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Monday March 08, 2010
A little more than two months ago, Juneau-Douglas boys' basketball coach Steve Potter had more questions than answers.
After losing several key pieces from last year's team, in particular those who transferred to Thunder Mountain, Potter said he was trying to find leaders at the beginning of the season.
"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.
Two Fantastic finishes in SE - Juneau Empire by Matthew Tynan
Boys pull out two last-second victories over Ketchikan for state berth:
Sunday March 07, 2010
Juneau-Douglas sophomore guard Lance Ibesate stole the ball from Ketchikan star Jeff Whicker and raced the length of the court for a lay-up and a thrilling 61-59 Crimson Bears victory in the late-night Southeast Conference championship game to earn a state tournament berth.
Fellow sophomore guard Tony Yadao splashed the biggest 3-pointer of his young career to tie the game at 59 with just 21 seconds remaining, and then Whicker drove to the basket from the left wing. As Whicker got to the front of the rim, Ibesate picked his pocket and too off for what proved to be the game-winning basket.
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.
Crimson Bears win! - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
The girls aren't going alone.
Wednesday March 03, 2010
The Bears are 5-0 against the Falcons this season.
"We started out pretty slow again. We only had eight points in the first quarter," JDHS coach Steve Potter said. "We had a big second quarter and our depth wore on them a little bit.
"(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.
Bears edge Falcons in OT - Juneau Empire by Matthew Tynan
The Juneau-Douglas boys' basketball team pulled out a 78-73 overtime victory over Thunder Mountain in the opening round of the Southeast Conference basketball tournament Tuesday at Mt. Edgecumbe High School.
Wednesday February 24, 2010
The crowd was very supportive and helped push us to two conference game wins. The crowd's energy really helped to fuel us to victory. It was the largest crowd attendance of the season and we would like every game to be that way. Every point we scored and every good play we made was backed up with roars from the crowd; it was a great atmosphere to play in.
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
Thanks for supporting JDHS basketball games
The Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears Boys Basketball Team would like to thank everyone who showed their support by attending the games against the TMHS Falcons.
Monday February 22, 2010
"I had somebody that used to be a sports reporter for Ketchikan that let me know that he believes it was 1973-74 (since the Kings have swept the Bears)," Ketchikan coach Erik Stockhausen said Saturday after his team did just that.
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.
Kings take two - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
Ketchikan pulled off the nearly unthinkable Saturday in boys' basketball, earning a season sweep of Juneau-Douglas with a 66-58 victory over the ice-cold Crimson Bears at JDHS.
Thursday February 18, 2010
Sitka games canceled tonight due to fog; Ketchikan games still planned for weekend
Tonight's match up against Sitka's JV and Varsity teams has been canceled due to the foggy weather in Juneau today. A decision has not been made as to whether or not the games will be rescheduled for a later date. The weekend series against Ketchikan has not been effected at this time.
Monday February 15, 2010
The action begins this Thursday versus Sitka when the JV tips off at 5:15, followed by the Varsity at 7:00.
Games Added Against Sitka
The Varsity and Junior Varsity have added games this week against former 4A regional opponent, Sitka. In their second year as a 3A school, Sitka will provide a solid test before this weekend's games against rival Ketchikan, Friday and Saturday.
Tuesday February 09, 2010
With 30 minutes left until game time, the line into the gym was winding out the entry to JDHS and people were eventually turned away after the event sold out.
"It was electrifying, and I didn't even get to watch the game," said Sandi Wagner, JDHS Activities Director who had her hands full policing the eager crowd. "We put 1,500 or 1,600 people in there (Friday)."
The fans were packing the gym more than an hour before the varsity game tipped off, most donning either the black and red of the Crimson Bears or the Falcon blue and silver. Students were geared up in school attire while some decided to take the black and red body paint route. Either way, Juneau's newest rivalry was in full effect and the student section held nothing back - even for the Falcon cheerleaders.
Gov. Sean Parnell was one of the many in attendance anticipating Juneau's new rivalry, and he said it did not disappoint.
"I love the community spirit. I walk in and I'm handed a towel for the Falcons and a towel for the Crimson Bears, so it's a great night for Juneau," he said. "It really brings the people together. I see people cheering for both sides, but I also see people cheering for their schools - it's great for the city."
One of the running topics of the evening was the fact that nobody had seen the gym packed like it was since a certain No. 4 dominated the court at Juneau-Douglas.
"Look at the crowd; everybody is excited," said Bill Elhers, who was wearing a blue Thunder Mountain T-shirt underneath his coat. "This is historic. When Carlos Boozer was playing the gym was packed like this every night. It's great to see it like this again."
There was mutual excitement between the fans waiting for tip-off, but once the blue-clad Thunder Mountain Falcons entered the court at JDHS, the boos rained down from the student section.
"I think it's pretty weird because they used to go to our school, now they're playing against us," said Juneau-Douglas student Alesa Abbott. "This game is going to be pretty intense and the fans are going to be crazy."
Alex Brown, who was sporting the colors of the Falcons, said she had a pretty good idea why the rivalry had already gotten to this level.
"I think people are going to feel betrayed, like 'Oh my God, they went over to Thunder Mountain - they're terrible people,'" she said jokingly.
With several prominent players from last year's Bears squad transferring to TMHS, former Crimson Bear Josh Lockhart, said he can understand the feeling.
"It's going to be good, mainly because Cody (Grussendorf) and Reese (Saviers) transferred from here," he said. "All these kids know each other pretty well, and they're two of the better players in town.
"They're going to want to beat them and make them regret transferring, or something like that."
The game was close early, but the Crimson Bears fed off the home crowd and put the Falcons away 60-45. However, they knew they would have to visit Thunder Mountain on Saturday, and the Falcons would be ready for redemption.
Miles Bedford and Justin Brooks, covered in black body paint wearing nothing but black bike shorts and tennis shoes, were basking in victory.
"They put up good competition and I can tell this is going to be a rivalry for a long time," Bedford said. "It's going to be different when we go to their home gym (Saturday)."
Brooks had other ideas.
"We're going to do the same thing to them (Saturday)," he said adamantly.
When asked whether this rivalry already had surpassed the magnitude of Juneau-Douglas' rivalry with Ketchikan - or any other school for that matter - both had the same definitive response.
"Not even close, not even close. This will be the biggest one we will have in the state, that's all I got to say," Bedford said as Brooks quickly followed.
"No rivalry compares to this one between JDHS and Thunder Mountain - ever - in all of sports," he said.
At the end of the night, Wagner kept a cool head and a clear perspective about the new matchup in the city.
"We are two schools in a small community, and at the end of the day it's all about Juneau," she said. "They can compete as hard as they want on the court, but at the end of the day we're all from the same spot.
"So, that's what it's about to me, not a rivalry. If you have great competition along the way, so be it."
As former JDHS student Dylan Stuart put it: "Juneau's all grown up. It's got its own rivalry now. Soon we'll have Burger King, Wendy's, who knows."
For now, a game atmosphere like the one at Juneau-Douglas on Friday will do just fine.
Fan Frenzy - Juneau Empire by Matthew Tynan
In the first-ever matchup between the Thunder Mountain boys' basketball team and Juneau-Douglas, the atmosphere at JDHS was spirited - to say the least.
Sunday February 07, 2010
Both teams played more loosely from the outset than they did Friday night, trading buckets back and forth with the game tied at 2-, 6- and 8-all.
"We had a lot more energy coming out tonight, and I think the crowd really helped us," said JDHS senior forward Colin Gozelski, who put up 18 points and pulled down 14 rebounds. "Whenever they went on a run, our crowd would get us back into it."
TMHS senior forward Cody Grussendorf drove the lane for a lay-up and a 10-9 Falcon lead.
JDHS sophomore guard Lance Ibesate splashed a triple after a kick out by Eric Sele, but Falcon guard Reese Saviers answered with a three-pointer. Senior wing Victor Wilson drove for a lay-up and a 14-13 JDHS lead after one quarter.
Falcon senior guard Torey Franzen tied the game at 16-16 with a triple from the wing, but JDHS went on a 16-3 run, punctuated by a Gozelski and-1 inside after a lot of contact, followed by an Ibesate steal and lay-up to give the Bears a 32-19 lead at the midway point of the second quarter.
The Bears closed the half with a 6-2 spurt for a commanding 42-29 lead at the break.
Gozelski led the first-half charge, scoring 11 points for JDHS.
"Our defense in the first half was not where we need it to be," TMHS coach John Blasco said. "We got beat off the dribble quite a bit. That's knowing the guy that you're guarding, and that's also taking pride in defense and not just letting your guy beat you off the dribble."
The Bears went cold in the third quarter and the Falcons clawed their way back into the game, pulling within five points, 44-39, after a big-time three-pointer from Saviers.
JDHS coach Steve Potter said he wasn't surprised the Falcons were able to get back into the game.
"They're talented kids, Blasco is a good coach and he's going to make them play hard," he said. "There's no alternative. But it was about what I expected. They played better, and I thought we played better."
But then JDHS closed with a 6-0 spurt to hold a 50-39 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
"We cut it to five, and then made two or three bad decision and it was back up to a 10-point game. It's hard to fight back from down 10 that late in the game when they're feeling good. We had the momentum and everything going in our favor, and then a couple turnovers and poor shots and the game is back in their hands."
Both teams lit it up in the fourth quarter, with the Falcons outscoring the Bears 24-22, though they never got closer than 10 points.
Saviers led all scorers with 20 points and had 12 rebounds, while Grussendorf had 18 points for TMHS.
Alex DeRocher had 17 points for the Bears, and Ibesate had 16.
JDHS scored 22 points off Falcon turnovers, and the Bear bench outscored TMHS's 27-4.
JDHS won the JV game 51-29 behind 16 points from Phillip Fenuiai and 12 from Cort Saviers. Jake Gates paced the Falcons with seven points.
Bears ground Falcons in first-ever meeting at JDHS
Emotions ran high from the outset of the first-ever cross-town boys' basketball tilt between Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain, with the Crimson Bears winning convincingly, 60-45, in front of a frenzied full house at JDHS.
The bigger Bears owned the boards and shot the ball well while the Falcons couldn't find the range from the field or the free throw line. JDHS pulled down 50 boards to TMHS's 36, and shot 45 percent overall from the field, including 5 of 11 from behind the arc. The Falcons shot just 28 percent, including 1-for-11 from the perimeter, and just 14 of 33 from the stripe.
"It was a cold night. We were jittery through almost the entire first half, which is way longer than you should be," TMHS coach John Blasco lamented afterward. "We were 5-for-14 in the first half and in a 13-point ballgame, you miss nine free throws. Your psychological mindset is a lot different when you're down 13 instead of five or six.
"I played loud crowd noise in practice when we shot free throws in hopes that we would be prepared," he continued. "Clearly, it affected both teams. I'm very proud of how much we got to the line because we haven't gotten there that much any other time this year, but you have to capitalize. To miss 19 free throws in a 15-point ballgame, that says a lot. We didn't play a very good game and we didn't shoot well, but it was fun."
Though victorious, JDHS coach Steve Potter was unhappy with the fact his team got to the line just seven times, making but one.
"I don't necessarily agree with that, but it's our own fault," Potter said of the major free throw discrepancy. "We were settling for shots and taking early shots instead of taking our time to do the work. But we certainly were effective when we were patient enough to go inside. We got good inside-out action and we got most of our three-point opportunities. We just need to do a better job."
JDHS held a 10-5 lead after the first quarter, was up 30-17 at the half, and only trailed once, 5-4, in the game's early going.
The game was tight until midway through the second quarter. With JDHS leading 16-9, the Falcons scored five straight to cut the deficit to two, 16-14, after back-to-back buckets off the glass inside by De'Andre King.
But senior Alex DeRocher, who led all scorers with 20 points, drilled his first of four three-pointers from the wing to open the floodgates.
"That's awesome, but it's a team effort," DeRocher said of his big night shooting the ball. "I'm just glad we got the win. I don't care if I score 30 points if we lose. That's not fun to me. I just want the win."
Senior forward Paul Tupou followed DeRocher's lead with an old-fashioned three-point play to push the cushion to eight, 22-14, and the Bears closed the half on a 14-3 run, with sophomore guard Tony Yadao hitting a beautiful double-clutch scoop shot in the lane with time running out.
JDHS doubled up the Falcons 34-17 after senior forward Eric Sele opened the third quarter with back-to-back buckets inside off dishes from senior wing Victor Wilson.
Senior forward Cody Grussendorf scored four straight points to cut the deficit to 38-21, but Yadao halted any Falcon momentum with a stuff of a Reese Saviers lay-up attempt after Saviers got out on the break. Wilson scored over King inside and senior forward Colin Gozelski drove to the cup for a deuce and a 44-25 Bears lead heading into the final eight minutes.
The Falcons finally got going offensively in the fourth quarter, scoring 20 points in all, but it was too little, too late. Saviers, who struggled from the field, shooting just 3-for-14, went to the cup but was rejected again, this time by senior forward Lawrence Fenumiai, who then playfully flexed for the fervent JDHS studentsection.
DeRocher pushed the Bears' lead to 54-28 with a triple from the wing, and then the Falcons chipped away, outscoring JDHS 17-6 over the game's final four minutes.
DeRocher credited the Bears' big men for owning the glass.
"Our boards were key. We've been working a lot on boxing out in practice, and our help-side defense. I think that really helped us out tonight," he said. "Our big men really stepped it up and boxed out for us. They realize that's their job, and they've been doing a great job."
JDHS won Friday's JV matchup 53-37 behind 15 points from Alec Calloway, and 10 from Phillip Fenumiai. Josh Tupou led the Falcons with 11 points, and Keith Ainsworth put up nine.
Bears take first two - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
Juneau-Douglas exploded for 28 second-quarter points en route to a 72-60 Southeast Conference victory over Thunder Mountain at TMHS in the second of a two-day, two-game double dip between Juneau's old and new high schools.
Sunday February 07, 2010
If you didn't get there early Friday night, then you didn't get a good parking spot (except for those who decided to just park on the sidewalk outside of Juneau-Douglas High school).
The line was out the door and many had to be turned away as the gym swelled to capacity. Even the aisles were filled with fans in the den of the Crimson Bears.
There was no better place to be this weekend than at Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain high schools, where the two new friendly rivals tipped off for the first time ever in boys' basketball.
The gyms were, without a doubt, electric (I can't wait until 2011 when they play each other in football for the first time).
I haven't been here long, but I think it's safe to say that Juneau hasn't seen anything like this when it comes to prep sports since Carlos Boozer was busy giving slam-dunk facials to opponents a full decade ago.
Thunder Mountain coach John Blasco, who played with Boozer at JDHS, agreed.
"It was an awesome enviroment. This was truly what kids should be living and dying for when playing," he said. "I haven't seen a crowd like this since Carlos was here, and we used to feed off it and love it. I can understand why JDHS played so well. We had a good crowd, too, and you just can't beat this type of game. It's a great experiecne, win or lose."
"Hopefully, we can get this kind of crowd every time we play and get the support from the community," JDHS coach Steve Potter said afterward.
Crimson Bear senior Alex DeRocher said it was the best envirnoment he's ever played in.
"I've never played in a game like this before," he beamed, fresh after dropping 20 points to lead all scorers Friday. "My freshman year, when all the main seniors were here, was the last time I remember a packed house. It's a lot different atmosphere. This easily topped homecoming last week. It was intense and it helped our team get the extra step. It was great. I absolutely loved it."
Juneau-Douglas won both games handily, but nobody really lost. The Falcons don't feel great about the way they played, but realize they were a part of something special.
They were a part of history, like all those in attendance, including Governor Sean Parnell, who posted up behind the press table Friday (he must have gotten there early for such a prime seat).
Coaches and friends Potter and Blasco shared a handshake, back slap and smiles before the game. The starters did the same before tip off.
And the games were fun; physical, but fun. TMHS freshman forward Gary Speck had his nose bloodied just minutes into the first game - though not because of malicious intent from any opposing player.
The JDHS student section was out in full force on Friday, chanting and cheering until many - like senior Jack Perkins - lost their voices. Some kids were painted black, which is awesome.
I thought the JDHS kids kept it classy, which is commendable. They may have booed the TMHS cheerleaders at the start of a routine in the second half, but then they totally redeemed themselves by giving them a spirited round of applause as the cheer wound down.
And booing opposing cheerleaders certainly isn't the worst thing I've ever seen. That's pretty tame, actually.
The return game at Thunder Mountain was just as much fun with the stands packed again and the crowd just as loud. Both student sections were full, rowdy and rockin'.
Before the fourth quarter started, four TMHS students painted blue did a lap around the court with signs with the school letters on them, getting the crowd on its feet. Not to be outdone, two JDHS students painted red chased the boys in blue another lap around the gym as the crowd roared.
It was truly a great moment.
"I hope the fans had fun. It seemed like everybody was into it," Blasco said. "The community can see that the kids are still friends, and that's the fun part for us. I love all those guys over there and I respect them."
"It's brotherly," DeRocher said of the relationships between the two school's players. "We've all played basketball with each other over the years, and we all have eachother's respect as players. At times, it may get a little physical because the adrenaline's going in the moment. But other than that, I think it's fine. It's just a great basketball rivalry because we're so evenly matched up."
The record book may say Juneau-Douglas 2, Thunder Mountain 0, but no one won more than the community of Juneau.
First games in shiny new crosstown rivalry don't disappoint - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
Now that's what prep sports should be about.