Crimson Bears come up big
Juneau-Douglas held Thunder Mountain without a field goal attempt for the first six-plus minutes Tuesday night and it was all Crimson Bears, 64-17 in a Southeast Conference girls’ basketball matchup at TMHS.
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JDHS scored the first 23 points of the game as the Falcons had trouble advancing the ball past half court against the Bears’ heavy pressure.
Juneau-Douglas has been working new wrinkles into its defensive repertoire, running a full-court 1-2-2 press before dropping back into a 1-2-2 half-court set. Senior forward Taylor Larson said this new look helps JDHS take advantage of long defenders like seniors Sarah Tarver and Maria Weyhrauch. Tarver and Wehyrauch are 5-foot-10 and 6-foot-2, respectively, and both have long arms to fill passing lanes.
“We did OK (in the new defense) but we didn’t really rotate, and talking was a problem so we’ll get better at that, too,” she said. “We just started (this defense) in practice, and we sag back once we get into the half-court. We think it will be effective because we have really long arms up front, and they can steal the ball or stop the pass from coming up the court.
“That’s how we get steals, fast breaks and lots of lay-ups.”
Juneau-Douglas got steals, fast breaks and lay-ups aplenty Tuesday, scoring 34 points off 32 Thunder Mountain turnovers. TMHS had more turnovers than shot attempts, and the Falcons made just 5 of 23 from the field. JDHS, on the other hand, put up 70 shots and made 25.
Thunder Mountain’s first field goal attempt, a long jumper by sophomore Eyerus Tingley, didn’t come until the 1:50-mark of the first quarter, and the Falcons finally got on the scoreboard about 30 seconds later on a bucket inside by junior Melissa Fisher. TMHS scored the final three points of the first period and trailed JDHS 23-3 heading into the second.
“I think we played really well and as a team,” said Larson, who led JDHS with 19 points and 13 boards. “We still lack talking on offense, but we’ll get better. We’re better than we were at the beginning of the season and we’re working much more as a team offensively.”
The Bears outscored the Falcons 18-3 in the second quarter and led 59-10 heading into the fourth.
Senior point guard Karli Brakes scored nine points in addition to four steals and three assists. Tarver netted eight points and six steals, Hannah Swofford and Nani Ostrom scored seven each and Swofford added eight rebounds. Weyrauch scored six points and pulled down nine boards, and Esra Siddeek added six points on two made 3-pointers.
Kylie Ibias scored five points to lead the Falcons, and Fisher, Jonelle Staveland and Eyerus Tingley added four each.
JDHS (14-1, 4-0) is off until next week’s 13th Annual Dimond Lady Lynx Prep Shootout, which begins Wednesday and features some of the top teams in the state.
The 16-team field includes Anchorage Christian, Bartlett, Chugiak, Colony, Dimond, East, Juneau-Douglas, Kenai, Ketchikan, Lathrop, Nome, North Pole, Point Hope, South, Wasilla and West Valley.
The Bears won last year’s tournament before winning the region and 4A state crowns.
Thunder Mountain (5-11, 0-3) hosts Ketchikan Friday and Saturday.
Skagway girls knock off Haines
Skagway defeated Haines 55-51 Monday after rallying from a 11-point halftime deficit in a girls’ basketball matchup between 2A and 3A Southeast Conference members.
Jesse Ellis notched a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, Kaylie Odaniel had 12 points, Anna Korsmo 11.
Skagway defeated Haines again on Tuesday, 49-36, behind 25 points and 10 boards for Ellis.