Warriors close out regular season with wins over Kotz

by Tommy Wells

Nelson Evans, Peter Crow, Hayden Lieb and Jamin Crow all scored into double digits on Saturday and helped the Bethel Regional High School Warriors close out their regular season with a resounding sweep of a weekend twinbill with Kotzebue. The four combined to score 53 of Bethel’s 71 points and spearheaded a significant victory.

Bethel improved to 13-8 for the season with a 71-46 decision.

Bethel used a balanced scoring attack in the first quarter to put Kotzebue in an early hole. The Warriors, sparked by seven first-quarter points from Jamin Crow, picked up points from six different players in the first eight minutes and sprinted to a 21-8 lead.

Peter Crow and Nelson Evans both pushed in four points in the opening frame. Jarvis Evans, Lieb and Eli Mortenson all added two points.

Bethel continued to keep its foot on the pedal in the second. The Warriors stretched their lead to a commanding 29 points in the stanza by grinding out a 24-8 spree.

Peter Crow led the BRHS onslaught by scoring nine of his team-high 15 points in the frame. Jarvis and Nelson Evans combined to tally nine more.

Devin Sheldon and Michael Hensley led Kotzebue in the first half by pitching in five apiece. Hensley finished the game at the Huskies top scorer with 15.

Kotzebue, which finished fourth in the Western Conference race with a 2-18 mark, fought its way back in the third. The Huskies outscored Bethel by a 20-13 clip in the frame and went into the fourth quarter down by 22, at 58-36.

Bethel salted the win away with a 13-10 run in the final frame. Peter Bill and Lieb both knocked down clutch three-point shots in the fourth to lead the way for BRHS.

Nelson Evans was Bethel’s second-leading scorer in the finale of the twinbill. He netted 14 points in the win. Lieb and Jamin Crow added 12 apiece, while Jarvis Evans added nine.

The Warriors opened the series with Kotzebue with a 67-40 victory over the Huskies on Friday. After falling behind in the first quarter, Bethel roared back to outscore Kotz by a 54-25 clip in the final three periods of play.

Hensley led the Huskies to a quick lead early He scored 11 of his 20 points in the opening frame and powered Kotzebue to a 15-13 lead.

The Warriors all but took the wind out of the Huskies’ sails in the second. They peeled off a 25-9 spree in the frame and took a 38-24 lead into the half. Mortenson led the BRHS surge by throwing in six of his eight points in the stanza. Jarvis and Nelson Evans also starred. They combined for 10 of the Warriors’ 25 points.

Jamin Crow helped Bethel remove all doubt as to the outcome in the third. He pumped in seven of his 13 points in the opening eight minutes of the second half and sparked a 20-7 run that took the Warriors into the fourth with a lopsided 58-31 cushion.

Jarvis Evans led all BRHS scorers with 15 points. Crow and Nelson Evans pitched in 13 and 11, respectively. Lieb and Mortenson chipped in nine and eight, while Peter Crow added six.

Bethel will compete in the Western Conference basketball tournament on March 12-14 at Dimond High School in Anchorage.