They may lack bigs, but with senior point guard and perpetual motion machine Chase Saviers leading the way, don\u2019t sleep on Thunder Mountain High School boys basketball.<\/p>\n
Just 6-18 last year, the Falcons didn\u2019t have the championship aspirations of their crosstown counterparts, but that didn\u2019t stop them from disrupting the Region V picture. The Falcons capped 2016 with a 71-68, region-tournament win over the state\u2019s No. 2-ranked Ketchikan Kings, proving their undersized roster can keep pace with Alaska\u2019s best. <\/p>\n
This year, they\u2019re hoping to perfect their small ball game and outpace the competition. Seven seniors suit up in blue and white with set their eyes on the back of the rim and their hearts on a Region V championship.<\/p>\n
Saviers thinks they have the team to do it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe just have to be quick, really good on defense, pestering as defenders,\u201d he said before a Tuesday evening practice. \u201cWe have to knock down our jump shots. We\u2019re a really good jump-shooting team, 3-point team, we just have to be hitting. I think it\u2019s going to be really hard to stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
\nWho they lost:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Falcons graduated four seniors this spring in Shane Mielke, RJ Manning, Moa Maka and Jeremiah Stephens. Manning and Stephens leave a hole in the backcourt which Saviers, Zebediah Storie and junior Josh McAndrews will fill.<\/p>\n Thunder Mountain loses one of their more talented shooters in \u201cSilky\u201d Mielke, but Saviers, forward Riley Olson and Noah Reishus-O\u2019Brien should be able to take up the slack.<\/p>\n What to expect on the court:<\/strong><\/p>\n The starting five for the Falcons will likely be Saviers, Olson, Reishus-O\u2019Brien, McAndrews and junior forward Luke Clark. Their roster is not set in stone, Blasco said, with several other players expected to earn significant minutes.<\/p>\n Saviers will continue to lead the team in his tireless, unmistakable style. At 5\u20198\u201d, the all-conference guard has built a reputation as a player who \u2014 when he\u2019s on \u2014 can single-handedly keep his team in games. It will be worth the price of admission just to watch Saviers leave it all on the court in his final campaign.<\/p>\n \u201cWe expect to make some noise,\u201d Saviers said. \u201cLast year was a little disappointing. I thought we were going to be better than we were. The main goal this year is to make it to state. Hopefully we win state, but that\u2019s a long shot. It\u2019s the beginning of the season. These first few games are going to be a big test for us.\u201d<\/p>\n With starting point guard RJ Manning now graduated, head coach John Blasco said he expects Saviers to transition from his usual shooting guard position to the team\u2019s full time point guard, something he\u2019s been training for over the summer. McAndrews will spell Saviers at point guard during the scant minutes Saviers spends on the bench, and likely takeover as the Falcons\u2019 starting shooting guard.<\/p>\n Surrounded by a cohort of youth and high school teammates, some making their varsity debuts, Saviers expects the Falcons to play with a single mind this year.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of us have been playing together since sixth grade, from HoopTime on up. \u2026 We just have really good chemistry this year,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Olson, a standout wide receiver for the Falcons football team, is an athletic 3-point specialist with varsity experience. He brings a perimeter presence for Saviers to kick out to when he can\u2019t find the backboard himself. <\/p>\n At 6\u20192\u201d, 200 lbs, he\u2019s also a capable defender for opponents\u2019 bigs, something the Falcons will need in spades this year. Olson said the Falcons lack of height is a liability, but they\u2019ve figured out how to compensate.<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have much height, so we\u2019re all going to have to box out a lot,\u201d Olson said. \u201cWe\u2019re all pretty athletic, but our tallest person, Luke Clark, is only maybe 6\u20193\u201d (he\u2019s listed at 6\u20195\u201d) so we\u2019re going to have a lot of trouble in that category.\u201d<\/p>\n With perhaps the softest touch on the team, Reishus-O\u2019Brien brings a midrange finesse to the Falcons\u2019 frontcourt, something he brought to bear in several team-leading performances last season.<\/p>\n \u201cThis year we\u2019re going to be quicker, we\u2019ll be able to shoot better,\u201d Reishus-O\u2019Brien said. \u201cWe went up to team camp in Anchorage and we got smarter as a team. We\u2019re not very tall, but we\u2019ve learned how to play better as a team.\u201d<\/p>\n As the team\u2019s tallest player, junior Luke Clark will have his hands full containing the likes of JDHS\u2019 Erik Kelly (6\u20195\u201d) and Bryce Swofford (6\u20197\u201d). Clark earned some varsity experience last year; this year, the Falcons will depend on him to clean up rebounds and contest layups in the paint.<\/p>\n McAndrews, a junior, didn\u2019t get much playing time last year in the Falcons crowded backcourt. With Manning and Stephens gone, he\u2019ll be expected to step into the role of TMHS\u2019 starting shooting guard.<\/p>\n Rounding out the team are a group of two-sport athletes \u2014 some new, some returning \u2014 the Falcons hope to sharpen into shooters and defenders. <\/p>\n Football standouts Garth Tupou (5\u201911\u201d\/230) and Vaipuna \u201cPuna\u201d Toutaiolepo (5\u201910\u201d\/220) will serve as the team\u2019s \u201cmuscle,\u201d according to head coach John Blasco. The team will need their physical presence to limit opponents on the glass.<\/p>\n Speedy baseball player Zebediah Storie returns to the team this year after having sat out his junior season to focus on baseball. With plenty of basketball experience, Storie will be a smart compliment to Saviers and McAndrews in the backcourt. Blasco expects him to be a capable backup.<\/p>\n A question mark on the team \u2014 but an offensive piece several seniors mentioned to look out for \u2014 is freshman Brady Carandang, a 5\u201910\u201d shooter and only freshman on the varsity roster.<\/p>\n \u201cHe\u2019s a smooth ballplayer, handles his body well and shoots well from the outside,\u201d Blasco said. \u201cI do see him getting some playing time this year.\u201d<\/p>\n The schedule:<\/strong><\/p>\n The Falcons play 23 games this season: 11 home, 12 away; eight conference and 15 non-conference. TMHS faces Region V opponents Ketchikan and Juneau-Douglas four times each, twice at home and twice away.<\/p>\n Those conference games, which will decide seeding for the Region V tournament (in Juneau this year), will be a dogfight.<\/p>\n Last year, the Falcons had the burden of competing with the state\u2019s first and second ranked teams in Kayhi and JDHS. Blasco expects Ketchikan to be solid again, especially at the guard position. The Kings will definitely be hungry after falling to Juneau-Douglas in a heartbreaker at the state semifinals last year.<\/p>\n Though they graduated four of their starting five last spring, Juneau-Douglas poses big matchup problems for the Falcons. Bigs Erik Kelly and Bryce Swofford jump with their \u201celbows at the rim,\u201d according to Blasco, which will pose a huge challenge for the Falcons\u2019 frontcourt.<\/p>\n Blasco said it\u2019s \u201ctoo early to tell\u201d how those games will play out, but he\u2019s sure rebounding will be a huge factor.<\/p>\n \u201cThe primary thing will be controlling the rebounds, if the rebound margin is heavily in their favor, we\u2019re going to be struggling,\u201d Blasco said.<\/p>\n TMHS\u2019 non-conference schedule features 10 games against 4A competition, and five games against 1, 2, and 3A opponents. The home openers against West Valley will serve as a good litmus test for the Falcons as the Wolf Pack, backed by guard Cornelius Mingo Jr., made the state tournament last year.<\/p>\n Colony, 14-10 last year, finished third in the Northern Lights conference. <\/p>\n Competition at the AK Prep Shootout at Dimond High School in Anchorage will be TMHS\u2019 biggest opportunity to test their mettle against Anchorage competition.<\/p>\n Mt. Edgecumbe always brings a dogged press and underdog mentality that, last year, nearly gave JDHS their only loss to in state competition not named Ketchikan. <\/p>\n Expect every game the Falcons play in to be a shootout: If TMHS is going to compete statewide, they\u2019ll need to win high-scoring games as their smaller roster will likely give up many second and third chances to taller teams.<\/p>\n Jan. 6, 8 p.m. West Valley<\/p>\n Jan. 7, 7 p.m. West Valley<\/p>\n Jan. 13 at AK Prep Shootout<\/p>\n Jan. 14 at AK Prep Shootout<\/p>\n Jan. 20, 8 p.m. Colony<\/p>\n Jan. 21, 7 p.m. Colony<\/p>\n Jan. 27, 8 p.m. Mt. Edgecumbe<\/p>\n Jan. 28, 8 p.m. Mt. Edgecumbe<\/p>\n Feb. 3 7 p.m. at JDHS<\/p>\n Feb. 4 7 p.m. at JDHS<\/p>\n Feb. 9 7 p.m. Lathrop<\/p>\n Feb. 10 8 p.m. Ketchikan<\/p>\n Feb. 11, 8 p.m. Ketchikan<\/p>\n Feb. 16 at Mt. Edgecumbe<\/p>\n Feb. 17 at Sitka<\/p>\n Feb. 18 at Sitka<\/p>\n Feb. 24 at Ketchikan <\/p>\n Feb. 25 at Ketchikan<\/p>\n Mar. 3, 8 p.m. JDHS<\/p>\n Mar. 4, 8 p.m. JDHS<\/p>\n Mar. 7-11 Region V tournament at JDHS<\/p>\n Mar. 23-25 ASAA State Tournament at Anchorage<\/p>\n Varsity roster:<\/strong><\/p>\n #1 Brady Carandang 5\u201910, 160 lbs. 2020<\/p>\n #2 Zebadiah Storie 5\u20198\u201d 135 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #3 John Morris 6\u20191\u201d 180 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #5 Roy Tupou 5\u20196\u201d 180 lbs. 2018<\/p>\n #11 Chase Saviers 5\u20198\u201d 145 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #13 Kaiden Ward 5\u201910\u201d 145 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #15 Noah Reishus-O\u2019Brien 6\u20192\u201d 155 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #20 Josh McAndrews 5\u201911\u201d 150 lbs. 2018<\/p>\n #21 Luke Clark 6\u20195\u201d 165 lbs. 2018<\/p>\n #23 Riley Olsen 6\u20192\u201d 200 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #30 Garth Tupou 5\u201911\u201d 230 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #32 Cale Jenkins 6\u20191\u201d 160 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n #33 Vaipuna Toutaiolepo 5\u201910\u201d 220 lbs. 2017<\/p>\n Head coach – John Blasco<\/p>\n Assistant coach – Robert Ridgeway<\/p>\n Assistant coach – Joe Tompkins<\/p>\n Student Assistant – Joe Sleppy<\/p>\n \u2022 Contact reporter Kevin Gullufsen at 523-2228 or kevin.gullufsen@juneauempire.com.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" They may lack bigs, but with senior point guard and perpetual motion machine Chase Saviers leading the way, don\u2019t sleep on Thunder Mountain High School boys basketball. Just 6-18 last year, the Falcons didn\u2019t have the championship aspirations of their crosstown counterparts, but that didn\u2019t stop them from disrupting the Region V picture. The Falcons […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":427,"featured_media":8167,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_stopmodifiedupdate":false,"_modified_date":"","wds_primary_category":6,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"yst_prominent_words":[],"class_list":["post-8166","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sports"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8166","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/427"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8166"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8166\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8167"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8166"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8166"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8166"},{"taxonomy":"yst_prominent_words","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/yst_prominent_words?post=8166"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}