by Tommy Wells
The Scammon Bay High School Lady Eagles are the epitome of good.
En route to extending their state’s-best 48-game win streak, the defending Class 1A state champions nailed down their third straight Yukon-Delta Conference championship this past weekend in grand fashion. They notched all three wins by 40 points or more and, in so doing, earned a return trip to the state tournament.
“We played OK,” said Scammon Bay head coach Herschel Sundown. “I don’t think we were playing up to our full potential, but I’m very proud of them. They (the players) are humble and respectful. They’re a great group of players whose basketball IQ is high, and that makes my job so much easier.”
“The goal of the game is to score and they do it well,” he added.
Kiah Charlie, Denae Ulak and Almira Kaganak led the Scammon Bay girls offensively.
Scammon Bay did score well in the Yukon Delta Conference tournament. The Lady Eagles averaged more than 90 points per game en route to a perfect 3-0 record. As a team, SBHS girls rolled up 272 total points.
The Lady Eagles kicked off their tournament appearance with an easy 103-27 first-round victory over Emmonak. From there, they dispatched Mountain Village, 91-37, in the semifinals before facing perennial state power St. Mary’s in the conference championship game.
Scammon Bay, now 26-0 overall, notched a 78-38 win over St. Mary’s in the finals.
The Lady Eagles’ last setback came more than a year ago when they dropped a 56-41 decision on Dec. 31, 2015 to Class 2A Unalakleet in the AKFCA Tournament. They last lost to a Class 1A opponent was a 53-46 loss to Selawik on Dec. 29, 2015.
St. Mary’s fought its way back from the loss, however. The Lady Eagles defeated Mountain Village in the second-place game on Saturday and clinched the conference’s second berth in the state tournament.