Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

Teams from the Chilkat Valley captured three of four titles at last week’s Juneau Lions Club 71st Gold Medal Basketball Tournament.

With a combined record of 11-0, the squads made what is possibly the best showing ever by local teams in the tournament’s history.

Jenny Lyn Smith coached elementary school basketball in Haines for 18 years. She attended the tournament for the first time in about 20 years and watched some of her former charges become champions.

“I picked the right one to go to. I thought we were awesome,” Smith said.

The trifecta included repeat championships by the Haines women and Klukwan “C” team, as well as three overtimes in one championship game and one overtime in another.

Four teams competed for the women’s crown and eight teams vied for each of the “B” and “C” men’s brackets.

The only championship the Chilkat Valley didn’t win was in the Master’s bracket, for ages 42 and over, in which no local team competed. It was won by Hoonah.

The Haines men’s “B” bracket championship is the first open-age division title for a local team in a decade.

KLUKWAN

The Klukwan men’s team championship came at the end of three overtimes against Juneau’s James Gang, 107-97. Some said it was the longest game in the tournament’s 71 years.

Klukwan started sluggishly, struggling to hit open shots and create turnovers on defense. That contrasted with a hard-charging start earlier in the tournament. Despite the uncharacteristic first half, the local men trailed only 37-31 at halftime.

In the second half, Klukwan came out with renewed defensive energy and started heating up from the perimeter. With only 12 minutes left to play, the score was 51-50. From there, the two teams traded baskets in a display that both thrilled and wracked the nerves of fans for both teams.

The drama was punctuated as the clock ran down to two seconds in regulation. Michael Ganey intercepted a long pass by Juneau, and in the same motion, launched a would-be, game winning desperation heave three quarters the length of the court. It caromed off the backboard and grazed the front of the rim, as fans audibly gasped.

At 73-73, teams went to the first of three overtimes, each four minutes long. Each team scored 10 points in the first two overtimes.

By game’s end, four James Gang players fouled out in a battle of attrition and both teams struggled to muster the energy to prevail. But Klukwan proved a more balanced offense, with Andrew Friske, Jesse McGraw, Jason Shull and Ganey each racking over 20 points.

Tournament MVP award recipient Friske, said, “Honestly, at the end of that game, I was completely exhausted. Our focus was simply, ‘We need to dig down and get a couple of (defensive) stops and win this game.’”

The team’s effort brought awards to several players. McGraw and Shull joined Friske and Ganey with all-tournament honors.

In addition to the team’s success, a special honor was awarded to long-time Gold Medal participant Stuart DeWitt, who was inducted into the tournament’s Hall of Fame.

“It was a big shocker,” said DeWitt. “I didn’t think I was old enough to get inducted into a hall of fame, but it’s a big honor. It’s not just for me, but it’s also for my teammates and all the championships we’ve won over the years. I think it speaks to that more than anything.”

To reach the championship game, Klukwan defeated Metlakatla in a gutsy semifinal round Thursday, storming back from a 15-point deficit in the final eight minutes to earn a 96-94 victory.

“We just hoped our shots would start falling eventually,” said McGraw. “We took bad shots most of the game. No inside-out, one-pass, one-shot, no rebounders. But we always grind it out and keep playing, and the shots just started falling.”

They also defeated Kake, 84-65, in the opening round and Juneau’s Filco, 75-69, in the second round.

WOMEN

The dominating Haines women’s team capped its tournament run by defeating a tough Hoonah squad, 52-30, in the championship game Saturday.

The win gives a recently formed women’s team two titles in as many attempts.

In the championship, Haines was aggressive from the opening tip and applied strong perimeter defense and balanced inside-outside scoring. They cruised to victory over a Hoonah team that looked sluggish due to having played an extra game to reach the championship round.

Haines opened the game by getting the ball inside to Alisa Beske who scored 8 of her game-high 12 points on possessions in the first half.

Backcourt defenders Fran Daly and Stoli Lynch also hounded Hoonah’s guards and made them work extremely hard just to get into their own offensive sets. Fueled by the pressure, Haines led 25-12 at halftime and never looked back.

A well-balanced scoring attack included Lisa Shove, 8 points, Sarah Elliott and Keely Baumgartner, 7 each, and Daly and Krista Kielsmeier, 6 each.

Beske, whose standout individual play earned her a second consecutive tournament MVP award, spoke for the total team effort.

“Our team played so strong, right from the get-go, so I feel like our whole team is worthy of MVP and all-tourney. I feel honored to have earned it (MVP), but it was kind of a surprise. We had amazing defense from Fran Daly and Stoli Lynch, and I think sometimes that can be unrecognized, but I definitely think it should be recognized.”

Elliott and Shove joined Beske on the all-tournament team.

Elliott said the team’s second foray into the tournament was aided greatly by last year’s experience.

“We came in knowing what to expect,” said Elliott. “Last year, we were a little intimidated by the physicality and it kind of rattled us. This year we weren’t shocked; if we got hit in the face, we just let it go.”

Haines beat Hoonah 62-55 in the opening round Tuesday and defeated Yakutat 65-52 in the semifinal round Thursday to reach the championship. Haines trailed in the second half due to some strong outside shooting by Yakutat’s Rose Fraker. Lynch’s defense helped cool Fraker’s hand, said Kielsmeier, who serves as team manager.

Haines also trailed in the second half during its opening game against Hoonah. “If anyone thought it was easy, it was not easy,” said Kielsmeier.

Kielsmeier said the team’s loss in the Dick Hotch Memorial Basketball Tournament in Haines was an eye-opener. “We didn’t feel that we played very well,” she said. Following the loss, more players started showing up at open gym and the squad put together a competitive final roster.

HAINES

Capping a hot streak that began when they won the Dick Hotch tournament only three weeks previous, Kyle Fossman, Kyle Rush and Tyler Healy teamed with five other players to win Gold Medal’s open division.

The championship was a rematch of Haines’ semifinal matchup against Hoonah on Thursday night. Haines won that game handily, 77-63, but was pushed to the limit in the rematch by Hoonah’s deadly outside shooting. Haines held on to win 79-73 in overtime.

Fueled by ball-hawking team defense, sharp passing in the half-court, and the hot hands of Fossman, Healy, and Ben Egolf, Haines led 43-35 at halftime, but Hoonah chipped away at the lead while Haines committed turnovers, and regulation time ran out at 69-69.

Fans watched helplessly as a relentless Hoonah offense heated up and forced yet another anguished outcome. “I thought it was enough to sit through one overtime game,” said Kevin Thompson of Haines. “The least (they) could have done was give my heart a rest.”

In overtime, Haines’ smothering defense forced two opening-possession turnovers that led to a breakaway layup by Rush and then two free throws Fossman nailed. From there, Haines held on for the victory and its first open division title in several years.

Team scoring included Fossman, 29, Healy, 20, and Egolf, 16. Hoonah was led by John Torres, who scored 25.

Fossman was awarded the MVP trophy for his exceptional play and was joined by Rush, Healy, and Egolf as all-tournament selections.

“Oh man, it’s a thrill,” said Healy. “I love our team this year. Everybody played ‘D’ and everybody shared the ball. You can’t ask for anything more.”

Egolf said the win for him was particularly special.

“After my folks kind of went through some adversity in Haines, and seeing the community rally behind them, I’ve just never been more proud to slap the ‘Haines’ on my chest. Great group of dudes. Everybody plays ‘D.’ Everybody has a high basketball IQ. It’s just a pleasure to play with people like that,” Egolf said.

Addressing what he believed held the key for the squad’s performance all week long, Fossman said, “From the start of the whole tournament, the one thing we could control was our defense, and I think that’s why we won.”

Haines defeated Hydaburg, 86-71, in the opening round and Wrangell, 82-52, in the second round.