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Sunday March 30, 2008 Juneau-Douglas forward Eric Gross selected as a member of the All-State Second Team
Class 4A Boys
FIRST TEAM
Kevin Winford, Bartlett
Anthony Cousin, South
Damon Bell-Holter, Ketchikan
Corey Toombs, Kenai
Aaron Stevens, South
SECOND TEAM
Eric Gross, Juneau-Douglas
Rylan Whilden, Dimond
Jaron Murphy, Colony
Ryan Hanley, Dimond
Marcus Lowe, Service
HONORABLE MENTION
Colton Lauwers, Dimond
John Palmer, Colony
Trevor Smith, South
Grant Niver, Colony
Nate Byrd, Kenai
Mike Russell, West
T.J. Fullmer, Palmer
All-State Basketball Teams Announced - Juneau Empire
Sunday March 23, 2008 Cousin, a 5-11 guard, did most of his damage on the scoreboard with a tourney-best 21.6 points a game but also chipped in 3.3 rebounds, 2.7 assists and two steals a game.
Watching his back, were the forward duo of Smith and Stevens. The 6-5 Smith, who plucked 2.3 steals a contest, and the 6-6 Stevens, who blocked a tourney-high 1.7 shots per game, combined for 18.3 points and 20.3 boards a game to help the Wolverines rule down low.
Bartlett's Kevin Winford, the Gatorade Alaska Boys Basketball Player of the Year, nearly led the Golden Bears to a comeback win but settled for a runner-up finish thanks to 19.7 points, four rebounds and 2.3 steals a game. The 6-1 senior guard also hit 93 percent of his free throws.
While Bartlett will need to fill Winford's spot outside, freshman Damon Newsome developed down and nearly sent the title game into overtime with a last second look. The 6-4 forward was good 5.7 points and 8.3 rebounds a game.
Josh Moseley, a 6-3 senior forward, helped lead Colony to third-place with 10.3 points a game in his final outings in green and white.
The Dimond duo of Rylan Whilden and Ryan Hanley, both repeaters from last year's all-tourney team, helped the Lynx keep their claws with two wins after a first-round upset by Kenai.
Whilden, a 6-4 senior guard, pumped in 16.3 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.7 assists a game, while Hanley, a 6-2 junior forward, was an all-around force with 16.3 points, 7.3 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 2.3 steals and one block a night.
Kenai's Cory Toombs, a 6-0 senior guard, helped the school upset Dimond en route to averaging 17.7 points, seven rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.7 steals over the tournament.
Eric Gross, a 6-4 forward, rounded out the team. The Juneau junior made his mark with 16 points, seven rebounds and 2.7 assists a game.
4A boys all-tourney team
• Anthony Cousin, South
• Trevor Smith, South
• Aaron Stevens, South
• Kevin Winford, Bartlett
• Damon Newsome, Bartlett
• Josh Moseley, Colony
• Rylan Whilden, Dimond
• Ryan Hanley, Dimond
• Cory Toombs, Kenai
• Eric Gross, Juneau
Juneau's Eric Gross Selected to All-Tourney Team at State - ADN.com
Unlike the girls side of 4A state, senior boys dominated on the court and, as a result, took seven of the 10 spots on the all-tournament team.
South's senior trio of Anthony Cousin, Trevor Smith and Aaron Stevens saved their best basketball for Alaska's biggest stage and earned the school it's first basketball title. But the graduating group will make it tough for the Wolverines to reload and repeat.
Saturday March 22, 2008 Dimond made 29 of 40 free throws while JDHS hit 6 of 9 in the game. JDHS was whistled for 27 fouls compared to the Lynx's 11.
"We can't overcome a 4-to-1 ratio on fouls," JDHS coach Steve Potter said. "Two-to-1, yes. We did that (Friday), against Palmer (in a 57-41 win). But not 4-to-1. You can't defend players at the free throw line."
Despite the free-throw disparity, Juneau's long-distance shooting kept the team close.
Ryan Larson, a senior who played his final game for JDHS, made 6 of 11 3-point shots. He also hit a bomb from about 30-feet out with less than a minute to play. He finished with 18 points.
JDHS junior Eric Gross had 14 points, while senior Dominique Brinson scored eight points and Faifo Levale had six.
Gross scored all but one of his points in the first half as JDHS led 35-33 at halftime.
Dimond responded with a quick 10-2 run to start the second half, but JDHS fought back. Levale made a three-point play and Larson hit a 3-point shot to stem the momentum.
Dimond refused to go away, though. The Lynx outscored JDHS 38-24 in the second half to win.
Dimond had nine steals and forced JDHS into 17 turnovers.
Meanwhile, Juneau struggled shooting from the floor. After making 7 of 9 shots in the first quarter, JDHS made just 9 of 24 the rest of the way.
They also finished 7 of 29 from beyond the 3-point arc.
"We still had our shot at winning - we just didn't make our shots," Potter said.
Potter said his team played in more of their customary fashion Friday in a 57-42 win over Palmer at the Sullivan Arena.
Juneau players used an inside-out offense after establishing themselves with several baskets early in paint from Gross, who finished with a team-high 15 points.
With Palmer collapsing down, the perimeter was left open for senior snipers Larson and Brinson, who combined for six 3-pointers
"They had to double down on us," Potter said Friday. "We do a pretty good job when we get our low-high game going."
Defensively, Potter credited Levale and Geoff Craig for playing well inside and helping stop Palmer forward Bryce Jacobson. The Moose forward finished with 17 points.
Levale earned player of the game honors for his defense along with scoring nine points.
The loss to Dimond gave Juneau-Douglas sixth place overall, the same as last season.
After Saturday's game, Potter acknowledged the class and character of his team in handling adversity and credited his squad for a fine representation of sportsmanship in representing the Southeast Conference.
Juneau boys beat Palmer Friday, but fall to Dimond Saturday to finish sixth - Juneau Empire by David Morse
ANCHORAGE - A big disparity in free-throw shooting helped Dimond High School defeat Juneau-Douglas 71-59 in the fourth-place game of the Alaska School Activities Association Class 4A boys basketball state tournament at the Wells Fargo Sports Complex.
Friday March 21, 2008
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Check out the 2008 State Tournament Leaders:
Friday March 21, 2008 The Crimson Bears nearly came back from a late nine-point deficit but lost 68-67. It marked the third-straight year JDHS lost in the state tournament's first round.
A three-point play by Anthony Cousins gave South a 63-54 lead with 3:29 left in the game.
The Crimson Bears made a final push, however, as two free throws by Ryan Larson and a putback by Faifo Levale ignited the charge. A free throw by Shawn Ibesate and two baskets by Eric Gross cut the lead to four.
After a South free throw, Juneau's Sean Bavard made a 3-pointer to cut the lead 67-65 with 14 seconds left.
Cousins then hit one of two free throws to boost the lead back to three with seconds left.
Larson responded with a layup to cut the advantage to one, but JDHS couldn't foul a South player to stop the clock as regulation ended.
Gross earned player of the game honors after posting 19 points and 11 rebounds in the loss.
Cousins scored a game-high 26 points for South and made 14 of 18 free throws in the win.
Dominique Brinson, Cody Grussendorf and Ryan Larson hit 3-pointers in the first quarter, but South took a 16-13 lead.
Juneau-Douglas then took the lead midway through the second quarter by going inside. Gross and Geoff Craig both scored as JDHS led 21-17.
South responded with a 9-2 run, largely off the dribble penetration of Cousins. Craig stopped the flow with a basket to pull the Crimson Bears within three points of the lead, 26-23.
Six players scored in the first half for JDHS but South toted a 33-26 halftime lead.
The Bears lost a little of their inside dominance in the third quarter when Gross picked up his third foul.
Larson and Grussendorf hit 3-pointers in the third quarter, but South Anchorage started to widen the gap and led 51-44 after three quarters.
Brinson's third 3-point shot of the game drew JDHS to within three, 54-51, but South took over on the defensive end.
A couple of untimely turnovers and South steals allowed the Wolverines to bump the score back to 59-52 in the fourth quarter.
Juneau committed 19 turnovers to South's 11 in the loss. South also made 25 of 41 free throws.
Brinson finished with 15 points and three assists while Larson had 12 points and five rebounds. Grussendorf scored six points, Levale had five points, Craig had four points while Ibesate and Bavard tallied three points each.
For South, Kevin Cousin had 15 points while Trevor Smith posted 11 points and 13 rebounds. D.J. Cousin also scored seven points in the win.
JDHS will play Palmer at 9:40 a.m. today in the consolation round while South takes on Colony at 8:30 p.m. tonight in the semifinals.
South Anchorage downs JDHS boys 68-67 at tourney - Juneau Empire by David Morse
ANCHORAGE - The Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team made a late push but came up short against Southeast Anchorage in the Alaska School Activities Association Class 4A state tournament quarterfinals on Thursday at West Anchorage High School.
Thursday March 20, 2008
Juneau's Dominique Brinson was paired with a member of Colony's girls' team to win the 2008 Army National Guard March Madness Team Ball Competition. Team Ball is a timed event where players make shots from designated spots on the floor. Each spot is worth a certain number of points, ranging from 1 point for a layup to 4 points for a shot from behind the arc. In the one minute allotted, Brinson and his partner finished with a score of 33.
Crimson Bear Boys Excel at Pre-Tournament Competitions
Juneau senior, Ryan "Bubba" Larson, finished with a score of 46 to defeat Colony's John Palmer in the 2008 Army National Guard March Madness 3 point contest. In dramatic fashion, Bubba needed to hit all the shots from his final rack to overcome Palmer's score. Juneau's Sean Ibesate also shot well in the competition and finished 6th in the field of 16 with a score of 36.
Thursday March 20, 2008
Follow the Action - Webcast of 2008 State Tournament
Copy and paste the following link to follow the Crimson Bears in the 2008 State Tournament:
http://www.cybersportsusa.com/tourney.asp?sport_id=1&lev_id=1&assoc_id=3&tc_id=2016
Wednesday March 19, 2008 "We're trying to harp on these guys to be quick and that they get the reminders of if we break down, this happens," Potter said. "We don't have one guy everyone looks to to save us. The guys have everyone's respect."
That kind of respect and chemistry between the players will be crucial. JDHS will be expected to execute under duress Thursday. A successfully run press-break should lead to easy points. A bad pass or errant dribble, though, will give South momentum.
"If we dribble too much, it's trouble," Potter said. "As you can see, nothing we practice involves a lot of dribbling."
Seemingly most of Juneau-Douglas's season has been preparing the squad for Thursday's contest.
Juneau played the fourth most difficult schedule in the state, according to the state's win percentage index formula. While the WPI only factors in games against Alaska Class 4A competition, Juneau also tested itself against an elite team from California, split two games against defending Class 3A state champion Petersburg and dropped a close game to Class 3A state qualifier Heritage Christian in Anchorage.
The majority of teams JDHS faced out of conference featured the kind of pressure it will most likely see against the Wolverines.
The battled-tested Bears should be ready for any contingency.
"We don't really see a full court, but a lot of three-quarters and half-court pressure," Potter said. "Our press break works against both, if we execute it.
"The last couple of times - end of the Colony game not withstanding - we did all right. They're getting better with it."
The Colony game Potter referred to was a 53-47 loss at home on Jan. 27 in which the Knights used their pressure defense to come back from a 12-point fourth-quarter deficit.
Since that loss, though, JDHS won six of its final nine games.
"We prepare to work against a press," JDHS senior Dominique Brinson said of the Bears' practice. "We have to box out because they have athletic players and we need to work on our defense."
South Anchorage enters the game as one of the state's hotter teams. The Wolverines downed West Anchorage and Service in the Cook Inlet Conference tournament to seal a state tournament berth.
The Bears and Wolverines opened the season on Dec. 15 in the Joe Floyd Tournament in Kodiak. South won the game 61-58. While both teams have progressed significantly since that game more than three months ago, the familiarity should help.
"It's nice we've seen them before," Potter said. "They're not some big mystery."
One of Juneau's main strengths throughout the year is its balance. While the team doesn't feature one dominant player, it does have a host of athletes who can produce in a variety of roles.
Brinson leads the team in scoring at 13.7 points per game. Eric Gross, a 6-foot-4 post player, has evolved into a reliable inside threat. By finding open space and taking advantage of Juneau's penetration, he's averaged 13.2 points in the Bears last five games.
JDHS routinely plays 10 to 11 players throughout a contest.
After testing everyone with a difficult schedule and significant minutes, the Bears hope to be at their maximum effectiveness Thursday.
Crimson Bears look to deal with pressure - Juneau Empire by Tim Nichols
The final hour of the Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team's Monday morning practice consisted almost entirely of running and breaking out of defensive traps.
Crimson Bears coach Steve Potter stopped the practice frequently and explained to his panting players about where to go and why. A full understanding of breaking the trap will be crucial if JDHS hopes to get past South Anchorage at 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the Alaska School Activities Association Class 4A State Basketball Tournament at West Anchorage High School.
Monday March 10, 2008 The Crimson Bears (13-11) received a No. 5 seed and will take on fourth-seeded South Anchorage at 3:30 p.m. March 20 at West Anchorage High School.
Juneau-Douglas and the Wolverines opened the season together Dec. 13 at the Joe Floyd Tournament in Kodiak. South nipped JDHS 61-58 in the game.
The JDHS-South winner will play either top-seeded Colony or eighth-seeded Palmer on March 21.
On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Bartlett will play Lathrop while Dimond faces Kenai Central.
Boys to play South Anchorage at State Tournament
The Juneau-Douglas High School boys discovered their first-round opponent at the Alaska School Activities Association State Basketball Championships.
The Class 4A boys tournament will take place March 20-22 in Anchorage.
Sunday March 09, 2008 In the final game of the four-day Southeast Conference Basketball Tournament, the defending Class 3A boys basketball state champion Vikings upset the Crimson Bears 61-59. The Vikings won their first outright Southeast title since 1971 in a game that featured 14 lead changes. Neither team led by more than five points in the game.
JDHS knocked off Petersburg the previous two years in the crossover title game. When next season rolls around, though, a fresh blue-and-white pennant designating the Vikings as Southeast Conference champs will adorn the JDHS gym wall.
"We've met these guys the last three years and they've beat us every year but we finally got our revenge," said Petersburg senior captain Cameron Severson while wearing a freshly-cut basketball net as a necklace. "We've been waiting for this since my sophomore year."
Juneau-Douglas nearly pulled off a miracle play to force overtime. Down 61-59 after making one free throw, JDHS guard Shawn Ibesate deliberately missed the second shot with 1.2 seconds left in regulation. The ball caromed back to Ibesate, who flicked up a shot in mid-air that rolled off the rim.
Severson led the Vikings with 29 points and 11 rebounds. The reigning Class 3A player of the year also hit 13 of 16 free throws to avenge a 56-52 loss to the Crimson Bears last December.
"Our goal is to still win a state championship but this is almost as important," Severson said. "To get Southeast and get our name up on one of those triangles."
Petersburg seized the lead with 45 seconds left in the game as Severson's floating shot in the lane gave the Vikings a 58-56 advantage. He later added two free throws with 35.4 seconds to give Petersburg a crucial four-point cushion.
Ibesate cut the lead back to two with 29.3 seconds left on a drive, but JDHS would get no closer.
"I think it took our guys a while to register that Petersburg really wanted to win the game," JDHS coach Steve Potter said. "They're tough and we knew that earlier in the year, and we knew they got better, and I think we got better today. We had a lot of difficulty with Severson and we missed some opportunities inside that we should've made."
While the game is basically an exhibition, both the Bears and Vikings attacked each other with abandon. Neither the fans nor players expected a tepid exhibition. Everyone in the gym knew JDHS and Petersburg would fight until the final whistle.
JDHS took a 17-15 lead to end the first quarter as Reese Saviers knocked down a 3-point shot at the buzzer.
Faifo Levale opened the second quarter by converting a three-point play - making a layup while being fouled and hitting the ensuing free throw.
Severson, however, responded by scoring seven straight points to put Petersburg up 22-20.
The rest of the game took on a similar tenor.
Juneau's Ryan Larson hit a hook shot to put JD up 28-24 with 2:30 left before halftime, then the Vikings went on a 6-0 run to reclaim the lead.
In the third quarter, the Bears' Geoff Craig drained a baseline jumper, then Vikings guard Jon Mazzella responded with a jumper of his own to end the third quarter and give Petersburg a 45-44 lead.
Juneau-Douglas led 54-51 as Cody Grussendorf hit a free throw after converting a layup with 3:53 left in the game. Petersburg cut the lead to two twice before Severson's jumper with less than a minute remaining put his team ahead for good.
"I'm very proud of our boys," Petersburg coach Rick Brock said. "The best thing about this is we played well as a team."
For Juneau-Douglas, the loss doesn't affect its state-tournament standing or ranking. The Crimson Bears will open the state tournament on March 20 against an opponent to be determined later this week.
"We've got to make sure we finish and start and pay the middle," Potter said. "Petersburg is very good. It's hard to say they're not one of the toughest teams we've played all year."
Vikings raid Juneau in crossover title win - Juneau Empire by Tim Nichols
Though the game didn't count toward any rankings or standings, and the prize is little more than a plaque and a pennant on a gym wall, Juneau-Douglas and Petersburg's boys basketball teams showed why the Class 3A/4A crossover game is so much more than an exhibition.