"I thought we were going to have some experienced continuity, but it didn't work out that way," said Potter in the Dec. 21 season preview. "Everybody is finding new roles."

Seconds after a last-second three-point heave from Ketchikan's Jeff Whicker missed its mark, the Crimson Bears community celebrated together at Mt. Edgecumbe High School in Sitka. Fans, players, coaches and cheerleaders all gathered at mid-court after a thrilling two-point victory over the Ketchikan Kings.

At that point, Potter started to get some answers.

"Our defensive rotations were probably better than they've been all year, and it's always nice when it comes together at the right time," he said. "Ketchikan's a pretty darn good team, and for us to get them twice - that was big for us."

Whicker, whose 27 points gave him the Kings single-season scoring record, had his pocket picked by sophomore guard Lance Ibesate who raced the length of the court for a lay-up and a two-point lead with only three seconds to play.

"We knew Jeff (Whicker) was going to get the ball, so my first thought was he was going to drive," said senior guard Alex DeRocher, whose 16 points led the Bears. "As soon as Lance got the ball, my hopes started leaping. Then as soon as he made it and we called time out, my hopes for the game just escalated.

"I really didn't want it to be my last senior game for the Crimson Bears. We pulled it off - it was great."

With the game tied 59-59 with 21 seconds left, Potter preached defense to the team during the timeout.

"We talked about keeping the guys in front of us and not fouling. We were going to get our hands up and only give them one shot," he said. "Whicker went to the middle and Lance got the strip really low to the ground and came up with it.

"To get that big, left-handed lay-up over (Tyler) Bell - we were pretty excited about that."

Only 18 seconds earlier, another sophomore guard, Tony Yadao, hit a game-tying three-pointer that set the stage for Ibesate to make the play on defense.

"They completely left Tony, almost daring him to shoot," Potter said. "Well, he did."

Senior forward Eric Sele was the Bears' second leading scorer with 9 points in what was a very balanced offensive attack. DeRocher was the only player for the Bears who scored in double figures. Tyler Bell had 13 points for the Kings as well.

Just three nights prior, DeRocher hit a baseline jump shot with eight seconds remaining to give the Bears their first victory over the Kings all season. The loss forced the Kings into a win-or-go-home situation heading into their Thursday night tilt with Thunder Mountain.

After pulling out the victory over the Falcons, the Kings turned their sights back on the Bears. Thursday, Ketchikan had to hold off a fourth-quarter comeback bid by JDHS for the win. That forced a final game Saturday night with a trip to state on the line.

Potter said there were some changes made for that final game, especially on the defensive end. After trailing by 14 points in the second half Friday night, the Bears deployed a zone defense that helped fuel their late-game comeback attempt. Juneau-Douglas, who rarely played zone defense during the season, found something that worked for them.

"We got down early (Saturday) and we decided what we were doing wasn't working, so we switched to the zone trap," Potter said. "Our halfcourt defense was struggling against them and our full-court defense hasn't been our strength this year.

"So we tried a zone-trapping scheme and it seemed to disrupt them."

Potter said he couldn't take credit for the zone defense that gave the Kings trouble, however.

"(Assistant coach) Robert Casperson had been pumping me all year to try it out, so I finally let him talk me into it," he said. "It was his idea to go to that. That defense is kind of his baby."

The Bears undoubtedly peaked at the right time as they worked their way through early-season struggles to find their identity. And as the clock turned to zero and the Bears celebrated, it was two young role players that stepped up when given the opportunity.

Ibesate and Yadao were not only big in the final minute of Saturday's championship game, but they, along with the rest of the Bears' bench, are crucial to the Bears' run in the home-stretch of the season.

"Tony has done a phenomenal job. He drives to get other people open and he can go up with it because he's got great ball control. He's just a great team player," said DeRocher. "Lance has really stepped it up at a point guard position. It's great relief for Victor (Wilson) when he starts getting tired from handling the ball up and down the court.

"I think in the next couple of years they're going to be phenomenal basketball players."

But the future is now for the Bears as they prepare for a trip to Anchorage for the state tournament, and DeRocher said they're as close to the top of their game as they have been all season.

"We all came into the (conference) tournament really hungry, and we used that fire to help get some extra pep in our step," he said. "Going into that game it was more of a team togetherness, not a one-man thing. We've peaked at the perfect moment, I'd say."

Potter said he expects the Bears to be a seventh or eighth seed when the seedings are released later today, which means they will have a first-round match up against one of the top teams in the state.

But there is still reason for hope as not every state champion has been a top seed going into the tournament, something of which Potter and his Southeast Conference champion Crimson Bears are well aware.

Whicker's deep 3-pointer as time expired missed, and the Bears and their fans celebrated the win at midcourt.

The Kings led 12-6 after one quarter of play and 26-24 at the break after sophomore guard Tony Yadao missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer for JDHS.

The Kings started the third quarter with a 7-0 run to take a 33-24 lead as Ketchikan began to take control of the game.

But the Bears refused to go away, pulling within four, 38-34, before trailing by five, 41-36, after three quarters of play.

A Colin Gozelski steal and lay-up brought the Bears within three, 45-42, with just more than five minutes left, but Whicker answered with an and-1 that fouled out Victor Wilson for the Bears with 4:46 left in the game.

Gozelski got another steal and lay-up to make it 48-45 with less than four minutes to go.

Whicker set the Kings' single-season scoring record with on the play that fouled out Wilson.

Check Monday's Juneau Empire for more information and stats, and the full boys' All-Conference team.

"(Alex) DeRocher exploded for three 3-pointers and we were up five at the half."

Potter said the Falcons came out swinging in the third quarter to tie the game heading into the fourth. The score was tied at the end of regulation as well, and Potter said his team was able to hit their free throws. The Bears converted on 7 of 8 attempts down the stretch.

"We made a push and were almost able to close it out at the end. They hit some free throws and sent it into overtime," TMHS coach John Blasco said. "Our buckets didn't fall and their free throws did."

Despite the loss, Blasco was happy with his team's offensive production.

"We played really strong collectively offensively," he said. "Juneau kept pressuring and we kept attacking the basket - I think we got to the free throw line 30 times, something I'm very pleased with.

The Crimson Bears had 28 points off the bench, outscoring the Falcons' second unit by 22.

Cody Grussendorf and Reese Saviers led all scorers with 20 points each for TMHS, while Jazz King pitched in 10 points.

Tony Yadao had 16 points, DeRocher had 14, and Colin Gozelski and Paul Tupou each contributed 13 for the Bears, who play Ketchikan today at 8:15 p.m. as Thunder Mountain awaits the loser of that game for a 4:45 p.m. tip-off on Thursday.

We would love for everyone to keep showing their support by continuing to attend another pair of games to end the regular season against Thunder Mountain High School on Feb. 25 and 27.

Once again, we really appreciate the support and urge everyone to come to the last two games of our regular season before we head to the Southeast Regional tournament.

Victor Wilson, Alex DeRocher and Colin Gozelski

Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears boys basketball team captains.

Juneau

Ketchikan led 11-9 after a back-and-forth first quarter that saw neither team take control, with the Kings holding the biggest edge at four points after a 5-0 run. Senior forward Colin Gozelski hit senior forward Paul Tupou for a leaner in the lane just before the buzzer to cut into the deficit.

The second quarter was more of the same, but this time with more shots falling for both teams.

There were four ties at 11-, 13-, 15- and 17-all, but JDHS could never get over the hump to retake the lead.

At 17-17, junior Jesse Lindgren scored inside, followed by a nifty reverse lay-up for senior Jeff Whicker, who had 12 points in the first half, to push the Kings back out front by four, 21-17. JDHS closed 6-4 with sophomore guard Lance Ibesate going straight the basket for a tough runner to set the first-half score at 25-23 heading into the locker room.

The Bears were lucky to be that close after shooting just 8 of 31, good for 25.8 percent, in the first half, while the Kings shot 8 of 19 for 42.1 percent.

And it didn't get any better in the third quarter as Ketchikan began to extend its lead. JDHS scored just eight points in the entire third period on 21 percent shooting, with two coming at the buzzer after Ibesate got to the basket for a tough lay-up.

The lead ballooned to 20, 53-33, in the fourth quarter after an 11-2 run in the first minutes, though JDHS was able to get it back down to a more respectable margin late in the game after the Bears started furiously attacking the basket.

"I told them at halftime that if we didn't come out with more purpose, then we were going to lose by 20," JDHS coach Steve Potter said. "Then we caught a little bit of fire, but it's got to take more than getting down by 20 to have that fire."

Potter threw out a laundry list of areas he thought his team was outplayed.

"We've got to get back to doing what we're trying to do. We did not do a very good job," he said. "Ketchikan was quicker to the ball, they were more aggressive on offense, they cut harder, they had more purpose... .

"We just can't allow that to happen and continue to be successful."

Whicker followed his 30-point performance on Friday with 28 more to lead all scorers. Stockhausen also credited Whicker for keeping DeRocher off balance. DeRocher finished with 17 points, most of which came in a fourth-quarter flurry after he started attacking the basket and abandoning the 3-point line, where he shot just 1-for-17 in the two games. DeRocher said that's the worst he remembers ever shooting.

"In my whole high school career, I don't remember going that bad, even in JV games," said the senior. "I just had some off nights, and it happens to everybody. I was just lucky to be able to get some points driving in. We have a couple of practices before Thunder Mountain, so we're going to refocus. We've got to get that (focus) back."

"That's not indicative of that young man," Stockhausen said of DeRocher. "We game planned a little bit for him and tried to limit his good looks, and I thought Jeff Whicker did a fantastic job all weekend defensively. But we know that if we get a chance to play them again, those numbers are going to be a lot different.

"He's an All-Conference player, no question."

The Kings (17-5, 5-1) shot almost 49 percent to the Bears 33. Ketchikan also outrebounded JDHS 42-34 with a lineup of basically three guards and two small forwards.

"That's ridiculous," Potter said in disgust of the deficit on the glass. "It's ridiculous that we would ever get outrebounded."

Wilson and Yadao were the other Bears in double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. Wilson also had nine boards, three assists and two steals.

JDHS (10-9, 2-4) is at crosstown rival Thunder Mountain (7-11, 1-5 not counting Saturday's second game) for the Falcons' senior night on Thursday.

Bears can't catch up to Kings

Down two with 15.5 seconds to play Friday, Juneau-Douglas got off three shots to either tie or take the lead but none found the bottom of the net, as Ketchikan hung on for a 63-61 Southeast Conference-clinching victory on the Crimson Bears' home floor.

Senior wing Victor Wilson got two good looks underneath with time winding down, but neither would drop. And sophomore guard Tony Yadao's desperation 3-pointer at the buzzer was wide, dooming the Bears to the No. 2 seed at best in next month's conference tournament.

"We missed it," JDHS coach Steve Potter said simply of the Bears' final chances, shaking his head. "We did what we wanted to do, we got the shot we wanted and we just couldn't make it."

With three minutes to go and Ketchikan clinging to a 58-53 lead, Wilson scored inside off a dish from senior guard Alex DeRocher to make it a three-point game. A couple of King free throws pushed the lead back to five, 60-55, but Yadao found senior forward Paul Tupou inside for the hoop and the harm, though Tupou missed the freebie.

Wilson went off the glass with a pull-up jumper to cut the deficit to two with 31.5 on the clock, and sophomore point guard Lance Ibesate made it a one-point game, 62-61, after sprinting in for a lay-up after grabbing a loose ball.

A Jeff Whicker free throw with 15.5 seconds left set up the final sequence.

"Oh, man, this is a great place to play. Win or lose, that was a great high school basketball game," an emotionally drained Eric Stockhausen, the Kings coach, said afterward. "We're very fortunate to have the outcome the way we have (it). Hats off to the Juneau kids and coach Potter, coach (Robert) Casperson. Their kids played their hearts out and we just got a lucky bounce here and there."

The Bears pounded the ball inside early, with senior forward Paul Tupou scoring the game's first bucket on the block. Wilson stuck a pull-up jumper in the lane and junior forward Colin Gozelski got a lay-up after a steal by DeRocher under the King' basket for a 6-2 Bears lead in the early going.

Yadao buried a triple from the top of the key for an 11-5 JDHS lead, but the Kings caught fire from behind the arc thereafter.

Whicker stuck a 3-pointer to ignite an 8-0 Ketchikan run, then went to the cup for a deuce before Chas Allen nailed another triple for a 14-11 Kings lead, forcing a Bears timeout.

Senior Lawrence Fenumiai answered inside for the Bears, but Jesse Lindgren went straight to the basket for a score and Allen splashed another 3-ball. A baseline jumper from Gozelski made it a 19-15 game after one quarter.

Whicker hit another 3-pointer to start the second quarter, but the Bears went on an 8-3 run to cut into the deficit. Two straight buckets inside by Fenumiai, one a tip-in of a blocked shot, the other off a dump-down pass from Gozelski, made it 27-25, Kings.

A Yadao stickback, a Tupou steal and lay-in and a breakaway Gozelski lay-up tied the game at 29-all midway through the second quarter. But the Kings closed with an 11-4 run, including Whickers' third and the Kings' sixth triple of the first half. Ketchikan blistered the nets, shooting 62.5 percent from the field in the game's first 16 minutes.

"I thought Whicker was really good for them. He killed us in the first half," Potter said. "It was good shooting by them, and a lot of bad defense by us. We weren't any where near them when they were shooting those."

The Bears caught a break with seven seconds to go as the Kings turned it over. Wilson took the inbound pass, dribbled, drove to the cup and spun in the lane with a banker off the glass at the buzzer to set the halftime score at 40-33, Kings.

JDHS went right back inside to Tupou after the break, but Whicker went the other way for three more the old-fashioned way before hitting a pull-up jumper in the lane for a 45-35 Ketchikan lead.

The Bears cut it to five, 49-44, after two straight Gozelski buckets inside, but Whicker buried a big 3-pointer with Yadao all over him after a Gozelski turnover to momentarily quiet the crowd as time ran down in the third.

Gozelski led three Bears in double figures with 18 points to go with nine boards, six assists and two steals. Tupou had 12 points, and Fenumiai had 10. Tupou also had eight rebounds.

Whicker led all scorers with 30 points on 9 of 14 shooting, propelling the Kings to a 54.8 percent night shooting the ball. Bell added 12 points for the Kings, eight rebounds and six assists.

"I thought we did a little bit better job defending in the second half," Potter said. "Tony did a great job defensively. We just need to get the other guys playing at that same level of intensity."

Where Potter was unhappy with his team's patience offensively at times, screaming for at least four passes per possession, Stockhausen was pleased with his team's execution.

"We have a couple of marquee players and other guys who fill their roles well," he said. "They understand what we want offensively and that's to get the best shot that we can."

JDHS won the battle on the boards 38-27, but the Kings outscored the Bears 21-3 from behind the arc and took 16 more free throws.

Phillip Fenumiai and Travis Godfrey led JDHS to big 62-40 JV win over the Kings. Twelve Bears scored, and seven had at least five points. Keagan Lervick led all scorers with 10 points.

The JDHS C Team also won big, 68-50, behind 15 points from Jackson Lehnhart and 11 from Darien Stanger.