, It’s a real honor to be even able to come here.”
Said Thorne Bay’s Congdon, “It is awesome.”
Lawson led Skagway with 21 points, Borst 15, freshman Zane Coughran eight, sophomore Ryder Calver six, junior Kaleb Cochran and freshman Logan Rupprecht four apiece, senior Landon Rodig and freshman Dane Ames two apiece.
The Panthers hit 1-5 from the charity stripe, the Wolverines 2-7.
Junior Davin Hamby led Thorne Bay with 10 points, eighth grader Tristan Dolan added four, sophomore Jordan Kohn three, Congdon, freshman Madison Reid, sophomore Jayden Kohn, and freshman Averi Wadsworth two each.
“Lead by example,” Thorne Bay coach Mel Cook said. “You have to teach these kids it is not about being so young, all of them are basically 10th graders or below, just being positive. And sportsmanship goes a lot farther than a win every single game. We stay positive and we do stuff outside the sport together also that keeps them positive, little things like college stuff, to keep them positive and motivated.”
Skagway next plays at 4:30 p.m. Thursday against the winner of Wednesday’s Klawock/Hoonah game. Thorne Bay plays an elimination game at 8 a.m. Thursday against the Klawock/Hoonah loser.
Kake girls 54, Angoon girls 12
The Kake Lady Thunderbirds used a tenacious halfcourt trap defense to blow past the Angoon Eagles.
Kake’s pressure resulted in four steals, two apiece by sophomore Eden Hallingstad and junior Lydia Change, in the first three minutes of action which led to baskets by Hallingstad, junior LilyIda Jackson, sophomore Brooklyn Hallingstad, a three-point fouling play by Jackson and a Jackson rebound score for an 11-0 lead.
“It meant a lot,” Jackson said of the game. “I had been in a slump. Our defense brings our offense, it was a lot of fun. We just have to keep doing what we’re doing. If we communicate and we bring the fire every time then we’ll do good. It happens every time.”
Angoon senior Tatum Johnson scored the Eagles first basket with 1:37 left in the first quarter.
Kake freshman Kristine Jackson-Williams, B. Hallingstad and freshman Aurora Davis closed out the stanza for a 17-2 lead.
Kake continued to apply the pressure and went on an 8-3 run with two steals to open the second quarter, and finished the stanza with a 7-2 run with a steal and three rebounds by Chang for a 32-5 advantage at the half.
Jackson led Kake with a game-high 16 points, B. Hallingstad 12, Davis nine, Jackson-Williams six, Chang and sophomore Madison Padgett four apiece, E. Hallingstad two and freshman Isabel Nelson one.
Kake hit 2-4 at the charity stripe, Angoon 1-5.
Junior Lisa Kookesh-Booth and sophomore Ali Nelson led the Eagles with four points apiece, Johnson and junior Faith Ramey two apiece.
“We hustle,” Angoon eighth grader Emma Bowen said. “We try to get back into our defense. Now we have to have more defense, teamwork, hustling and rebounds.”
Another key to the Kake win was a young flag bearer who ran around the court during breaks in the action, stirring up the Thunderbird spirit and raising the gym roof.
“It feels pretty good, just cheering our team for the town, “ flag bearer Jonas Hollingstad, 12, said. “We just run around with the flag and stuff and it is fun. And Kake gets riled up.”
Next up for the Kake girls is Thursday’s 10 a.m. game against top-ranked Klawock. Angoon next plays in an elimination game Friday at 1 p.m.
• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.
