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Thursday February 04, 2010
But while Juneau-Douglas and Thunder Mountain will square off for the first time on Friday at JDHS, several Crimson Bears players said their fans are going to be out in full force.
"I don't think the crowds are going to be very nice - it doesn't really sound right, but there is no way to stop them," said Bears forward Colin Gozelski. "It's probably going to be the craziest game any of us have ever played in."
Thunder Mountain, in its first year as a basketball program, boasts three top players that transferred from Juneau-Douglas. Each of the three, Cody Grussendorf, Reese Saviers and Jazz King, would have contributed significantly to the Crimson Bears had they stayed at Juneau's downtown school.
"We did lose Cody, who was a starter, and Reese potentially was a starter. So that's two guys," Gozelski said. "Our sophomores have really picked it up for us. Tony (Yadao) and Lance (Ibesate) have really picked it up, and Lawrence (Fenumiai) and (Eric) Sele have been doing really well, also.
"All around, we don't really have one player that sticks out. Everyone has a spot so it all works out pretty good. The ball (distribution) is well balanced around the team."
Senior guard Alex DeRocher said the team definitely has a fresh feel to it compared to last year, especially with the different personnel involved.
"Our style of play is completely different; we've just had to adjust," he said. "Colin and I were supposed to be the go-to guys this year, but like Colin said, the sophomores have picked it up a lot.
"Our best bet is to slow it down, play at our own pace and try to feed it as much as we can to our bigs because that's going to be our strong point."
Gozelski added the biggest difference has really been the style of play.
"Last year, we were more of a run-and-gun team. We'd try to press the whole game, run and get fast-break lay-ups," he said. "This year, since we lost all of our seniors plus the guys that went to TMHS, we've been more of a half-court press team. We slow it down on offense more and run more sets instead of just getting fast-break points."
Both players said the biggest thing about this budding rivalry is going to be facing off against former teammates and classmates.
"We'd do pretty well against each other in practices and stuff, but since we haven't seen them all year, it's going to be really different," DeRocher said. "It's going to show how much each team has improved.
"I think, overall, it's going to be a weird experience at first, but it's a rivalry. It's exciting."
Gozelski said the fact players on each team know one another so well is what makes it such an anticipated matchup.
"These two teams are so evenly matched - that's what makes this so much bigger."
Several Falcons ready to face old school
Whenever a new program is built, it can sometimes take years to reach prominence. But with the basketball talent that transferred from Juneau-Douglas, the Thunder Mountain Falcons have already burst on the scene.
Transfers such as King, Grussendorf and Saviers have each played a major role in the team's success so far this season.
King said through the first couple of games, people may not have been on the same page. But now they're all coming together.
"It's been tough because we're the only three players that have played at the varsity level," he said. "We're trying to get the team gathered around, but trying to figure out how to play the game at that higher level is kind of hard. But it's new and we should be learning it very well."
With a new school opening across town, students had to make the decision as to where they wanted to go. In the case of Grussendorf, it was completely territorial.
"I live on Rivercourt Way, so the school's in my backyard. I went out here last year as a junior and liked the school, liked the community, liked the teachers and just liked the administration," he said. "I got my brother to go to school here too, so it was kind of a family decision.
"So far, no regrets."
In other cases, though, even family loyalty is divided. Saviers transferred to Thunder Mountain, but his younger brother, Cort, remained at JDHS and is a junior on the basketball team.
"Me and my brother have always been really competitive, but my family's Thunder Mountain fans," Reese said. "My cousin Tanya (Nizich) is the (Thunder Mountain) head coach of the girls' team. At family gatherings, I always bring up the games and Cort's always sitting there saying, 'We're going to win,' and our whole family gangs up on him. It's pretty funny.
"I like the rivalry between us and JD already," he continued. "I loved playing at JD because I've played there my whole life and it's been my favorite court for a really long time, so I'm excited to play there again and to play against my old teammates and coaches."
Grussendorf said he's eager to see how the fans - his old fans - react.
"I just can't wait to run out and get booed. It's going to be crazy," he said. "There's going to be so many fans there that just don't want to see us win. We're going to get introduced and I'm thinking we're going to get booed or it's just going to be dead quiet, or they're going to pull the Kayhi newspaper trick where they just pull up newspapers (in front of their faces) and not look at us.
"There's been rumors and stuff, but I don't know what's going to happen. It's going to be epic, that's all I can say."
King said his biggest concern is all the size JDHS has, both in the starting lineup and coming off the bench, and how important it is for the team to stay out of foul trouble.
"They got like five big guys and I'm the only (big man)," he said. "I've been working with my coach to make sure they put up shots they're not comfortable with. Paul (Tupou), Lawrence and Sele are all football players, so they're all big bodies that can bang in there."
Saviers and Grussendorf turned to the 6-foot-2, 245-pound King laughing and said, "Well, what are you?"
King responded, "I got finesse."
Reshaping Juneau prep hoops - Juneau Empire by Matthew Tynan
Juneau has never seen a rivalry like this, especially considering the two teams involved have yet to even play each other in an actual game yet.
Wednesday February 03, 2010
Crimson Bears coach Steve Potter is currently in his fourth season at Juneau's flagship high school, which has established itself through the years as a state power. After a slow start with a near-complete roster overhaul, the 8-7 Bears have won three straight and six of their last eight.
Potter is a member of the JDHS class of 1983, and he played as a ninth-grader at Marie Drake Junior High.
"After I graduated, I started working (Jim) Hamey's camps in the summertime and when (George) Houston took over, I guess it was '93-'94, they were looking for a C Team coach," Potter said. "Coach Houston talked to me about doing it and I've been here ever since."
Falcons coach John Blasco is a former player under Potter, who was an assistant coach at the time, and an assistant under Potter at JDHS last season. Now Blasco has the job of leading a first-year TMHS basketball program that has already enjoyed a measure of success in its inaugural season. The Falcons are 7-5 overall, with a signature win coming against current Southeast Conference top dog Ketchikan (12-5, 3-1).
Blasco was a student assistant and then the JV coach at Linfield College in Oregon before becoming a varsity assistant for Lake Washington High School in Washington.
Potter said he had his eye on Blasco for a while after he left Juneau. Blasco provided a scouting report of a Washington team that came up for the Capital City Classic, and Potter said it's his knowledge of the game and reputation as a grinder that makes Blasco a good coach.
"He wasn't the most talented player in high school but he stuck with it and worked as hard as he could," he said. "He really didn't play much varsity basketball until his senior year and he ended up starting for us, played big minutes and was a key contributor. He's a testimony for guys that, if you keep working, good things canhappen."
Blasco agreed.
"I figured if I worked hard enough I'd earn a spot. I was never one to sit out for injuries or sickness. I just always felt like I could give it my all on the floor and help my team win," he said. "What I'm trying to get across to these kids now is that I will put in the time and the effort to be successful, and get the most out them to make them successful. I've put a lot of time into working hard for them, and I'm just hoping they'll put the time back in for me."
Blasco said he considers Potter, his first coach as a freshman in high school, a mentor.
"I always really valued him as a coach and when I was done playing for him, I was able to turn to him as a friend. I was very thankful he allowed me to come coach under him a year ago," he said. "He has a lot of knowledge of the game and he's been coaching for quite some time, and I learned a lot from him."
Blasco said the two are very similar in coaching style, though Potter is more of a defensive-minded coach. Both believe in the team-first philosophy.
"Neither one of us care about individual stuff. We only care about making sure the team is successful," he said. "I think the only difference is I have a little bit different approach, I guess just from spending some time outside of Juneau and outside the JDHS program."
Like Blasco, Potter said he wants his players to have fun.
"I like for people to enjoy what they're doing, but I also want them to work hard at what they're doing," he said. "I try and use that as a metaphor for life after basketball: You want to enjoy what you're doing, but you have to work hard at it and take it seriously or you're not going to get the results that you want."
And now, though great friends, they'll have to finally face each other.
"It's certainly going to be a new experience. I've not been involved - not since junior high - in a cross-town game," Potter said. "I think the kids are going to be excited, and they're already talking about it in the halls here. It will be fun. I think we certainly have been aware that these games were on our schedule. You could ask anybody what date other games were and they couldn't tell you.
"But everyone knew that the first time we play Thunder Mountain is February 5."
Potter said he hopes for good crowds to show up at Friday's game at JDHS and Saturday's game at TMHS, and that everyone is respectful, especially toward his former players that transferred.
"I expect there will be good crowds, and I expect that most people will be pretty enthusiastic," he said. "I'm sure there will be some bozos that will be inappropriate. Any time you get a large group of keyed up kids together, somebody is likely to do something you might not exactly like.
"But just by being involved with basketball, we're somewhat competitive by nature," he continued. "It doesn't matter who it is you're competing against. If you're going to compete, you have to give it your best. You never want to lose, period. You want to give the best effort. With kids that have played with us before, we'll certainly look to be victorious."
Blasco said the hardest part for him will be adjusting to his new bench.
"It's tough because I've never sat on that side of the floor before. It will be a new view for me from that end of the court," he said. "I'm a competitor and a coach. My time there was an unbelievable experience, but now I'm the coach at Thunder Mountain and it's time to make these guys successful. I'm going to enjoy the moment and cherish it with coach Potter. I just hope that we put forth our best effort and give the fans a good showing in what everybody's hoping will be a long-time rivalry."
Crossing the line - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
When Juneau-Douglas tips off against Thunder Mountain at JDHS for the first time ever in boys' basketball on Friday, there will be a lot of familiar faces down the benches, starting with the men leading each program.
Tuesday January 26, 2010
Tupou, who was born and raised in Juneau, said he moved to Anchorage as an eighth grader before returning to his hometown for his junior year.
"After I played football for the Bears, I decided I might as well try out for the basketball team," he said. "I made it and it was pretty sweet. It was a great experience making it to state, even though we lost."
Tupou is a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and will serve a full-time, two-year mission trip once he finishes high school at JDHS.
"There is a lot of teaching and preaching, and I'm excited. My older brothers, my uncle and my dad have all gone and I have a cousin that's gone right now," he said. "He speaks fluent Spanish now and he didn't know any before he went on his mission trip."
After Tupou's trip, he will attend Brigham Young University in Provo, Utah, where he will most likely study business to prepare for his future.
"I'll probably be a business major," he said. "I've always wanted to buy a lot of land and develop it and build houses. It always seemed like a good idea to me."
Favorite Hobby: "I fish during the summer. I fish at DIPAC (Douglas Island Pink and Chum). Ever since I was a little kid, my grandfather would take me to the docks to snag fish. He was an older guy so he'd just sit in a chair and snag all day and have me tie the hooks. I got to know him really well. In 2006, he died, and I still go there every summer. That's where I hang out all summer other than football."
Favorite basketball player: "I keep up with the Jazz because I'm a big fan of Carlos Boozer. It's pretty neat to have a guy that went here to be in the NBA."
Favorite Sports Movie: "It has to be 'Remember the Titans'. It's definitely a classic sports movie. It's amazing what that guy did."
Tupou's mission on the court and in life - Juneau Empire
Two years ago, Juneau-Douglas forward Paul Tupou decided he wanted to play football for the Crimson Bears so much that he moved back to Juneau just to be on the team.
Sunday January 24, 2010
The Crimson Bears knocked off the 3A Haines Glacier Bears 68-60 in an up-and-down, entertaining affair at JDHS after a late addition to the schedule.
Juneau-Douglas shot better than 48 percent on the night, including 5 of 13 from behind the arc, while Haines shot 38.5 percent and just 2 for 12 from the perimeter.
"We have kids that can shoot and when we're patient, we can shoot a high percentage," JDHS coach Steve Potter said. "Our problem has been that we've been impatient, a bit uncertain and we force shots. Today, I thought we only forced a couple of shots."
Haines coach Steve Fossman said JDHS did a better job of sharing the ball, and his Bears were a bit out-manned, dressing just seven players.
"We didn't get the ball moving enough and then we got tired," he said. "They have some real big bodies, and that put some wear and tear on our guys. We got a couple of kids out playing JV that would have given us a few minutes to help out, but we just really appreciate the opportunity to come down and get a game from Juneau on such a late notice."
JDHS sophomore guard Tony Yadao started things off with a triple, three of his team-high 16 points on 7 of 11 shooting. A 10-2 run by Haines had the Glacier Bears out front 12-7 late in the first quarter, but JDHS tied the game at 14-all when Eddie Hurtte made a heads-up jumper in the lane after grabbing a loose ball and being fouled for an old-fashioned three-point play.
Haines pulled ahead 18-15 after a Kyle Fossman runner, but Alex DeRocher took a skip pass from Hurtte and splashed a 3-pointer from the wing just before the buzzer to tie the game at 18 apiece after one quarter.
With the game tied at 22, DeRocher buried another triple after another skip pass, this time from senior Colin Gozelski, and Eric Sele scored a stickback down low for a 27-22 JDHS lead. The Bears held the same five-point, 33-28, advantage at the break.
JDHS started the third quarter with a 10-2 run after senior forward Paul Tupou scored inside, Victor Wilson drilled a 3-pointer and then got an and-1 after a steal and lay-up. Tupou scored a tough shot inside for a 43-30 JDHS lead. At the midway point, Fossman hit a 3-pointer with DeRocher in his face, but DeRocher returned the favor with a triple of his own on the ensuing JDHS possession to push the lead back to 13, 48-35.
"When you can get a little surge and make the other team play from behind, it's draining to play from behind," Potter said. "It's much more relaxing to have a little bit of a lead."
Haines chipped away with an 8-0 run of its own, but sophomore guard Lance Ibesate pushed it back to seven, 52-45, heading into the fourth quarter after taking the ball to the cup off the bounce for a lay-up.
Leading 53-47 early in the fourth, the Crimson Bears scored six straight after a tough deuce inside for Yadao, and a lay-up by Wilson. Yadao then stole the inbound pass and went baseline for a lay-up and a 59-47 JDHS lead. Haines would get no closer than eight the rest of the way.
Yadao said JDHS may have overlooked Haines a bit, especially early in the game.
"We came out a little overconfident because they're a 3A school and we let them stay close," he said. "We relaxed a little bit, but once we got in our rhythm, things started going our way."
Wilson and DeRocher both scored in double figures for JDHS, putting up 11 and 10 points, respectively.
Kyle Fossman, one of the best guards in the state, led all scorers with 29 points.
"I figured if we held him under 40 we'd have a pretty good chance," Potter said. "Realistically, it's not crazy to say that all."
Crimson rules - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
Saturday was a great night for basketball, especially for Juneau-Douglas fans.
Saturday January 23, 2010
Bears vs. Bears!
The Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears will play the Haines Glacier Bears Saturday the 23rd. The game was added late this week to fill a void in Juneau's schedule. Haines is led by Senior Kyle Fossman, 3A player of the year in 2008, and a talented supporting cast. Juneau will attempt to get back on track after dropping two games to region foe, Ketchikan, last weekend.
Thursday January 14, 2010
It's a big weekend in that two wins for Juneau-Douglas would give them an early jump to the top of the conference standings as Thunder Mountain (6-4, 1-1) and Ketchikan (7-3, 1-1) split last weekend's double dip at TMHS. Both games are at 7:15 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.
"I just got done watching a little tape on (the games at TMHS), and they're doing what we expected them to be doing - a lot of dribble penetrate and kick," JDHS coach Steve Potter said of the Kings. "They've got guys that can shoot. I watched the second game because that's when they were more successful. There was a lot of pressure, and that's what we expect.
"But, it really just matters where we are in March."
The Falcons took Friday's conference opener 50-40 while holding Kings leading scorer, senior Jeff Whicker, to just 13 points - nearly 10 below his average at that time, including just four points in the first half.
Ketchikan bounced back the next night and exploded for a 21-0 run in the fourth quarter, turning a three-point affair into 20-point blowout in the matter of about five minutes. Whicker also bounced back, dropping 29 in Game 2. Potter said several Bears will have a shot at stopping one of the state's highest scoring players.
"We don't necessarily have one guy match up with one guy," he said. "We're into the team concept, and I'm sure a variety of different guys will get the opportunity to guard him."
Whicker is currently scoring at a 22.9 per game clip, shooting 49 percent from the field, 36 percent from behind the arc and 68 percent from the line.
Tyller Bell is the only other King in double figures, scoring 10.7 points per game and shooting 46 percent from the field. Bell also leads the team in rebounding, corralling 8.7 boards a game, and assists, dishing 3.8 dimes. Four other Kings average 3-4 points to balance out the scoring.
Kings coach Eric Stockhausen said the Bears have a decent size advantage in the post against his more guard-oriented roster.
"We're obviously not a very post-oriented team, so there are four or five guys they have that are bigger than our biggest guy," he said. "They have an excellent shooter in Alex DeRocher. He's playing very well, obviously, with his MVP up at the Fairbanks tournament.
"Their sophomore guards (Lance Ibesate and Tony Yadao) are just getting better and better every game, and they're going to be really, really good by the time they graduate."
Stockhausen said he's not yet seen the Bears in person so he doesn't quite know what to expect, though he has a good idea from years past.
"I know when they wear the Crimson Bears jersey, they have expectations on themselves and they have a system they believe in," he said. "They're going to be tough.
"We're really excited to renew the rivalry. We know it's going to be a tough weekend," he continued. "They've got a lot of good players over there, good depth and good size. And they're hot - they've won three ina row."
Potter said one of the toughest things about playing at Ketchikan will be the atmosphere, where the gym can get quite loud.
"They're always enthusiastic when we go down there. Usually, they have camo day, where all the kids are dressed in camouflage," he said. "And they have bear hunting posters up all over the school. This will be a good opportunity for us to play in a hostile environment. The other away games we've played, the crowds haven't been particularly large. It's different down in Ketchikan.
"They're enthusiastic about basketball there."
Bears vs. Kings: SE rivalry renewed - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
While it's certainly not make-or-break time for the 5-5 Juneau-Douglas boy's basketball team this weekend at Ketchikan, it's still a big weekend for both the Crimson Bears and the Kings.
Thursday January 07, 2010
http://www.juneauempire.com/stories/010610/spo_543849124.shtml
Former JDHS sports stars, from left, Tres Saldivar, Alofaifo Levale, Shawn Ibesate, Nico Saldivar, and Eric Gross are pictured in the Crimson Bears' gym during the recent holiday break. Tres Saldivar is playing basketball at Chapman University (Orange, Calif.); Levale is playing football at Weber State (Ogden, Utah); Ibesate baseball at Northeastern J.C (Sterling, Colo.); Nico Saldivar basketball at Orange Coast College (Costa Mesa, Calif.); and Gross basketball at Pamona Pitzer (Claremont. Calif.). "The hardest part of adjusting from high school to college is you have the best players from other high schools there," Saldivar said. "Accepting your role and doing it to the best of your ability is another. You have to be all about the team and at this level, there is less room for error. As a team, we are doing well (10-2 with a win over highly-ranked BYU Hawaii). I'm still working for more playing time, but my minutes keep moving up with the hard work I put in."
Photo: Former Bears alumni back home - Juneau Empire by Klas Stolpe
Go to this link for the picture:
Thursday January 07, 2010
“We made it more interesting than it should have been,†North Pole coach Kevin McHenry said. “I guess it’s good to know that we can win when a lot of people don’t show up to play.â€
Juneau cut the deficit to four points with 1:59 to play, but North Pole hit its free throws down the stretch to preserve the win. The Patriots were 8 for 8 from line in the fourth quarter and 13 for 14 in the second half.
Jesse Ward and Luke Demientieff led the way for the Patriots with 12 points apiece. Eli Sponseller chipped in eight.
Alex DeRocher registered a game-high 15 points for Juneau-Douglas and Colin Gozelski tallied 10.
Bears Falter in Fairbanks - Fairbanks Daily News Miner by Bob Eley
The North Pole Patriots expanded a 33-19 lead at the break to 17 points midway through the third quarter, before Juneau began to close the gap.
Thursday December 31, 2009
It was a balanced team effort, but senior guard Alex DeRocher's sharp shooting from behind the arc and 11 fourth-quarter points helped lead the Bears to victory.
"We've been working really hard in practice to try to get a win, and this means a lot to us," said DeRocher of the Bears, who are now 2-4 on the year. "We've been struggling, but we're trying to come together as a team. The past couple of games we have, and it's a good feeling."
Down eight points after a Kyle Titus triple to start the fourth, sophomore guard Tony Yadao answered with a 3-ball for the Bears, followed by two Colin Gozelski free throws. But Titus struck again, draining another 3-pointer to push the lead back to 6, 41-35.
But then DeRocher went to work, splashing a triple from the left side. Down 43-38, the Bears went on a 10-2 run, highlighted by a long jumper after a ball fake by Yadao after a DeRocher steal, and then a DeRocher triple after another Palmer turnover. Sophomore guard Lance Ibesate scored a lay-up off a dish from Gozelski before Christian Odom halted the momentum with two free throws.
Gozelski scored a big stick-back after a missed 3-pointer, and it was 48-45, Bears, and the crowd was on its feet.
But the Moose responded with four straight points, including an Alec Calloway deuce off a drive to the cup and a tough runner over Yadao by Odom, pushing Palmer back up by 1, 49-48.
DeRocher struck again with a 3-pointer from the left side, and the Bears never relinquished the lead again after making 5 of 7 free throws, none bigger than the two DeRocher drained in a 1-and-1 situation with 44 seconds left and Bears up just two.
"I was just shooting, hoping it was going in," DeRocher said of his heroics. "It's just something you have to go for. It's luck. It's a small orange rim and a big ball you're trying to shoot into it."
"We started moving more on offense, and that's what created the space for us to get the shots off," JDHS coach Steve Potter said of his team's offensive explosion in the fourth quarter. "Alex is a fantastic shooter, but if he's just standing and we're not moving, you can't get the shot off."
The Bears scored seven straight points en route to an early 9-3 lead, punctuated by a lay-up for Ibesate. The Moose scored four straight to make it 9-7 when Yadao stuck in a nice scoop shot off the glass.
Kevin Montgomery scored inside, and Paul Tupou's lay-up at the buzzer was waived off as JDHS led 11-9 after the first quarter.
Sophomore forward Evan Gross drained a short baseline jumper to start the second quarter, but Palmer answered with a Hunter Dean 3-pointer the other way.
Trading basket for basket, DeRocher matched Dean's triple with one of his own for the Bears, pushing the lead back to 4, 16-12 early in the second quarter.
Gozelski pushed it to 8, 20-12, after a nice reverse lay-up off a dish from Victor Wilson and then two free throws after a steal.
Gozelski then drove baseline and dished to Sele for an easy deuce inside, but a wide-open 3-pointer from Titus halted the Bears momentum and cut the deficit back to 5, 22-17 at the midway point.
Palmer closed the half with a 7-0 run, and it was 22-21, Bears, heading into the break.
Sele started the second-half scoring with a steal and a lay-up, but Brennan Bohman countered with a 3-ball to tie the game at 24-all, and Titus gave Palmer it's first lead of the game with a pull-up runner that rimmed in.
But that was just the beginning of a 12-0 run for the Moose.
Sean Niekamp scored a stick-back and Titus went straight to the cup for a deuce before Niekamp got three the old-fashioned way inside.
Yadao finally stopped the bleeding with a 3-pointer from the wing to cut the deficit to 6, 33-27, and Palmer led 35-30 heading into the fourth.
Titus led Palmer with 16 points, including 4 of 5 from 3-point range, while Odom had 12 and Niekamp 11.
Yadao was the only other Bear in double figures with 11 points.
Both teams shot the lights out, finishing above 50 percent for the night. Once again, 3-point shooting was crucial for JDHS. The Bears made 7 of 14, while the Moose made 5 of 13.
JDHS is back in action Jan. 6 at North Pole, and then Jan. 7-9 at the Lathrop Tournament. Potter said he hopes this win will be a springboard for the inexperienced Bears.
"I think this was a positive step," he said. "(The trip up North) will just be more good games for us to help get us ready for league (play)."
Crimson comeback - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
The Crimson Bears staged a stirring fourth-quarter comeback Wednesday, scoring 26 points in the final frame to upend Palmer 56-49 in the last game of the Capital City Classic at Juneau-Douglas High School.
Wednesday December 30, 2009
The story of the night, however, was the amount of fouls, which made the matchup look more like a free throw shooting contest than an actual game. The teams combined for 55 fouls and 95 free throw attempts, with Service shooting 59 and making 38 - more than half its total points.
"I thought we played pretty well in the first half," JDHS coach Steve Potter said. "We're just going to have to find a way to keep Colin (Gozelski, who fouled out) in the game because we're so much more effective offensively when he's playing. We struggled to score points, but I thought we played good defense for a long time. They did a nice job from the line and they're a good, young team.
"I think we're going to hear some things from them down the road."
Both teams struggled to get much going offensively early on. The Bears' first field goal didn't come until the 4:02 mark when sophomore guard Tony Yadao hit a runner, followed by two free throws to cut the Cougars' lead to 8-5.
Service pushed it back to 6, 11-5, after a free throw and a Nate Klie put back, but JDHS answered with six straight to tie the game at 11-all, including a one-handed runner off the dribble by senior forward Paul Tupou and lay-up by senior forward Eric Sele after a Victor Wilson steal.
Two free throws for T.J. Hale set the first-quarter score at 13-11 after the Bears couldn't get off a good shot before the buzzer.
JDHS took its first and only lead, 14-13, when senior guard Alex DeRocher rattled home a 3-pointer to start the second quarter, but Service responded with four straight points for an 18-14 lead.
Sophomore guard Lance Ibesate got the crowd going with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but the Cougars again responded with a 4-0 spurt.
A DeRocher triple from the corner made it 23-22, Service, and the Cougars led 25-24 at the break after Yadao closed the gap with two free throws with 1.1 seconds remaining.
The Bears shot 50 percent from behind the arc in the first half, but just 28.6 percent overall. Three of the six JDHS field goals were from the perimeter. Service didn't make a 3-pointer in the first half, but shot 40 percent from the field.
The Cougars scored the first six points of the third quarter, including two buckets inside by Darren Muller. Juneau-Douglas wasn't able to score until about the 6-minute mark, when DeRocher made 1 of 2 free throws after Service coach Tyler Moore was called for a technical foul.
DeRocher then made a nifty lay-up off an up-and-under move, followed by a Gozelski baseline jumper to cut the deficit to 2, 31-29.
But JDHS would get no closer as the Bears began to turn the ball over and commit fouls the other way. The Cougars extended their lead to 7, 36-29, after three free throws. Service took its biggest lead after a Bears turnover when Dani Sounthone drained a triple from the corner, making it 40-31, Cougars.
But JDHS wouldn't go away.
Freshman forward Phillip Fenumiai went baseline for a lay-up to cut the deficit to 5, 40-35, but again, the Bears couldn't keep from fouling.
Service scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to take a 9-point, 46-37 lead, and the Bears got no closer than four the rest of the way.
DeRocher led all scorers with 23 points, while Viliamu Aukusitino paced the Cougars with 20.
SERVICE 13 12 17 31 - 73
JDHS 11 13 13 20 - 58
Crimson Bears, Cougars battle at charity stripe - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
Juneau-Douglas played from behind virtually all night and couldn't come up with the buckets it needed down the stretch, falling 73-58 to Service on Tuesday in the second round of the Capital City Classic at JDHS.
Tuesday December 29, 2009
"The first win feels good," said sophomore guard Lance Ibesate, who led JDHS with 15 points on 6 of 7 shooting. "We were 0-3 and we just needed to bounce back. It was the first game at home and we wanted to impress everyone. I think we did well."
The Crimson Bears scored the first three buckets for a quick 6-0 lead, but the Wolves would answer with seven straight points before senior guard Alex DeRocher answered with a 3-ball from the wing to give JDHS a 9-7 lead at the 2:28 mark of the first quarter.
An easy lay-up for the Wolves' Alex Buness tied the game at 9-all, but JDHS responded with five straight points after sophomore forward Evan Gross scored inside and Ibesate scored off a dish from fellow sophomore Tony Yadao after a steal.
Patrick Howell scored inside at the buzzer to cut the Bears' lead to 3, 14-11, after one quarter of play.
Ibesate splashed a triple from the top of the key to get things started in the second quarter, but the Wolves answered with five straight points, including an old-fashioned 3-point play after senior wing Peter Wilson drove straight to the cup for the hoop and the harm.
DeRocher knocked down his second triple to push the lead back to 4, 20-16, but the Wolves went on a 7-2 run to take a 23-22 lead on a Howell lay-up after a dish from Buness.
The Bears closed the half with a 5-0 run of their own after Ibesate hit a circus shot in the lane, followed by tough tip-in by Yadao and a free throw from senior guard Victor Wilson for a 27-23 JDHS lead at the break.
The up-and-down game looked like a track meet much of the first half, and the teams combined for 19 turnovers. The difference in the first half was from behind the arc, where the Bears shot 3 for 9 to Wrangell's 0 for 3.
JDHS came out firing to start the third quarter, scoring back-to-back buckets inside before Yadao rained in another 3-pointer for a 34-25 lead. A second Yadao 3-ball again pushed the lead to 11, 39-28, and a 3-pointer from Ibesate gave the Bears their biggest lead of the game to that point, 42-39.
Ibesate and Phillip Fenumiai worked the give and go for a second 13-point lead, 44-31, though Wrangell was able to cut the deficit to 11, 46-35, at the end of three quarters.
A 5-0 run after a jumper by Colin Gozelski and another triple from DeRocher pushed the lead to 56-37 midway through the fourth, and the rout was on. A stick back from Paul Tupou and a lay-up off a run out by Ibesate pushed the lead to 20, 60-40 with about three minutes to go.
The Wolves got no closer than 14 the rest of the way.
JDHS shot almost 45 percent from the field, including 7 of 18 from the land of plenty. Coach Steve Potter was pleased with the win, but said it's fool's gold to think the Bears can rely on the their long-distance shooting every night.
"We shot a lot of (threes), probably more than I would have liked. When we went inside-out, our threes were pretty effective. When we just passed the ball around the perimeter, they weren't so effective," he said. "I think the key for us is going to be getting the ball inside."
Wilson led all scorers with 16 points, and Buness was the only other player in double figures with 12. Buness also had 10 boards.
Senior forward Eric Sele had four steals and six rebounds for JDHS.
Boys earn first win of season, 63-49 - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
Juneau-Douglas made seven 3-pointers and got 33 points off the bench for a complete team effort on the way to its first boys' basketball win of the season Monday, 63-49 over 3A Wrangell in the opening round of the Capital City Classic at JDHS.
Monday December 28, 2009
Service and Palmer will get the tournament underway with a girls-boys doubleheader beginning at 2 p.m.
The JDHS girls (2-0, 2-0) will take the court at 6:15 p.m., followed by the Bear boys (0-3) - looking for their first win of the young season - 20 minutes afterward.
While the boys' team is looking to break into the win column, the girls are battling the injury bug and will be a little short-handed. Senior wing Emily Johnson is still rehabbing a torn ACL and won't return until January, while it was recently learned that senior guard Brittany Fenumiai will be out for two months with a knee injury. Junior guard Nani Ostrom also is expected to miss tonight's game after tweaking her groin.
This year's tournament also is starting a day later, so only a couple of the teams were in town Sunday for the skills competitions.
"With the tournament starting a day later, it's kind of thrown everybody off," girls' coach Lesslie Knight said. "In the past, we did two days of games and then the competitions, and then a final night. Because of Sunday falling on the start of the tournament, we don't usually play on Sunday so we did the competition, banquet and dance (Sunday)."
Knight is happy to see her girls, who have a good chance to return to the state tournament this year, get a chance to play a couple of teams from Anchorage so early in the season.
"Anchorage has East and Service here, and we expect to see really athletic play and tough competition," she said. "Palmer is always really well-coached and very disciplined in their approach to things. East and Service are very athletic, so they tend to run and shoot well. It will be nice for us to see Anchorage teams."
The boys, meanwhile, are just happy to be home after losing all three games in the Don Larson Roundball Classic from Dec. 21-23.
Junior wing Colin Gozelski said there has been a sense of urgency in recent practices that wasn't quite there before.
"To get some wins will definitely help us out," he said. "We have a lot of key players on our team that if they have good games, we'll have no problem. Our bigs are injured right now so we haven't been able to work it inside as much, but our fast guys like Tony (Yadao) and those guys are really going to have to step their games up."
"We've had a lot of different teams come out, and we won last year against Palmer in the championship," he continued. "This year, we've got Service, East Anchorage, Wrangell and Palmer again. We've never played East before, so that should be a good matchup. We're really young right now because we lost half of our team to TMHS, and I'm our only starter from last year. We've just got to learn who our leaders are and we should be fine."
Boys' coach Steve Potter said he expects to see some good basketball.
"Wrangell is usually one of the top teams for 3A in the Southeast," he said. "Service won their early-season tournament, and the coaches I talked to up North said they're playing really well. They have some athleticism, and a couple of freshmen that are supposed to be pretty special. Palmer, the coach there is a really good coach and he runs a pretty tight system. He coached Wasilla to the state championship a couple of years ago.
"I would guess to see different styles," he continued. "I would guess that Service is going to try and trap and use their athleticism. Palmer will run some pretty intricate stuff and they'll have some traps. Wrangell, being a 3A group, they'll have a different approach to the game because they're not as deep."
Potter also said he expects to see a good crowd.
"Our evening games, we usually come close to selling out, and it's exciting for the kids to get to play in front of 1,000 people," he said. "And the teams that come in don't always get to play in front of crowds like that, so they're usually guaranteed at least one good crowd."
Capital City countdown; Tournament's 19th year tips off - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
The 19th year of the Capital City Classic boys' and girls' basketball tournament tips off today, with the host Crimson Bears taking on the East Anchorage girls and Wrangell boys at Juneau-Douglas High School.
Sunday December 27, 2009
Boy's free throw shooting contest - Adam Klie, Service
Girls' 3-point contest - Mahlet Tingley, JDHS
Boys' 3-point contest - Alex DeRocher, JDHS
Dunk contest - Nate Klie, Service
Capital City Classic Skills Competition Results
Girls' free throw contest - Nani Ostrom, JDHS
Thursday December 24, 2009
The Bears played the Mustangs to a 30-30 tie at the break, and even jumped ahead by six points in the third quarter after a Paul Tupou lay-up inside.
"We got some stuff in transition, and our press was able to turn them over," coach Steve Potter said of the Bears' run to the lead. "But if we didn't turn them over, we were having a pretty difficult time (scoring). They had a pretty good post player who was really crafty, and he did a good job of drawing fouls."
Senior forward Lawrence Fenumiai fouled out in the first half, and Tupou fouled out later in the game.
Chugiak then went on a run of its own, forcing a 12-point swing and taking a six-point lead.
"We missed shots, and they made shots," Potter said matter-of-factly. "It didn't happen quickly. It was a grind-it-out (run); lots of contact, lots of free throws.
"It was physical, and we just didn't adjust to the play."
Chugiak shot 25 free throws to JDHS's 17.
Potter said the tournament was a good experience overall for his team, which is working several players into new roles.
"The whole thing was another step in our development," he said. "We played three completely different teams. The first game, we got beat by one guy, basically. Enumclaw was very polished, and they do things that we do when we're good. Today, it was one of those 'we'll-try-to-out-physical-you games,' and for us, I figured that would be good. But Lawrence fouled out in the first half and then Paul. Our bigs kept getting called for fouls. They weren't very subtle, I guess."
The Bears return to action beginning at 3 p.m. on Dec. 27 with the start of the Capital City Classic boys' and girls' basketball tournament at JDHS.
Inconsistent Crimson Bears fall to 0-3 - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
Inconsistency continues to plague the Juneau-Douglas boys' basketball team as the Crimson Bears fell to 0-3 on the year Wednesday, dropping a 63-52 decision to Chugiak on the final day of the Don Larson Roundball Classic in Wasilla.
Tuesday December 22, 2009
After finishing the first quarter tied 9-9, the Hornets busted the game open in the second quarter, outscoring JDHS 22-8 in the period. The Bears played better in the second half, coach Steve Potter said, but couldn't climb back into the game.
"We were allowing their success to take away from our intensity. That's a natural thing when someone starts putting it to you, but we need to keep our focus and do what we were trying to do and get better," he said. "I thought in the second half we did a better job of dictating tempo."
The Bears did respond with 17 points coming out of the locker room in the third quarter on their way to a 33-point second half, but the Hornets stayed ahead of pace with 38 second-half points.
Colin Gozelski led all scorers with 18 points, while Victor Wilson was the next closest Bear with 7.
Juneau-Douglas plays Chugiak today at 1:45 p.m. The Mustangs lost to Enumclaw 65-43 in Monday tournamentaction.
Crimson Bear boys start 0-2 in Wasilla tournament - Juneau Empire by Matthew Tynan
The Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears boys' basketball team has started the season 0-2 at the Don Larson Roundball Classic after they falling 69-50 to the Enumclaw (Wash.) Hornets on Tuesday in the round-robbin tournament in Wasilla.
Monday December 21, 2009
The Juneau-Douglas boys' basketball team lost to Wasilla 63-56 in their season opener in the Doc Larson Roundball Classic at Wasilla High School.
After Juneau-Douglas led by 8 points at the half and 3 points entering the fourth period, Wasilla's Cody Pfeifer caught fire, netting 13 fourth-quarter points on his way to 36 for the game to lead all scorers.
"They just had a guy that we couldn't guard," Potter said. "It was pretty disappointing."
Potter said sometimes it's tough to defend a player that gets going like that, adding that Pfeifer at one point nailed a turnaround, fadeaway jump shot from the corner.
"One of our big guys was challenging and it hit nothing but the bottom of the net," he said. "If that's the shot we were going to give up, that's OK. I don't know how to defend that one."
For the Bears, sophomore Tony Yadao led scorers with 13 points off the bench, while Colin Gozelski paced the starters with 11 points, 7 coming at the free throw line.
Potter said there are always kinks to be worked out at the beginning of the season, especially with such an unproven roster.
"It was definitely a first-game thing. We lost a lot of responsibility from last year," he said. "We graduated some seniors and we had the kids that went out to Thunder Mountain - guys we had the opportunity to play in critical moments before - so guys that weren't used to playing in pressure situations were getting their first opportunity to do that."
The Bears posted 37 points in the first half after putting up 21 in the second quarter, but the second half was a different story as JDHS managed only 19 points combined. The Bears were outscored 19-9 in the fourth.
Wasilla started the game in a zone defense, which Potter said his team exploited early by hitting three 3-pointers in their first several offensive possessions, but Wasilla quickly changed to a man-to-man defense.
"I think we should have waited to be so effective," he chuckled.
Wasilla rolls in opener - Juneau Empire by Matthew Tynan
The Crimson Bears did not open the season quite the way head coach Steve Potter envisioned - or hoped - they would.
Sunday December 20, 2009
But the Crimson Bears aren't rebuilding so much as they are retooling, and the season begins tonight in Wasilla.
Six-foot-3 junior wing Colin Gozelski is the leading returning scorer from last year, when he was fourth on the team with an average of 6.3 points per game. Six-foot-2 senior forward Paul Tupou is next in line with an average of one point per game through 23 games last season, so the Bears must replace nearly 86 percent of their scoring punch.
Fourth-year coach Steve Potter thinks this year's edition is up to the task.
"A lot of these guys have been in the program on the JV level either last year or in the past," he said. "We only have two completely newcomers ... and everybody else has been with the program. I thought that the way things were working last year with some of the guys that decided to switch (to Thunder Mountain), I thought we were going to have some experienced continuity, but it didn't work out that way.
"Everybody is finding new roles," he continued. "We've got a bunch of guys who were used to being the supporting pieces. Now we're trying to figure out who's going to take over those leadership spots."
Potter said the starting lineup is not quite "locked in" yet, but he plans to go about nine deep with his substitutions early on.
"It depends on what the tempo of the game is like," he said. "If we can get into an up-tempo game where we're in control, then we can rotate a lot of guys through."
Senior Victor Wilson, 6-foot, and sophomore Lance Ibesate, 5-foot-6, will see the bulk of time at the point. Senior Alex DeRocher and sophomore Tony Yadao, both 5-foot-9, will handle shooting guard, while Gozelski will see the bulk of minutes on the wing.
"Seniors will probably get the nod early because they're bigger and stronger, but the sophomores are going to push them for playing time," Potter said of his probable substitution pattern.
Potter said this team will look most different in the post because he has several big bodies at his disposal, which is normally not the case. Seniors Lawrence Fenumiai, 6-foot-4, Paul Tupou, 6-foot-2, and Eric Sele, 6-foot-2, were all stand-outs for the Crimson Bears football team, and each has the kind of size to bang inside. Six-foot-6 sophomore Evan Gross is the Bears' tallest option in the middle.
"Traditionally, we've been a running team. This year, with all the size that we have - not so much height as much as big bodies - we'll just have to see," Potter said of the team's new offensive identity. "We're certainly going to try and push the ball to get something. If we don't get it, we've got a couple of sets that we can run and go into our half-court offense.
"We had a lot of really good shooters last year ... and we got a lot of open looks. I don't know if that's going to happen this year."
The Bears play a man-to-man defense, and Potter said they plan on picking up the pressure full court.
"It really depends on our matchups," he said. "If we play a team with five guards, that might not work out so well for us."
Potter said its anyone's guess who should be the favorite to win the coveted state berth from the region tournament, but the Bears are the defending champions so Ketchikan and Thunder Mountain will have to go through Juneau's downtown team to get there.
"Ketchikan is fast, they press a lot and they have a lot of shooters. Any open three (-pointer) is a good three for them," he said. "They played really hard wire-to-wire last year and their JV beat us three out of four, and their C team beat us all four times. They lost a lot from their varsity, but their young guys were beating our younger guys.
"Obviously, Thunder Mountain has Jazz (King), Cody (Grussendorf) and Reese (Saviers), and they'll go as far as those three guys can carry them," he continued. "I think that (John) Blasco is a really good coach, and he'll get those other guys involved. But those top three guys are battle-tested."
Potter said questions abound with this team, but he feels there is a lot of potential and room to grow.
"That's not a known quantity yet," he said of what this team's calling card and identity will be. "We're trying to figure that out in practice and we're discovering things about ourselves. I think it's a good thing for us that we didn't play early. A lot of teams played last weekend, but I don't think we were ready for a game last weekend.
"We have good to very good guards, and our big guys are certainly solid," he continued. "We've got some real potential for growth with a couple of the guys. We've got different pieces and we can do different things, it's just we have to figure out what's going to work bestfor us."
Bears aim to reload - Juneau Empire by Shaun Cox
After the graduation or transfer of several key players from the 2008-09 state qualifier boys' basketball team, Juneau-Douglas will have a decidedly different look this season.
Monday November 30, 2009 Crimson Bear fans should keep an eye on the webpage for exciting news stories, information, and stats. A roster will be posted soon and a video trailer introducing you to the 2009-2010 Varsity will follow shortly.
Welcome to the First Day of Alaska High School Basketball
The gym floors are polished, new basketballs are rolled out, and squeaking shoes can be heard around the state. That's right, after a long off-season, high school basketball has once again returned with the first official day of team tryouts.
Sunday November 29, 2009
If your team does not have a website, SlickStats can offer you a chance to easily build and maintain a team site. Team websites area a great way to communicate your schedule, roster, and results to your fans.
If you team already has a website, SlickStats can fairly easily integrate into your site. Think of SlickStats as the place for the roster, stats, and schedule and your existing site a place for news, team archives, etc.
Having all teams contribute stats, schedules, and rosters to one central site will allow for an easy to read uniform look that is the norm in college and pro basketball. This would help draw in fans and interest into the sport and your team.
A central database could also help all teams and players across the state get exposure with respect to All-State teams, etc.
Selling ads on your team site could be a source of funding, and who couldn't use a little extra money in their program?
Finally, wouldn’t it be cool to have a site where you could look up and compare player and team data from this year and archive the data for years to come?
If you already post your stats online, you should consider a switch over to SlickStats. A central database will do a lot to promote and progress the sport of basketball in Alaska.
You can check out SlicksStats at www.slickstats.com/alaska. The only team that has archived data is the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears boys team. From the this page you should get the idea.
Statewide Statistical Database - SlickStats.com
You know you want one... and now is your chance. There are numerous reasons for a statistical database for basketball in our state. Some may say that this would provide too much information on a team and could be used as a "scouting tool". Is that slim possibility really a reason not to create such a resource? Each year we hear grumblings around the state about how this player or that player has been cheated out of certain awards, this website could help minimize the chance of that happening.
Monday March 30, 2009
No other SE 4A players were named to the first or 2nd teams. In addition no other SE 4A players were given honarable mention all-state.
Gross Named All-State 2nd Team
For the 2nd year in a row, JDHS senior forward Eric Gross has been named to All-State 2nd Team. Gross led the Crimson Bears in scoring and rebounding.
Thursday March 19, 2009
http://www.cybersportsusa.com/tourney.asp?sport_id=1&lev_id=1&assoc_id=3&tc_id=2164
Track 4A State Tournament Boys Game Action Here!
Copy and paste this link into a browser to get streaming stats from each of the Bears' games.
Wednesday March 18, 2009
The team members were Bill Lockhart, Terry Miller, Tom Choquette, Leo Rosenberger, Mike Holloway, George Houston, Eric Olson, Tom Daugherty, Mark Wadell that season. To my eight-year-old eyes they were not high school boys playing a game but more like mighty warriors performing heroic deeds of glory as they won that state championship 40 years ago. That was the team that overthrew the Ketchikan Kings. "KayHi" held a tyrannical reign of power in Alaska high school basketball in the 1960s, winning four consecutive All Alaska State Championships behind their basketball legend John Brown.
Most of the game details from that year have faded for me. I can remember the spectacle, but not too many details. I remember going to every game with my brother Daryl and trudging home through the snow over the Douglas Bridge after another Juneau win and dreaming of the day when I might be on the team and winning glory when my time came.
Game days were big events for me. I remember going to the games with my brother Daryl long before the Junior Varsity games started so we would get our fill of basketball. When the team was playing out of town, we would sit around the radio and listen to the play-by-play broadcast on KINY radio.
The team lost only two games that year on their quest for the state title. There was a loss to the city league team The Arctic Knights and a very controversial game in Wrangell. I was so nervous listening to Juneau battle Sitka in the Southeast Region title game. They eventually won 60-56 for the right to play for the state title against the Lathrop Malemutes from Fairbanks.
Juneau beat Lathrop in the first game of the three-game series for the All Alaska High School State Championship series 77-65. I was in the Lathrop gym the summer before as a refugee from the great Fairbanks flood of 1967. I wondered at the time if the floodwaters were all gone.
I sat on the floor in front of my brother Daryl's radio as the whole family gathered to listen to the second game of that state championship series. I held my dog Jonico and my cat Pepsi for moral support. Juneau was behind most of the game. They fell behind 10 points in the third quarter and eight points with six minutes left in the game. Then, Juneau made their move and clawed their way back to tie the game at 59. With just eight seconds left in the game, Juneau got the ball back trailing 65-63 and had to go the length of the floor to tie the game before regulation time expired.
That set up one of the many plays that have gone down into Crimson Bear lore. Juneau head coach Clair Markey called a timeout and drew up the play. Bill Lockhart threw the ball inbounds to George Houston.
"I took two or three dribbles and then passed to Terry Miller who slashed from the baseline to the high post," Houston said.
Miller then slipped a pass to Lockhart, who was flying down the right lane with full afterburners. Lockhart scored with a left handed layup on the right side of the basket with just three seconds left in the game to put it into overtime.
I recall asking my dad, "what's overtime?," after everybody stopped cheering for Lockhart's basket.
The Crimson Bears took control in overtime and won the state championship 78-71.
"We got in front and we spread it out and hit our free throws and won," said Houston, who was eventually involved with the JDHS basketball program for 36 years as a player, junior varsity coach and varsity coach before retiring in 2006.
I jumped for joy and ran around the house after Juneau won until my mom told me to calm down. A true Crimson Bear fan was born that night.
This year, the team is again on a quest for a state title. They play Bartlett High School Thursday in the first round of the 4A State Basketball Tournament in Anchorage. I hope they go far. But I know one thing for sure; somewhere in Juneau, a young boy dreams of the day he can shoot a three-point shot to win a game at the final buzzer like Sean Bavard. Some kid in the valley dreams of the day he will play as smooth as Cody Grussendorf. A grade school kid in Douglas can't wait to be big and strong and fast as Alex Fagerstrom, and another wants to be tall with the inside moves of Eric Gross. And someday, perhaps 40 years from now, they will recall one of the greatest games by their beloved high school team.
The birth of a true Crimson Bears fan - Juneau Empire by Brian Wallace
My first memory of attending a Juneau-Douglas High School basketball game was sitting in the balcony and watching the starting five for the Crimson Bears introduced. All the lights were turned off and the players ran to center court and into the spotlight as the fans cheered wildly. I joined in the cheering as loud as I could and kicked the bleachers to make more noise as the announcer introduced the players.
Wednesday March 18, 2009
In the Team BALL competition, Juneau senior guard, Alex Fagerstrom, paired up w/ a memeber of the Dimond Lynx girls' team to place 2nd in a field of 8 teams.
Sean Bavard wins 4A boys 3 point contest!!
As part of opening ceremonies for the 4A state tournament, JDHS senior guard, Sean Bavard, defeated 15 other shooters in the 3 point contest w/ a score of 42 points. Shooters shot four balls from each of 5 spots on the floor. The first 3 balls in the rack were each worth 3 points while the 4th was valued at 5 points.
Sunday March 08, 2009
Crimson Bears honored at Region V Tournament
On the heels of their Region V championship, Jr Cody Grussendorf joined Srs Alex Fagerstrom and Eric Gross on the all-conference team. In addition Sr Sean Bavard won the FT championship netting 24 of 25 attempts.
Sunday March 01, 2009
The gameplans for the Crimson Bears football and basketball teams merged beautifully Saturday night.
All-everything senior football star Fagerstrom quarterbacked the Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team past rival Ketchikan from the point guard position, joining high-scoring senior post Gross with a team-high 15 points apiece, as JDHS slipped past 4A Southeast Conference rival KayHi 81-76 at home Saturday night.
Fagerstrom led the Bears football team to the 4A state title game this season but moved over from his usual wing position to accommodate a starting lineup of himself, Gross and fellow senior wings Sean Bavard, Corey Mahar and Mark Enriquez.
"I've been at the point a little bit in practice," Fagerstrom said. "It's something we've been working on, but I don't usually get to play there with all the other guys we've got. I'm comfortable there knowing I have all the other guys to throw it back to right away if I need to."
Fagerstrom's handle might have looked a little creaky, but he clearly knew what to do once he got past half-court with a head of steam. The usually low-scoring senior made his last home game memorable with plenty of weaving drives into the lane, capping them with a surprising array of jumpers and diving lay-ups.
Gross' performance has come to be expected from the Crimson Bears (17-4 overall, 2-2 SEC), as he punished the smaller Kings (10-12 overall, 2-2 SEC) for second straight game with his 6-foot-3 frame and long arms. The senior's night included 14 trips to the free-throw line, seven of which he converted, as Ketchikan collapsed help defense of double and triple teams down to his spot in the post.
Both coaches admittedly held back their full deck of tricks over the weekend, with the two teams meeting in Ketchikan for a best-of-three SEC championship tournament beginning on Wednesday. The players held back nothing, though, as the regional rivalry took on its usual frantic pace in front of a near-capacity crowd at the JDHS main gym.
The first quarter started off with a series of weird events as Kings senior Matt Carpenter put his team up 5-3 after pulling up from five feet behind the three-point line on the right elbow. The teams then traded lay-ups before Juneau-Douglas was hit with a technical foul for arguing with the officials. The resulting free throws from Carpenter put Ketchikan up 10-5 with 4:16 remaining in the period. The visiting senior then put up yet another three-point heave from the same deep spot, missing the second attempt before teammate Jeff Whicker hit one of two free throws after being fouled on the putback attempt.
The technical briefly boosted the Bears, and they eventually pulled even at 13-13 after a short pull-up jumper from Fagerstrom with 2:45 left in the stanza. However, a series of ill-advised, long attempts followed for JDHS, and a brief glimpse at Ketchikan's trademark full-court press helped them jump out to a 19-13 lead to end the period.
Mahar opened the second period with a short jumper to pull Juneau-Douglas within 19-15, and then hit another short shot a minute later to pull his team within 21-19. The teams traded short runs for the rest of the half, with neither team leading by more than two possessions.
JDHS finally pulled even at the 3:56 mark on a fading jumper from Fagerstrom along the right sideline and then again tied it on a Fagerstrom free throw at the 2:28 point. The senior then gave the Bears their first lead in nearly 10 minutes after winding through the lane for a lay-up that made the score 37-35 with 1:35 until half.
The Bears were nursing a 39-38 lead with four seconds remaining in the half when freshman point guard Lance Ibesate bobbled the inbounds pass out of bounds on the right sideline. Kings senior Jase Scudero took the following inbounds pass across the line and hit a reverse lay-up as time expired to flip the lead Ketchikan's way at half.
The teams continued to swap leads throughout the third quarter. An aggressive lay-up from Mahar off an inbounds pass and then two free throws from the senior helped pull JDHS out of a late four-point hole and two more free throws from Fagerstrom helped the Bears end the period tied at 59-59.
A free throw from Gross helped JDHS cap a 6-0 run and jump out to a 65-59 lead to start the fourth, and the Bears lead wavered between two and three possessions until the final minute.
The seniors exited the game with 32 seconds remaining to a standing ovation from the Juneau-Douglas and Ketchikan crowds.
Fagerstrom, Gross, Mahar, Bavard and Enriquez were honored prior to the game with oversized candy necklaces and presented roses to their respective parents. Senior cheerleaders, dance team members and other basketball-affiliated students were also honored with their parents.
Both Bavard and Mahar finished with eight points in the game, while Enriquez finished with three after hitting a bomb to open the game that drew a loud cheer from the already-wild crowd.
Enriquez competed in his first year of competitive basketball with the Bears this season and competed with the junior varsity squad. After witnessing the hard work the first-year player put in during the season, JDHS head coach Steve Potter inserted him into Saturday's starting lineup.
Only six Kings scored during the night, led by Scudero with 20. Carpenter followed with 17. Kevin Manabat, Paul Manabat and Whicker chipped in 11 apiece.
The Kings and Crimson Bears meet at 8 p.m. in Ketchikan on both Wednesday and Thursday nights for the regional tournament. If necessary, the third game will tip off at 4:45 p.m. on Friday.
The girls' games in Ketchikan will tip off at 6:30 p.m. on both Wednesday and Thursday. If necessary, their third game will start at 3 p.m. on Friday.
Senior Night sets it right - Juneau Empire by Trent Makela
Give Alex Fagerstrom the ball and stand back ... or just dump it in to Eric Gross whenever you can.
Saturday February 28, 2009
Fourth-year players Eric Gross and Sean Bavard led the Bears with 19 and 13 points, respectively. The 6-foot-3-inch Gross snatched eight of his game-high 14 rebounds off the offensive glass while consistently playing head and shoulders above the smaller KayHi posts.
"I was getting some passes, and it helped that all of our shooters caught on fire," Gross said. "My job's easier when I can just grab the ball and kick it out to all of those guys."
The Kings laid off their usual pressing defense during the game, refusing to give Juneau-Douglas extra live practice for the regional tournament beginning this Wednesday in Ketchikan. The move proved to be fatal, as the now-healthy JDHS backcourt consistently found room to shoot over the smaller defenders.
Bavard came off the bench to lead the long ball onslaught, hitting on four of his seven attempts. Junior guard Alex DeRocher hit three of his own, while classmates Reese Saviers and Cody Grussendorf each connected on a pair.
"I just made my first couple (three pointers), and then everything felt pretty good," said Bavard, who denied he was given the extra Senior Night green light to hoist his seven attempts. "We kept passing it around the whole game and never let up."
Both teams started the night slow despite a frantic pace that was fueled by the standing-room-only crowd and continued into the game's final minute. Juneau-Douglas was held scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of the game, while KayHi turned the ball over on each of its opening five possessions.
"It's a rivalry game, so there was definitely some pressure," Gross said. "The crowd was pretty crazy, and I think we were both nervous to start. The last thing we wanted to do was lose at home after we got embarrassed up there."
JDHS led by as many as six points in the opening period, when Bavard's first long ball put them up 13-7 with two minutes remaining. KayHi senior Blake Bousley hit all three free throws after being hacked on a long attempt, and senior Kevin Manabat connected on a deep three-pointer of his own to tie the game with one minute and six seconds left in the stanza. Both teams missed hurried threes in the final 10 seconds to stay even entering the second.
Bousley gave Ketchikan a brief 15-13 lead with a tough putback just 20 seconds into the next period. However, DeRocher responded just seconds later by nailing his first trifecta from the left corner in front of the JDHS student section, and the crowd's ovation carried through a 13-0 Bears run. Cody Grussendorf's steal and breakaway finger-roll at the 4:41 mark put his team up 26-15 and finally forced Kings coach Eric Stockhaussen to call a time-out to settle his troops.
The teams traded baskets, including five three-pointers, for the rest of the half before KayHi senior Paul Manabat hit a running three-point heave off one leg along the left sideline as time expired to pull his team within 38-28 at half-time.
"We had eight turnovers in one of our games against a tough Wasilla team, and then we gave up our first five possessions tonight," Stockhaussen said. "I knew we relied on our press, but I didn't think we relied on it that much. I don't think we ever responded."
Another flurry of botched lay-ups and wild shots opened the second half, with neither team adding to their total before JDHS' Grussendorf had to be helped off the floor at the 5:56 mark. As Juneau-Douglas' primary slasher and assist man, the junior left a noticeable hole in the Bear's offensive attack.
The Kings finally scored 30 seconds later off senior Trent Headley's short hook and pulled to a 38-33 lead when junior Jeff Whicker converted on a three-point play with 4:49 in the period.
But the Bears finally got on the board at the 4:30 mark, when Gross picked up an easy lay-up from under the backboard. Saviers and Bavard followed with a three-pointer each during a 23-second spurt, and Gross finished the 10-0 JDHS run with a pair of free throws to push their lead to 48-33 with 1:49 remaining in the third.
Ketchikan never pulled within single digits the rest of the way. The lead ballooned during a still-competitive fourth quarter highlighted by threes from each of the Bears' four shooters.
Freshman point guard Lance Ibesate also picked up an ovation late in the third after using a crossover to lose his Kings defender before finding Bavard for a triple on the left elbow. Ibesate doubled his applause in the game's final minutes by throwing his 5-foot-4-inch frame into a trio of Kings defenders for a three-point play opportunity.
Nine Juneau-Douglas players scored in the game, with seniors Corey Mahar scoring seven and Alex Fagerstrom adding two points to those of classmates Gross and Bavard. The team's fifth senior, post Geoff Craig, did not play in the game.
Grussendorf chipped in 13 points, DeRocher nine and Saviers six.
Paul Manabat was the only King in double figures with 15, including a trio of three-pointers. Matt Carpenter added nine and Whicker six to the Ketchikan effort.
JDHS JV 60, KayHi JV 56
Mark Enriquez pumped in 12 points, Jazz King added 10 and the Juneau-Douglas High School boys junior varsity basketball team held off a late Kings comeback attempt to pick up the tight win.
The Crimson Bears trailed 14-13 after the first period, but outscored their visitors 36-25 over the second and third quarters before surviving for the victory.
Ketchikan outscored Juneau-Douglas 17-11 in the fourth behind six points from Jesse Lindgren, but fell short in the final minutes.
Eddie Hurtte added nine, Lance Ibesate eight and Eric Fagerstrom six for the Bears.
Lindgren and Chas Allen led the Kings with 15 points apiece.
KayHi 'C' 61, JDHS 'C'47
Ketchikan blew open a 27-24 half-time in the second half to pick up the win over the Juneau-Douglas "C" team Friday night.
Tony Yadao led JDHS with 11 points. Alex Calloway chipped in eight, while Evan Gross and Jacob Saunders added seven apiece.
Kyle Day led the Kings with 15, while Mark Dulay and Andrew Bolton added eight apiece.
JDHS defeats KayHi 75-49 Friday - Juneau Empire by Trent Makela
A wild student section of painted chests and red mohawks gave the Bears a visible boost to start the year's final home series Friday at Juneau-Douglas High School. Four seniors combined for 41 points in JDHS' 75-49 win, and they matched the 11 three-pointers hung on them by their rivals in an earlier loss in Ketchikan.
Friday February 27, 2009
If they didn't, then their parents, friends, neighbors, dentists and friendly local milkman have all probably reminded them about the spare tire swinging from the front of their 4A Southeast Conference tally.
Regional rival Ketchikan is the only other doggy on the SEC pile this season, and the Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team will finally get their chance to break even on bragging rights tonight and Saturday in a pair of Senior Night matchups that both tip off at 8 p.m.
The Crimson Bears (15-4 overall, 0-2 SEC) dropped their only two previous conference matchups in Ketchikan on the weekend of Jan. 23-24 in ugly fashion. The smaller hosts scattered the JDHS offense in a wild pace on the first night, winning 67-50 while holding the Bears to just 29 percent shooting from the field. Momentum seemed to swing Juneau-Douglas' way the next night as they hit on 55 percent of their field goals and manhandled the Kings on the boards. The hosts slipped away again, though, behind 11 timely three-pointers and 20 free throws.
"Ketchikan's our conference rivals and they have more wins against us in the last few years than any other team," JDHS head coach Steve Potter said. "Every time we play them we know you're only as good as your last game against Ketchikan. They beat us a month ago, and it feels like we've had it hanging over our heads for a lot longer than that."
The Kings (10-10 overall, 2-0 SEC) have not fared quite so well against out-of-conference foes since their first games against JDHS. The diminutive squad posted just a 3-5 mark in their next eight games and have fallen to .500 on the year. The streak has included four straight defeats at Lathrop and Dimond by an average of nine points per contest.
"Wins and losses have never been that important to me," KayHi head coach Eric Stockhausen said. "On record it might be disappointing, but it's a process of getting better at what you do. The results will follow in the end and the kids are having fun playing the game."
The Crimson Bears have certainly enjoyed playing their game as well, hunkering down for an 8-1 record since falling behind in the SEC race. Their only loss in the span came at Colony on the fifth day of a five-school whirlwind roadtrip and was prefaced by four double-digit wins over West Valley, North Pole, Bartlett and Service, respectively.
The Colony loss also featured a JDHS team that was without injured senior wing Alex Fagerstrom and junior point guard Reese Saviers, who was out with the flu. Both are expected to return for this weekend's games. Saviers has already returned to see limited action, but Fagerstrom will make his first trip on the floor since severely spraining his ankle in the game against Bartlett on the long roadtrip up north.
Junior Alex DeRocher and freshman Lance Ibesate have filled in and played well at the shooting and point guard spots, respectively, since the injuries. Potter credits the younger varsity players for taking advantage of their opportunities thus far, but still plans on keeping his trusty veterans on the floor during season's final games.
"It's hard to say if (the rotation) opens up in these games. It certainly has the potential to," Potter said. "When it's crunch time we want to shore up the rotation to eight or nine guys we're going to play. If there's some foul trouble or bad play, we know we can go deeper than that."
Both teams will be healthy for the weekend's games, as Stockhausen said he will likely play "one or two guys" who have been touch-and-go with recent ailments.
The Kings won their most recent game at Wasilla 77-67 by matching their past carpet-bombing of JDHS with 11 three-pointers, including six in the third quarter.
"We're mostly guards to begin with and everybody we play is bigger than us," Stockhausen said. "We don't make excuses for it. If (three-pointers) end up being the shots we get, we've got some guys who can knock it down."
JDHS has worked over the past two weeks on maintaining pressure on the Kings' outside shooters, and hard work on defense is the only sure way of stopping the bombardment, Potter said.
"They're going to shoot them no matter what," the coach added. "We just have to make sure they're shooting contested threes and not wide open ones."
Ultimately, though, the plan for the Bears is simple this time around - just take care of the ball. JDHS forked over the leather 46 times between the first two matchups after getting caught up in the Kings' scurrying ways.
"They try to make it a frantic pace. Their strategy is to make you play too fast," Potter said. "We forced (43) turnovers of our own, but we didn't take advantage of some of ours. We handed it right back, and then they'd score with it."
The return of Saviers and Fagerstrom on the perimeter could help with the ball handling, as could the two straight weeks of practice that spanned last week's free weekend. The Bears had been practicing for just two or three days per week for much of the season, and Potter was happy to get some final prep work in.
JDHS will again have just two days for practice between Saturday's Senior Night ceremonies and the team's departure for Wednesday's tip-off of the 4A Southeast Conference Regional Tournament in Ketchikan. The Bears and Kings will meet Wednesday and Thursday at 8 p.m. in the best-of-three series for the region's lone spot at the state tournament March 19-21 in Anchorage. If necessary, Friday's third game will tip off at 4:45 p.m.
The Juneau-Douglas team is hoping that their home crowd over the rivalry weekend will help them prep for another trip into the wild atmosphere at KayHi.
"There's alot more buzz around the school about these games. People haven't really been as excited this year as they have been in the past," Potter said. "I think this crowd will be rowdy. They'll be cheering for the other team at the tournament, but this will be good preparation."
The five seniors who will be recognized prior to Saturday's game are Fagerstrom, Eric Gross, Corey Mahar, Sean Bavard and Geoff Craig.
"All of those kids have put in hard work and deserve the recognition," Potter said. "They're great senior leaders and hard-nosed kids. I'm sure (KayHi) is really looking forward to coming here and sending the message that we can't beat them. I know these guys are going to try and stop them from doing that."
Senior Night gut check - Juneau Empire by Trent Makela
The Bears know their conference record.
Monday February 16, 2009
The JV's rebounded with a win over Porter Creek (Whithorse, CAN.) on Friday, 62-47. Tony Yadao led all scorers with 19 and was followed closely by Jazz King with 17. Mark Enriquez scored eight points while Justin Brooks netted seven points
Saturday's game was played against a team from Milnor, North Dakota. After going down 23-9 in the first quarter the Bears clawed their way back into the game, eventually tying the score at 37 early in the fourth quarter. However, the comeback was not to be as the Bears fell 49-51. Mark Enriquez continued his steady play and scored a game-high 18 points and was followed by Jazz King with eight.
For his efforts, Mark Enriquez was selected to the All-Tournament team.
The Juneau JV's garnered a lot of experience over the three days of of the tournament by playing against varsity competition. They will look to build on that as the season comes to a close in the next couple of weeks.
The JV team will travel to play in a tournament hosted by Sitka and Mt. Edgecombe high schools this weekend.
JV team returns from Dean Cummings, Sr. Tournament in Delta Junction
The Bears are home from a weekend in the Interior. The tournament began with a 47-57 loss to 3A Monroe Catholic on Thursday. Mike Stepovich led the Rams with 30 points. The Bears were led by Nino Crisostomo and Mark Enriquez with 10 apiece, while Jazz King dropped in eight.
Sunday February 15, 2009
Unfortunately for the Wolves, that fourth one counts too.
The Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team eventually survived a tit-for-tat first half and held off a vicious late Sitka comeback to hang on for the 63-53 non-conference win. The victory gave JDHS the weekend sweep after Friday's 70-58 win and maintained the JDHS winning streak against the Wolves that began all the way back in 2001.
"We played hard start to finish, so even when things weren't going our way, we were able to stay in the game," JDHS coach Steve Potter said. "Eventually we wore them down and we were successful at what we wanted to do."
The Crimson Bears (14-5 overall, 0-2 Southeast Conference) were slowed in the first half Saturday by a loose 3-2 zone that Sitka spread out to half-court while trapping in the corners. Both teams were able to capitalize on a handful of forced turnovers early, though, and Juneau-Douglas finished the opening quarter clutching to an 18-14 lead.
Sitka (13-7 overall) started the second with an immediate, if lucky, bang, as senior wing Jeremy Espeleta banked in a three-pointer from the right sideline just 20 seconds in to cut the Bears' lead to one. The lead changed hands three times in the ensuing physical scrum that followed, with the Wolves spreading their advantage to 26-24 following one of two free throws from junior David Reynolds with 2:44 remaining in the half.
JDHS junior guard Alex DeRocher finally broke out of a mini personal shooting slump and got the home crowd back in it seconds later, hitting a a deep three-pointer from straight away to give his team the lead back. Sophomore forward Colin Gozelski then put the Bears up three with a steal along the sideline and a floating shot on the breakaway that cleared the right corner of the backboard before falling in. The teams traded free throws in the final minute before Espeleta hit a tough lay-up in the final 10 seconds to fittingly knot the score at 30-30 entering the half.
"We were not happy with how we played in the first half and I told (the players) these kids have a lot of pride and they're going to come out and battle," Potter said. "We definitely stepped it up defensively in that third quarter."
Stepping it up might be an understatement after the Bears held Sitka scoreless for the first five minutes of the third. Meanwhile, Juneau's leading scorer on the season - senior post Eric Gross - helped bloat his team's lead to 42-30 with his first five points of the game during the run.
Espeleta eventually broke the streak with a tough turnaround jumper, and kept the Wolves alive with another breakaway lay-up with 1:43 remaining. A patient and balanced offensive attack ended the third with a 47-36 advantage.
The Bears appeared to be in cruise control during the fourth, and their lead sat at a comfy 13-point level with just five minutes left in the game. Sitka wasn't ready to die yet, though. Reynolds hit a pair of free throws, picked up an easy lay-in and made another trip to the line in the next two minutes to kick off a sudden 14-2 run that awoke the Wolves' small but vocal contingent of fans.
Freshman Mik Potrzuski's free throws with 2:06 remaining eventually pulled Sitka within 56-53, but a pair of tough calls down the stretch cut the Wolves' offensive possessions short and time simply ran out on the underdogs.
Senior Geoff Craig had a tough putback, DeRocher drew a key charge and junior Cody Grussendorf put in an aggressive three points in the final two minutes to seal the win for Juneau.
Gross wound up with a team-high 12 points for the Bears, all of which came in the second half. DeRocher followed with 10 points, including a trio of three-pointers. Grussendorf and Craig added nine apiece. Senior Corey Mahar and Gozelski each chipped in eight.
Espeleta racked up a game-high 15 points for Sitka. Reynolds and junior Logan Lee chipped in 10 apiece in support.
The Bears take next weekend off before hosting SEC foe Ketchikan for a pair of games Feb. 27-28 to end their regular season. They will then play a best-of-three series against the Knights in Ketchikan March 6-7 for the SEC crown and a trip to the state tourney March 19-21 in Anchorage.
Bears survive Sitka Wolves and extend streak - Juneau Empire by Trent Makela
The Crimson Bears' easiest regional prey over the past decade fought back with a vengeance at JDHS Saturday night. Rival Sitka shoved, clawed and just plain battled their hosts through the most hotly-contested three quarters of basketball in Juneau yet this season.
Saturday February 14, 2009
"We got into plenty of up and down type stuff and they just got tired before we did," Potter said. "Everybody contributed and lifted each other up. That's what a team does. When we're not relying on just one guy to score like that, we're a much tougher team to play."
The Bears outscored the Wolves 20-14 in the opening quarter and stretched their lead to 39-29 by half-time.
Potter credited Grussendorf with his best game of the year, even though the high-scoring junior wing didn't see things the same way at first. Grussendorf has four 20-point games thus far in the season, but scored just 14 Friday night.
"Today I went through the tape and did the stats and showed him. He had about seven rebounds, four assists and five steals. It was a little bit of everything across the board," Potter said. "I think him seeing that helped his confidence and he made good decisions (Saturday)."
Grussendorf was joined in double figures by senior Sean Bavard with 13, including a trio of three-pointers. Gross added 12, Mahar had 11 and Craig chipped in 10 to help the effort.
Reynolds led Sitka with 14 points, Lee added 10 and both Potrzuski and Anthony Perkins chipped in nine.
JDHS 70, Sitka 58 - Juneau Empire by Trent Makela
Five Bears scored in double figures and JDHS led nearly from start to finish Friday night, getting out on the break and picking up easy points off their attacking defense.
