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Sunday February 05, 2012
Again the Warriors’ Division 1 prospect Connor Devine swatted a dozen shots as the Crimson Bears drought from outside made them more susceptible to bringing the rock to the rim.
“We had lots of good looks,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “It was one of those nights, and one of those series, where things just wouldn’t fall through for us.”
After trailing by just three at the half, 21-18, the Crimson Bears were outscored 36-19 in the second half.
Using dribble penetration and pulling up for jumpers in the lane, the Crimson Bears found a lid on the basket. They also found Devine in the paint. The Wasilla mainstay scored 13 points but had another game high in rebounds and blocked shots.
“We could certainly beat their guards off the dribble and curling around screens,” Casperson said. “We got good looks but just didn’t knock them down.”
The Crimson Bears used a full court defense to stay even in the first half. The Warriors pressured on the perimeter and used Devine’s presence in the paint to take more chances defensively. JDHS experimented with a five guard line up, going with Lance Ibesate, Tony Yadao, Austin Shoemaker, Alec Calloway and Phillip Fenumiai. Calloway got the challenge of defending Devine and, according to coaches, the first ever block out foul for clearing space on the Warriors center.
“I was proud of him for that,” Casperson said. “It was a good block out.”
Austin Shoemaker led the Crimson Bears with 11 points, Lance Ibesate added eight, Alex Calloway six, Tony Yadao and Aquino Brinson three apiece, Jackson Lehnhart, Gary Speck, and Bruce Jones two each.
JDHS hit 3-8 at the charity stripe, Wasilla went 14-18. Devine and Braydon Kuiper had 13 apiece for the Warriors, and Dane Kuiper added 11.
“We never quit,” Casperson said. “Our guys kept battling and working. We just missed a lot of shots. We have to tip our hat to them, we just got beat.”
On Saturday the Crimson Bears outscored Palmer 18-6 in the fourth quarter to beat the Moose 51-44.
“It was nice to see we could win on the road,” Casperson said. “It was a great way to end the road trip.”
The Moose had quarter leads of 7-6, 18-16, and 34-33 before the Crimson Bears picked up their defensive pressure.
Yadao was credited by coaches for defending the Moose’s Connor
Looney, who had scored 40 points in his last game.
The Crimson Bears overall team defensive pressure in the fourth quarter wore the home court off the Moose and many of Palmer’s shots were short, according to coaches.
Ibesate and Yadao led with 12 points apiece, Calloway nine, Fenumiai six each, Ryan Kelly and Jeffrey Pusich four apiece and Gary Speck and Austin Shoemaker two each.
JDHS hit 10-11 at the charity stripe while Palmer went 7-16. James Neisbit led the Moose with 11 points.
The Crimson Bears began the road trip with a 67-60 loss to the Service Cougars and a 64-44 loss on Thursday to the Warriors.
“We are learning,” Casperson said. “That which does not kill us will make us stronger.”
Rough road trip for Crimson Bears boys hoopsters - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
The Wasilla Warriors, the third-ranked team in the state, bested the Juneau-Douglas High School boys cagers for the second night in a row on Friday, 57-37. The Crimson Bears reversed their fortunes with a 51-40 win over the fifth-ranked Palmer Moose on Saturday.
Friday February 03, 2012
“It wasn’t a 20-point game,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “We trailed by eight going into the fourth quarter. We will make some adjustments and come back tomorrow. That is the beauty of playing an opponent twice in a row.”
Wasilla got a triple-double from Connor Devine. Devine scored 19 points, 19 rebounds and 11 blocks. Lance Ibesate led JDHS with 16 points, Tony Yadao had nine, Phillip Fenumiai six, Jackson Lehnhart three, Ryan Kelly, Evan Gross, Jeffrey Pusich, Alec Calloway, and Austin Shoemaker two each. JDHS hit 9-13 from the line, Wasilla went 8-13.
Bears drop game to Warriors - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
The Crimson Bears’ boys basketball team ran into a tall and talented Wasilla Warriors team on Thursday and were beaten 64-44.
Thursday February 02, 2012
The Cougars were awarded a fat 38 trips to the charity stripe where they sank 24. The Crimson Bears went to the line 19 times and made 12. Service picked up their fourth foul of the second half with just a minute remaining in the game. In the first half the Cougars committed 15.
JDHS lost the hoops contest 67-60 after leading at the half 36-30.
“I told our guys that you just have to play through it,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “We had our chances to win the game. We missed some layups down the stretch and had some looks at jumpers. They put some pressure on us and we did not execute our press break.”
Phillip Fenumiai led the Crimson Bears with 17 points, Lance Ibesate, Austin Shoemaker and Alec Calloway had 10 each, Tony Yadao seven, Aquino Brinson and Gary Speck two each, Jeffrey Pusich and Evan Gross one each.
Service led 15-13 after one quarter.
JDHS plays at Wasilla tonight and tomorrow, and finishes with a Saturday game at Palmer.
“The whole point of this trip is too identify where we are at,” Casperson said. “And to get better from here on out. This would be a wasted experience if we didn’t learn from it. Win lose or draw. If we make corrections night-to-night to get better, that is exactly what I am looking for.”
JDHS boys fall to Service 67-60 - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
Juneau-Douglas High School played a basketball game at Service on Wednesday night, unfortunately for the Crimson Bears their opponents were in a free-throw shooting contest.
Sunday January 29, 2012
The Juneau-Douglas High School boy’s basketball team improved their season record to 12-1 over the weekend with a series sweep of visiting Kodiak. The wins mean the Crimson Bears have yet to lose to an Alaska team this season.
“That is a pretty nice compliment to our guys,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “We have had some quality wins this year.”
The Crimson Bears speed was put to the test against Kodiak in a down-to-the-wire 59-56 thriller on Friday and a 61-50 win on Saturday.
It appeared the JDHS guard play would be too much for an undersized Kodiak squad on Friday night as Evan Gross scored inside just 10 seconds into the game on a Lance Ibesate assist.
Tony Yadao then tipped a pass in the Crimson Bears press and Alec Calloway tipped in a missed shot for two more.
Kodiak adjusted their press offense by giving guards Jemuel Medina and Josh Obas the dribbling green light and they broke the defensive barrier to feed Austin Frick for two quick scores.
The game became a back and forth affair with JDHS’ Ryan Kelly scoring to end the first period with a 9-8 advantage. Neither team could push the lead past three points and the game was tied 29-29 at the half.
Yadao Calloway collected six of his team-high 19 points in the third period as JDHS held a 45-42 advantage going into the final stanza.
Kodiak’s Tony Will scored all eight of his points in the final period to keep the Bears in the game but bench play from Austin Shoemaker and Gary Speck gave the Crimson Bears a boarding advantage down the stretch.
Ibesate added 11 points for the Crimson Bears, Speck eight, Shoemaker seven, Yadao six, Kelly, Jackson Lehnhart, Phillip Fenumiai and Gross two apiece. Calloway also pulled down nine rebounds.
Kodiak got a game-high 22 points from Jesse Swearingin, Medina added nine, Josh Obas and Elijah Hiner six apiece, Frick four and Josh Bezona one.
Kodiak hit 12-13 form the charity stripe while the Crimson Bears were 11-26 and missed two technical free throws in the final seconds.
After making defensive adjustments throughout the course of Saturday’s game the Crimson Bears stuck with a full court press that took Kodiak out of rhythm.
At one point in the first half JDHS was down by seven and press resulted in a run of three straight scores to close the gap.
“We ended up picking up the tempo a little bit and shot better from the free throw line,” Casperson said. “We had too. They are one of the better high school free-throw shooting teams I have ever seen. They like to beat you off the dribble in the half court, we took that away with our press.”
Kodiak hit 14-16 at the charity stripe on the night while JDHS went 19-26.
With the score tied at 12-12 starting the second period Kodiak outscored the Crimson Bears 12-3 heading into the half.
That was when the Crimson Bears went away from zones and implemented the straight full court pressure. JDHS outscored Kodiak 16-7 in the third period and 30-21 in the final stanza. Crucial to the runs were the board work of Calloway, Shoemaker and Gross. Gross added eight blocked shots to his seven rebounds.
“What Evan doesn’t do offensively for us, he more than makes up for on the defensive end,” Casperson said. “He is the anchor for our defense on that back line. We came out with intensity. We had guys that came off the bench too that really gave us a lift. Gary Speck played huge for us.”
Ibesate led the Crimson Bears with 17 points, Yadao added eight, Shoemaker seven, Aquino Brinson, Fenumiai, and Speck six apiece, Calloway five, Kelly two and Jesse Miller one.
Kodiak was led by Swearingin with 20, Medina added eight Frick and Obas six, Will and Hiner four, and Garcia two.
The Crimson Bears travel north to play at Service on Wednesday, Wasilla Thursday and Friday, and at Palmer on Saturday. JDHS’ lone loss this season has been to Christian Life from Texas.
Crimson Bears' boys sweep Kodiak - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
Crimson Bears are undefeated against Alaska teams
Friday January 27, 2012
The Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears will have some running around to do over the weekend. The Kodiak Bears feature some tough backcourt matchups, even though JDHS beat Kodiak by 20 earlier in the season at the Alaska Airlines Classic.
A feature of Friday’s game will be a halftime exhibition match by Hooptime third and fourth graders.
Many of the JDHS and TMHS roster are former youth Hooptime players, such as: Tony Yadao, Lance Ibesate, Darien Stanger, Ryan Kelly, Jesse Miller, Ty Grussendorf, and Matt Seymour to name a few.
“Hooptime is a program I believe in,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “Their players and coaches have an open invite to come to watch our practices any time.”
JDHS plays Kodiak at 7 p.m.
JD boys welcome Kodiak - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
Hooptime teams to play at JDHS halftime
Sunday January 22, 2012
Juneau-Douglas High School senior Alec Calloway scored eight of his game-high 17 points in the final three minutes of Friday night’s 48-45 Crimson Bears win over visiting Chugiak, shutting down a late rally that saw the Mustangs fight back from a 26-9 halftime deficit.
“He is very active,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “And we need that to spread. We need more guys to buy into that, it is just pure hustle plays and they make a big difference down the stretch. Our effort was there for the most part but our execution wasn’t the best. If we weren’t getting layups we struggled to score and fortunately Calloway hit some jumpers in the fourth quarter and he got active without the ball.”
Calloway put in a rebound follow minutes into the first quarter to compliment the guard duo of Lance Ibesate and Tony Yadao and JDHS was off to the races.
While the Mustangs only trailed 11-7 starting the second period, the Crimson Bears had yet to pick up their defensive pressure.
Baskets by Ryan Kelly and Jeffrey Pusich opening the second stanza set the Crimson Bears into a press mentality and Chugiak was held to just two points for the remainder of the half.
Casperson cleared the bench in the third period and Taylor Swofford snatched the biggest rebound of the night, picking a missed Mustang shot off the rim and threw an outlet pass to a streaking Ibesate. Swofford then blocked a shot and challenged a second attempt as the aggressive Chugiak team starting firing farther out side the lane.
Chugiak’s Ryan Harris hit four of his five trey’s in the third period as the Mustangs closed to within seven at 35-28.
“We can’t just let a team’s shooter see the basket for free like that,” Casperson commented.
After a Kelly free throw to open the fourth quarter, Chugiak’s Marquiz Spearman tipped in a shot to bring the Mustangs within six, 36-30.
Twice Chugiak pulled to within one point as the Crimson Bears pulled the ball out in a spread, but missed a shot. Leading by one 40-39, Calloway began his late game heroics with three short jumpers and a blocked shot, and Ibesate kissed in a fast break lay up.
Chugiak’s Skyler Fullmer hit a trey at the buzzer to end the scoring in a losing effort.
Ibesate added 12 points for the Crimson Bears, Yadao seven, Kelly and Jackson Lehnhart three each, Pusich, Darien Stanger, and Evan Gross two apiece.
Harris led Chugiak with 15 points, Steven Puterbaugh and Fullmer eight apiece, Matt Oldenkamp five, Spearman four, Kenny Peques three, and Wade Snell two.
JDHS hit 10-15 at the charity stripe, Chugiak went 7-13.
Yadao led the Crimson Bears with 20 points on Saturday night, burying three straight baskets in the first period and three straight triples in the second as JDHS opened a 31-16 halftime advantage.
JDHS scored in double figures in each period while the Mustangs tallied 17 points in the final stanza after the game’s outcome was set.
The Crimson Bears were up 45-22 starting the final period.
Ibesate, Lehnhart and Austin Shoemaker added six points each, Pusich and Calloway four, Aquino Brinson and Phillip Fenumiai three apiece, Gary Speck two and Gross one.
Skyler Fullmer led the Mustangs with nine points, Puterbaugh and Harris six apiece, Spearman five, Roger Jorgensen four, Snell three, Plumb and Oldenkamp two each, and P. Fullmer one.
JDHS went 17-28 from the line, Chugiak hit just 12-32.
The JDHS JV lost to Hydaburg’s varsity 49-46 on Friday.
Brinson led with 19 points, Nathan Klein eight, Bruce Jones seven, Monico Yadao, Adam Empson and Kevin Guimmayen four each. Francis McKinley led Hydaburg with 20, Anthony Edenshaw added 17, Donald Edenshaw nine, Andrew Kashaverof two and Tyrel Edenshaw one.
Crimson Bears' Calloway cools Chugiak comeback - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
JDHS sweeps series 48-45 and 55-39
Friday January 20, 2012
“We are looking forward to Chugiak’s arrival,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “It has been a long time since they have been to the Capital City, if ever, and we appreciate that we have this opportunity to play an Anchorage school at home. I am hopeful that we will be able to include more Anchorage schools on our schedule next season, too. Playing in Juneau is a unique opportunity for anyone.”
The Juneau basketball fan base alone, both at JDHS and TMHS, makes the trip worth it for the Anchorage schools. Northern schools traditionally don’t play in front of 800-plus fans that enjoy and appreciate quality basketball, except when the state tournament is at the Sullivan Arena.
“It is a luxury that we cannot take for granted,” Casperson stated.
The Crimson Bears are coming off an impressive tournament at the Alaska Airlines Classic, hosted by West Anchorage, where in two wins and one loss they played their best basketball against the toughest competition to date.
JDHS gave up a season high 74 points to Texas’ Christian Life Center in the tourney opening loss, then turned around and limited North Carolina’s Mt. Zion to 55 in a win and forcing Kodiak into 25 turnovers and allowing just 35 points in another victory.
Chugiak recently lost to Palmer by 20 points and beat West Valley by one before playing Thunder Mountain on Thursday. The Mustangs feature a 6-foot-7 post and some quickness.
“I believe that Chugiak will provide a strong test for us coming off a successful weekend at the Alaska Airlines Classic,” Casperson said. “Our team is making strides in the right direction. We have had a laser-like focus on defense in practice this season and it is starting to pay off. We need to keep moving forward in this direction and continue to improve this weekend.”
Unfortunately, the most recent media poll shows that voters had their head’s in the sand and dropped the Crimson Bears from the top 5.
The Juneau JV will play the Hydaburg boys’ varsity at 5 p.m. today before the Crimson Bears battle the Mustangs at 7 p.m.
On Saturday the Juneau boy’s C team will take on the JDHS girls varsity at 5 p.m., again as a preliminary to the boys varsity and Chugiak at 7 p.m.
The JDHS boys’ basketball team and JDHS administrative staff have invited representatives from Cancer Connection, including Ruth Johnson and Alex Viteri, who will be donating their time, to make themselves available in the lobby to raise the awareness of men's prostate and testicular cancer.
While women’s issues are important it has been shown that men are often not as proactive as women when it comes to their health. As with many types of cancer, early detection is essential in the successful treatment and possible cure in these diseases.
Men are encouraged to stop by the tables in the JDHS lobby and obtain information, brochures and ask questions. Men often intend to have their health checked but often don’t so women are asked to help encourage sons, husbands, fathers or grandfathers to become aware of the risks and benefits of early testing and detection for prostate and testicular cancer.
JDHS cagers get to ride the Mustangs next - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
The Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears boys’ basketball team will host the Chugiak Mustangs tonight and Saturday.
Sunday January 15, 2012
The Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears boy’s basketball team saw just how far they needed to improve during the 2012 Alaska Airlines Classic over the weekend.
The answer: A lot and not much.
JDHS took fourth place at the prestigious gathering of high school hoopsters, opening tourney play with a 74-48 loss to Christian Life Academy from Humble, Texas on Thursday, then beat North Carolina power Mt. Zion 66-55 on Friday; and trashing Kodiak 61-35 on Saturday.
“It was a good win for us for sure,” JDHS head coach Robert Casperson said of the Crimson Bears defeat of the Warriors from Durham. “Not to take anything away from the teams we have played up to this point but Mt. Zion is the best team we have played and won. Texas is the best team we have played.”
Mt. Zion fields a varsity team and a national prep team. The prep team attracts players such as current pro Tracy McGrady, the varsity team was at Anchorage.
Against Christian Life on opening day, the Crimson Bears struggled in the final three minutes of the first period but only trailed 22-10 starting the second period and aside from the first two minutes of that period, JDHS played the Texas power even.
“I am proud of our kids,” Casperson said. “They accepted the challenge and went after them.”
Tied at 10 midway through the first period the team from Humble, Texas switched from a man to a zone press and their size and length resulted in some errant JDHS passes. When they did break the press the Crimson Bears missed some layups. The result was a 36-18 halftime disadvantage. JDHS was outscored only 16-11 in the third period and 22-19 in the final stanza.
Tony Yadao led JDHS with 17 points, Austin Shoemaker and Phillip Fenumiai seven apiece, Lance Ibesate, Alec Calloway and Evan Gross four each, Jeffrey Pusich three, and Jackson Lehnhart two. Jonathan Doss scored 20, Josh Johnson added 18 and Myles Robinson 11 for Christian Life. JDHS hit 3-5 at the charity stripe, CLA went 4-10.
“Our guys played through the final nine seconds,” Casperson said. “They just wanted to keep going. I like our competitive nature.”
Mt. Zion had more athletes top to bottom in Friday’s action.
“But our athletes are pretty good,” Casperson said. “They stick their nose in there and get after it.”
The two teams were tied 11-11 starting the second period and the Crimson Bears led at the half 28-24. The teams were even at 42 starting the final stanza.
The Crimson Bears went with five guards midway through the fourth to spread the floor and create one-on-one drives to the rim. Alec Calloway was also on the court and the five went 13-14 from the free throw line in the period.
“Between Lance, Tony, Austin and Phillip, those four guards did most of the ball handling down the stretch,” Casperson said.
The Crimson Bears went with a zone to stop the dunking of Mt. Zion’s Michel-Ofik Nzege, a prep team member.
“Our guys weren’t fazed,” Casperson said. “They consider a dunk just two points. We inbounded the ball and went the other way, fast. I feel very fortunate to have as many options as I do on this team.”
Fenumiai led with 20 points, Yadao 13, Ibesate 12, Calloway and Shoemaker nine apiece, Darien Stanger two, and Gross one. Nzege led the Warriors with 21. JDHS hit 15-19 at the line, Mt. Zion 9-19.
Against Kodiak the Crimson Bears led 15-10 after one period and pressed into a 31-16 halftime advantage. After an even third period JDHS outscored the Bears 12-4 in the fourth.
Calloway led JDHS with 16 points, Fenumiai had 14, Ibesate 13, Yadao seven, Stanger three, Ryan Kelly, Lehnhart, Pusich and Gross two each. Austin Frick led Kodiak with nine points. JDHS hit 6-10 at the line, KHS 8-15.
Tourney scores day 1: Christian Life (TX.)74 JDHS 48, Bartlett 79, Mt. Zion (N.C.) 67, West 84 Delta 35, East Hall (Georgia) 87 Kodiak 65. Day 2: Bartlett 82 CL 73, East Hall 79 West 78, JDHS 66 Mt. Zion 55, Kodiak 69 Delta 47. Day 3: 7th place game Mt. Zion 72 Delta 37, 4th JDHS 61 Kodiak 35, 3rd CL 87 West 63, Championship East Hall 87 Bartlett 74.
“The tournament was a great test for us,” Casperson said. “To see where we are at and identify areas of strength and weakness. There is always something to work on. This has been incredible. It was everything we hoped for and more.”
The Crimson Bears were also able to watch a UAA men’s basketball practice and then watch the Seawolves play Western Washington University. UAA features southeast’s own Kyle Fossman from Haines while Western has Petersburg’s Cameron Severson.
Up next for JDHS is a visit form Chugiak on Jan. 20-21 and Kodiak on Jan. 27-28.
JDHS boys fare well on national stage - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
Crimson Bears open eyes and have eyes opened by competition
Wednesday January 11, 2012
“It would have been a fun time,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said of the Crimson Bears’ original first round match up in the 8th annual Alaska Airlines Classic 2012 Basketball Tournament at West Anchorage High School. “We were looking forward to it. We still are. The field is phenomenal.”
On Thursday the Crimson Bears were scheduled to play Arlington County Day from Jacksonville, Florida, the 14th best high school basketball team in Obama’s world according to major sports ranking organizations such as Five Star Basketball, ESPN, and Max Preps, among others. Their ranking has been noted as far down as 37th in the nation.
The ACD Apaches feature two players 6-foot-8 and inch their way down to the smallest at 6-foot-2. They have six Division I scholarship athletes ready to receive a free education due to their ability to play the game of basketball better than most junior college athletes and many top college prospects.
Unfortunately, according to tournament director C. David Williamson, the West High School athletic director, ACD pulled out of the tournament on Monday.
Williamson said they received an email message from head coach Rex Morgan stating, “due to unforeseen circumstances” his team would be unable to participate.
Williamson said they spent hours trying to contact ACD. They finally reached the school’s principal who said he was unaware of the basketball teams plans and stated, “They operate their affairs separately, and independently, from the rest of the schools activities.”
The ACD athletic director is also the coach. The assistant principal refused to interrupt the team’s practice to inquire about the canceled trip to Alaska.
“Of course we are disappointed about them pulling out,” Casperson said. “We will play anybody anytime.”
In fact, the replacement team for the tournament just happens to be the defending champions from last year. They just happen to be ranked in the top 10 of the second biggest state. They just happen to have a top 50 national caliber roster.
“We made one phone call,” Williamson said. “And Christian Life from Texas were delighted to return to the tournament. I have to give kudos to them, and major kudos to the very fine people at Alaska Airlines who worked closely with the administration at West to make all of the ticket changes in an expedient manner. We are indebted to them.”
The Crimson Bears now face the Cougars from Christian Life Center in Humble, Texas. They feature 6-foot-9 power forward Joe Burton. Burton has been getting mail from prospective colleges seeking his skills. Burton is just a sophomore. The team returns six players who traveled to Alaska last year. One is 6-foot-10 center Mike Lewis, another is 6-foot-2 deadeye Josh Gray, and another is 5-foot-9 captain P J Hardwick. All have major colleges ringing their doorbells.
Anybody anytime.
“We obviously have to pay attention to any opponents abilities and tendencies,” Casperson said. “But this is just a great opportunity to see some high-caliber competition and see how we stack up. See what we need to work on and move forward.”
If the Crimson Bears get past Cougars, there is the small task of a possible meeting with another team that used that same motto when contacting Williamson, the Mt. Zion Christian Academy Warriors from Durham, North Carolina.
Or JDHS may move on to play the East Hall Vikings from Gainesville, Georgia, or the defending Alaska state champion Bartlett Golden Bears or state runner-up West Thunderbirds, the tournament host.
Mt. Zion is noted for NBA alumni Tracy McGrady, Brandon Rush, Marquis Daniels and Amare’e Stoudemire and feature 6-foot-11 Tobe Okafor this season. Year in and year out they play one of the most difficult schedules in the nation.
East Hall is noted for winning the past three Georgia state titles in their division, one of the most competitive in the state, and travel to multiple prestigious tournaments each year. They have multiple players being recruited by division one colleges in both basketball and football. Two of last seasons graduates are playing at Georgia and Georgia Tech.
Bartlett and West reload each season with some of the Anchorage area’s best talent and have strong senior guards this season. Kodiak and Delta Junction are also at the tourney. It is expected that West’s entire student body, over 2,000 students, will be watching their first game against Delta.
“I think it is going to be a good experience for the team,” JDHS senior Alec Calloway said. “And for everyone individually. I am excited to get on the court with some of these teams. We just want to show that we can play against teams we have never seen before and play hard and come out with W’s. We just get in the right mindset to play, get ready to play, and think we are going to win the game from the very beginning.”
The tournament teams will also be treated to an Alaska Heritage class at West, visit museums and get to experience the outdoors, temperature and weather permitting.
East Hall coach Joe Dix stated that 11 of his players have never flown before and only one member of the coaching staff has. The trip is over 3,400 miles, a bit longer than previous years where the longest trip for game time was just a 50-minute flight away. An additional 40 fans are traveling with the team because it is “The trip of a lifetime.”
“It will be more than just a basketball tournament,” Dix said on Tuesday. “And the kids are excited to go. It is a once in a lifetime experience. Most of the players have never been far from this rural area. I think one of my coaches took a cruise to Alaska once. We are looking forward to the cultural experience and how it will help us develop as a basketball team.”
Dix stated they don’t see much snow.
“We have a dusting and everything shuts down,” Dix said. “You guys still wear shorts. We have talked daily about the trip with the kids and we still know we will not be prepared for the weather. We are hoping we have the right gear for that climate. We don’t want to be indoors the whole time, but man, the weather channel is scary right now showing all that snow in Cordova. We are reassuring the kids that Anchorage is 150 miles away from there. The talk of the town here is about our team going up to Alaska.”
The appeal of a match up between Alaska preps and ‘down south’ preps has dated back to when East High School’s 6-foot-3 guard Trajan Langdon led his Thunderbirds to a near upset of the nation’s top team at the time, Oak Hill Academy, from Mouth of Wilson Virginia, and their 6-foot-four superstar Jeff McInnis.
Langdon went on to play at Duke University, McInnis to the University of North Carolina. Langdon went on to play professionally for the Cleveland Cavaliers then on to win championships or honors with Italian League club Benetton Treviso, Turkish League club Efes Pilsen, and Russian League clubs Dynamo Moscow and CSKA Moscow; McInnis went on to play for the Denver Nuggets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Clippers, New Jersey Nets, Cleveland Cavaliers, Portland Trail Blazers, Charlotte Bobcats, in Greece and in the CBA.
Even JDHS coach Casperson played in a tourney field with Science Hill from Johnson City, TN, and St. Raymond’s from Bronx, NY.
“It is a one in a lifetime opportunity,” Casperson said. “Our guys may never experience this again. We just hope to play as hard as we can and execute the things we have been working on in practice at a high enough level to come away with a few wins. I can’t imagine our group of guys will back down from anybody. From what I have seen in practice so far, I would expect this team to play as hard if they were up 20 as if they were down 20. That is just how our practices have gone. They just enjoy playing and getting after it.”
Said Williamson, “We started the tradition with Juneau a few years ago and are very pleased to continue it as part of the tournament. I have a gut feeling that Juneau is going to do very well this year with a strong chance to contend for the title. I wish the Bears the best of luck.”
Play begins Thursday as West opens against Delta at 12:45 p.m., Juneau plays Christian Life at 2:30, Bartlett faces Mt. Zion at 6 p.m., and Kodiak plays East Hall at 7:30 p.m.
The JDHS girls play West Valley tonight at JDHS gym, while the TMHS boys and girls await the Thunder Dome tourney to begin at TMHS Thursday.
Crimson Bears opponent flees, another fills in - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
The Juneau Douglas Crimson Bears boys are ranked first in the Southeast Conference and fourth in the state. Their next opponent was ranked 14th. In the nation, as in, the United States of America, as in, anywhere someone can put up a hoop and toss the rock through it.
Monday January 09, 2012
From the opening tip to the sound of the final buzzer an army of swarming Juneau Douglas High School boys basketball players pressured visiting Colony into two non-conference losses on homecoming weekend, sweeping the Knights 75-69 on Friday and 67-54 on Saturday.
“Definitely everybody played hard,” JDHS head coach Robert Casperson said after Friday’s win. “It was the culmination of a big week at school for these kids with all the activities going on during the week. It was a great crowd with great fan support.”
That support showed with five minutes remaining in the third quarter as the Crimson Bears, trailing 38-35, went on a 21-5 run to end the period.
Senior guard Lance Ibesate started the onslaught with a break-a-way layup, then turned around to draw Colony’s Nathan Umbarger into his third foul and hit two free throws for a lead the Crimson Bears never relinquished.
Ibesate’s backcourt classmate Tony Yadao hit a free throw, Ibesate drew Umbarger’s fourth foul to hit two more free throws, and Alec Calloway scored on a put back and again on an Austin Shoemaker steal for a 46-40 lead at the 2:49 mark.
Shoemaker stole the next possession from Colony and hit a streaking Ibesate to make it 48-40 and the duo repeated the same scenario 15 seconds later for a 10-point advantage.
Ibesate created his own larceny on the next Colony possession and fed Calloway for two, Evan Gross notched two free throws and Ibesate finished the period with a breaking layup on an assist from Phillip Fenumiai for a 56-43 lead.
Ibesate scored 12 of his team high 20 points in the run.
“The crowd got excited,” Casperson said. “It seemed to fuel our guys. A lot of guys came in and did some nice things for us. That is a nice luxury to have as a coach.”
After Friday’s game, Casperson said the Crimson Bears would have to defend better if they wanted to repeat the win.
JDHS allowed Colony’s leading scorer, Hunter Eisenhower, to connect for a game high 22 points and the Knights’ guards Tim Smith and Jared Turner added 11 and 10 respectively.
Colony’s guards combined for five connections from beyond the arch to keep the Knights in a close first half game. JDHS trailed after the first quarter 16-13
The second period saw solid efforts off the Crimson Bears bench as six different players scored including reserves Ryan Kelly and Fenumiai from deep and Jeffrey Pusich inside. In addition the JDHS rotation allowed Austin Shoemaker to spell hard-working Darien Stanger and Taylor Swofford to grab two of the game’s most emphatic rebounds in his brief stint on the floor.
Ibesate scored on a lay in with two seconds remaining but Colony’s Eisenhower took the inbounds pass and threw a length of the court three-pointer to put the Knights on top at the break 30-29.
The Knights were forced to turnover their entire line up as well due to JDHS’ full court man pressure.
Yadao especially made life unbearable for the opposing backcourt as he chested dribblers for 84-feet. The result carried over to the second wave of defenders who could pick off errant passes or double team.
“I really enjoyed Tony’s defense,” Casperson said. “I thought he put a lot of effort on the defensive side of the ball and that is going to pay off for us. We have three or four guys who can put that kind of pressure on. We just have to commit to doing it and build the trust that our teammates are behind us if we get beat.”
Calloway netted 16 points for the Crimson Bears, Yadao and Fenumiai 10 points apiece, Gross had nine points, Stanger and Kelly three points, Pusich and Shoemaker two apiece. Calloway and Gross, who were selected to the 2010 State Tournament Good Sport Team, showed they had more meanness now as seniors, each totaling nine rebounds in the game.
JDHS hit just 17-35 from the charity stripe while Colony connected on 15-22.
Saturday’s first half was the calm before the storm for the Knights.
The Crimson Bears chose not to implement their full court man press, but instead rotated through the entire roster in a patient offense.
Each Crimson Bears jersey wearer had an opportunity to score.
Notched at 13-13 after one period of play, both teams ran patient sets for a 28-27 Colony first half lead.
As the third quarter began, so did the Crimson Bears press, the fan enthusiasm, the student body yell section, the pep band and half of downtown Juneau.
“We ratcheted up our defense,” Casperson said. “We started pressing and trapping like we normally like to do.”
Yadao and Ibesate prevented each ballhandler from getting farther than five feet during a dribble.
Help defense from Calloway, Fenumiai, Stanger and Shoemaker filled the gaps.
Strong boards from Gross, Jeffrey Pusich and Jesse Miller stopped any second shot attempts.
When the third period ended the Crimson Bears had a 52-39 advantage.
Calloway led the Crimson Bears with 12 points, Shoemaker added 10, Ibesate and Yadao nine each, Fenumiai eight, Pusich six, Stanger three, Jackson Lehnhart, Aquino Brinson, Gary Speck, Gross and Miller two each.
JDHS hit 11-18 from the charity stripe, Colony was 19-23.
Hunter Eisenhower led the Knights with 14 points, 10 of which came from the free throw line as he was unable to get clean, open looks at the basket under the JDHS pressure.
“Everybody contributed in the time they got,” Casperson said. “I told our guys they are not on the team because they look good in travel gear, they are on the varsity because they can play. I was very pleased with our effort this weakend.”
Casperson stated that Calloway had an outstanding defensive weekend.
“As talented as some of our defenders are, like Tony and Lance, he is right in there every night having to guard one of the toughest scorers on the other team,” Casperson said. “He is stepping up to that challenge and it is pretty fun to watch. All of our guys are beginning to take it upon themselves to demand more of each other.”
Casperson also acknowledged the crowd.
“I know I have been preaching to the choir, but, man the crowd great,” Casperson said. “And I think they got to see some great basketball this weekend. I am really proud of our guys. To see the progress we are making from the first four weeks, I think we are heading in the right direction. I appreciate the fans that came out to see that because our guys are fun to watch, and I think the fans are finding that out.”
JDHS boys get all medieval on Knights - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
Crimson Bears win battles in homecoming hoops war
