by Greg Lincoln
Yukon Delta region basketball teams who made it to the state 1A and 2A championships included the Akiuk Lady Grizzlies, the Scammon Bay Lady Eagles, the St. Mary’s Lady Eagles, the Akiachak Lady Huskies, and the Chevak Lady Comets for the girls.
On the boys side it was the Emmonak Huskies, the Scammon Bay Eagles, the Aniak Halfbreeds, and the 2022 State Champions – the Toksook Bay Islanders, and the Hooper Bay Warriors.
The much-anticipated tournament for the 1A crown began on Thursday of last week. The Emmonak Huskies lost to the Cook Inlet Academy Eagles 64-45. The Toksook Bay Islanders also did not fare too well, falling to the Aniak Halfbreeds 49-47 in a close contest.
The Alaska Airlines Center was packed with fans from all corners of the state who came to cheer on their student athletes.
The Scammon Bay Eagles advanced, winning their first game against the Anaktuvuk Pass Amarut 88-54.
For the girls, none of the YK delta teams advanced to the next round. The Akiuk Lady Grizzlies were defeated by the Shaktoolik Lady Wolverines 67-29. The Scammon Bay Lady Eagles lost to the Buckland Belugas 60-27. The Akiachak Lady Huskies lost to the Lumen Christi Lady Archangels 40-19. And it was the Eagles vs. the Ealges in the St. Mary’s vs. Cook Inlet Academy game, Cook Inlet won 49-35.
On the 2A side, the Chevak Lady Comets lost their game with the Su-Valley Lady Rams 39-17. The Hooper Bay Warriors also lost to the Petersburg Vikings in a close game, 58-55.
On Day 2, the Lady Huskies of Akiachak played the Lady Warriors of Northway, losing 35-26. The Scammon Bay Lady Eagles also were out with their loss to the Kake Lady Thunderbirds, 48-34. The Anaktuvuk Pass Amarut also defeated the St. Mary’s Lady Eagles 53-43. And last but not least, the Lady Grizzlies of Akiuk fell to the Klawock Lady Chieftains 39-29.
On the boys’ consolation bracket, the Toksook Bay Islanders celebrated a win against the Shishmaref Northern Lights 68-61. Emmonak lost their game with the Buckland Belugas 69-55.
Scammon Bay defeated the King Cove boys 80-65 in the quarterfinals. Eagles fans rejoiced for the anticipation of the semifinals. The Aniak Halfbreeds also won, beating the Noatak Lynx 64-55.
On Day 3 the Islanders played the Klawock Chieftains, losing in a close contest 59-51. And in an exciting semifinal game, the Aniak Halfbreeds stunned the top ranked Scammon Bay Eagles, 77-62. Aniak advanced to the championship round.
The Scammon Bay Eagles lost their final game with the Tri-Valley 73-62, they placed 5th overall.
The team from Kake defeated the Aniak Halfbreeds in the final contest for the state 1A crown, 67-49. Ethan Kadake sunk 31 for Kake, Ryan Steeves made 19.
On the 2A side, the Chevak Lady Comets were defeated by the Unalakleet Lady Wolfpack, 52-39. The Tikigaq Lady Harpooners won the state championship, defeating Metlakatla. The Hooper Bay Warriors also lost to the Unalakleet Wolfpack, 72-56. Ninilchik won the state 2A championship beating the Tikigaq Harpooners.
The Toksook Bay Islanders were awarded the Sportsmanship Award, good job team!