Mt. Edgecumbe boys win Sitka holiday tournament

Josh Thomas scored 24 points in Saturday night's finale as the Class 3A Mount Edgecumbe boys basketball team claimed the championship in the Holland America-Holiday Classic at Sitka High School.

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The Braves posted a 3-0 record for the round-robin tournament, closing with a 62-44 victory over Sitka in Saturday's finale. Besides the 24 points they got from Thomas, the Braves also picked up 17 from Teddy Cruise and 14 from Matt Mercier. Mount Edgecumbe's roster listed just six players for Saturday's finale after having 12 players listed in Thursday's opener.

Andrew Broschat scored 12 points to lead Class 4A Sitka, which posted a 1-2 record and took third place in the tournament.

The Class 4A Kenai Central Kardinals posted a 2-1 record to take second place, while the Class 2A Kake Thunderbirds were winless and took fourth place. Cole Chappell scored 19 points to lead the Kards to an 80-51 victory over the T-Birds on Saturday. Tim Demmert led Kake with 21 points, while Derek Knudsen added 13 and Tracy Jackson scored 10.

Earlier in the tournament, Mount Edgecumbe beat Kenai 64-60 and Sitka crushed Kake 82-44 on Thursday. On Friday, Mount Edgecumbe toppled Kake 82-43 and Kenai beat Sitka 48-41.

Thomas scored 17 points, Mercier added 16 and George Beans chipped in 14 points (including 9-for-10 free throws in the fourth quarter) to lead the Braves over the Kardinals on Thursday. Geoffrey Gemmell scored 20 points to lead Kenai.

Broschat and E.B. Crow scored 15 points apiece (with Crow hitting five 3-pointers) to lead Sitka over Kake on Thursday, while Mitch Hawk scored 14 points and Mark Manuel added 11 for the Wolves. Demmert led Kake with 13 points, while Jackson and Knudsen added 10 each.

On Friday, Thomas scored 28 points through the first three quarters, Scott Patkotak added 19 points and Cruise scored 11 to lead Mount Edgecumbe over Kake. Jackson led the T-Birds with 16 points.

Gemmell scored 14 points to lead Kenai over Sitka on Friday. Hawk led the Wolves with 10 points, while Matt Burrow added nine and Broschat scored eight.

Sandy (Ore.) wins girls title in Sitka

Sherry Beeler scored 15 points and Sammy Smith added 14 as Sandy (Ore.) beat the host Sitka Wolves 50-24 in Saturday's girls finale of the Holland America-Holiday Classic basketball tournament at Sitka High School.

Sandy posted a perfect 3-0 record in the tournament. Miranda Whitson scored six points to lead Sitka, which went 1-2 and took third in the tourney.

In Saturday's other girls game, Sarah Jones scored 17 points to lead the Service Cougars to a 2-1 record and second place with a 46-30 victory over the Kenai Central Kardinals. Lindsay Keener scored eight points to lead Kenai, which was winless in the tourney and took fourth place.

In earlier tournament games, Sandy beat Service 51-40 and Sitka knocked off Kenai 51-32 on Thursday. On Friday, Sandy toppled Kenai 61-23 and Service edged Sitka 42-39.

In Thursday's tourney opener, Beeler scored 11 points to lead Sandy over Service, which was led by 25 points from Jones. Kim Dodson scored 24 points to lead Sitka over Kenai, which picked up 10 points from Breezy Saltgiver.

On Friday, Morgan Willis scored 11 of her team-high 13 points in the fourth quarter and Emily Bryant added 10 points as Service rallied from a two-point deficit to beat Sitka. Dodson scored 12 points to lead the Wolves, who picked up 10 points from Joy Ribao and nine from Whitson. In Friday's other game, Smith scored 15 points as Sandy beat Kenai, which was led by six points from Jamie Peterson.

Ketchikan claims Lady Kings Invitational crown

Tori Edwardson scored 17 points to lead the host Ketchikan Kings to a 61-45 victory over Kotzebue and the third straight championship of their Lady Kings Invitational on Saturday.

Larissa Otness added 14 points for the Kings, while Destiny Bell - a transfer from Hydaburg - scored 13 points and Raquelle Pahang chipped in 10 points for Ketchikan, which improved to 5-0 with the victory.

The score was tied 24-24 at halftime of the championship game, but Ketchikan eased out to a 34-30 lead entering the fourth quarter and then pulled away to win by 16 points. Kotzebue, a Class 3A school, led 14-8 at the end of the first quarter.

Saturday's other scores weren't available, but Nechako Valley of Vanderhoof, British Columbia, took third place. Craig (2-3) finished in fourth place, Metlakatla (3-2) was fifth, the Prince Rupert (British Columbia) junior varsity took sixth place, followed by the Prince Rupert varsity in seventh and Caledonia (Terrace, British Columbia) in eighth place.

In Friday's semifinal games, Ketchikan beat Nechako Valley 49-35 and Kotzebue knocked off Metlakatla 66-43. In Friday's consolation games, Craig beat the Prince Rupert varsity 52-37 and the Prince Rupert JV edged Caledonia 58-55 in overtime.

On Thursday, Ketchikan crushed the Prince Rupert varsity 57-23, Nechako Valley beat Craig 54-36, Metlakatla knocked off the Prince Rupert JV 47-37 and Kotzebue nearly doubled-up Caledonia 65-33.

Ketchikan boys split with Craig

Tyler Richardson scored 24 points to lead the Class 4A Ketchikan boys to a 56-49 victory over the defending Class 3A state champion Craig Panthers on Dec. 13 in Ketchikan, helping the Kings earn a split of their two-game home-and-home series. Craig beat Ketchikan 64-56 on Dec. 12 in Craig.

Junior Jesse LeBeau was the only other Ketchikan player to hit double-figure scoring, with 10 points, on Dec. 13. Eric Hamilton led Craig with 20 points, while Louis Isaacs added 14 and Alexei Gamble chipped in 11 for the Panthers.

On Dec. 12, Hamilton, the only returning starter for Craig, scored 23 points as the Panthers won the season-opener for both teams. Gamble added 17 points for the Panthers, who lost seven of their 12 players from last year's team to graduation. Richardson, a junior, and LeBeau led Ketchikan with 15 points each, while senior Nate Norton chipped in 10.

Ketchikan played two games in Washington state over the past weekend, beating Washington Class 2A Port Townsend 57-36 on Friday but falling to Class 4A Shelton 62-59 on Saturday. A Thursday game against Class 4A North Kitsap was canceled.

In Friday's win, LeBeau led Kayhi with 23 points, while Richardson added 14. Richardson scored a team-high 20 points in Saturday's loss, while LeBeau chipped in 16 and Norton had 13 points and 12 rebounds.

Ketchikan girls sweep Craig

Tory Edwardson scored 17 points and Raquelle Pahang added 11 as the Ketchikan girls knocked off Craig 48-26 on Dec. 13 in Ketchikan to earn a sweep of their two-game home-and-home series. On Dec. 12, Ketchikan beat Craig 61-53 in Craig to open the season for both teams.

Stacia Miller scored 13 points to lead the Panthers on Saturday, but Craig lost Friday's leading scorer Vanessa James to a knee injury early in the game.

In Friday's game, Pahang led Ketchikan with 18 points, Katie Geldaker added 16 and Edwardson scored 11. James scored 24 points and Miller added 19 for Craig, which made eight 3-pointers as a team.

Metlakatla boys sweep Wrangell

The Metlakatla boys had to overcome foul trouble to edge the Wrangell Wolves 42-35 to open their season Dec. 11 in Metlakatla. But on Dec. 12, the Chiefs had an easier time of things as they cruised to a 59-32 victory and a sweep of their two-game Region V-Class 3A series.

In Thursday's opener, Chris Bryant scored 14 points and Shane Martinez added 11 to lead Metlakatla. Gordon McClosky and Greg Wilson scored 10 points each to lead the Wolves.

In Friday's rematch, Beau Hayward led the Chiefs with 15 points, while Martinez and Bryant scored 11 apiece and Derrick Gaube added 10. Wilson led Wrangell with eight points.

Metlakatla girls sweep Wrangell

Kristy Didrickson averaged 28.5 points as the Metlakatla girls claimed a two-game Region V-Class 3A series sweep over the Wrangell Wolves on Dec. 12-13 in Wrangell. Didrickson scored 39 points to lead the MissChiefs to a 61-55 victory over the Wolves on Friday and added 18 points as Metlakatla won 65-54 on Saturday.

In Friday's game, Wrangell was led by Laura McCay's 29 points.

On Saturday, Metlakatla picked up 14 points from Jodi Boyd and 12 from Christina Brendible. McCay again led Wrangell, but this time with 13 points.

Petersburg, Mount Edgecumbe girls split

Perennial Southeast girls Class 3A powers Petersburg and Mount Edgecumbe split a pair of games on Dec. 12-13 in Sitka. The Braves won 43-38 on Dec. 12, while the Vikings battled to a 38-31 victory on Dec. 13.

Bunky Keyes scored 14 points to lead the Braves in their Dec. 12 win, while Kayleigh Short scored 14 points to lead a short-handed Viking squad. On Dec. 13, Short led Petersburg to a win with 15 points, while Keyes had 11 for Mount Edgecumbe.

Mount Edgecumbe boys split with Petersburg

Petersburg center Sam Jensen scored 28 points to lead the Viking boys to a 72-66 home win over Mount Edgecumbe on Dec. 12, but the Braves' Matt Mercier countered with a 23-point performance en route to a 62-61 Mount Edgecumbe victory on Dec. 13.

Each team's win involved a rally, as Petersburg came back from a 36-30 halftime deficit on Dec. 12, and Mount Edgecumbe battled back from a 13-point halftime deficit on Dec. 13. In the Dec. 12 game, Mount Edgecumbe was led by 28 points from Josh Thomas. Petersburg got a team-high 23 points from Kyle Skinner on Dec. 13.

Petersburg-Haines boys, girls games postponed

Last week's scheduled games between the Haines Glacier Bears and Petersburg Vikings - with the boys in Haines and the girls in Petersburg - were postponed after players from both schools developed the flu. Boys and girls make-up games will be held in Haines on Jan. 2-3.

• The Southeast Hoops Roundup runs every week and is compiled from game reports received by the Juneau Empire each weekend. Coaches and school athletic directors are reminded to send us copies of their scoresheets after every varsity game. They also should send us a copy of their schedule and roster to keep on file. Scoresheets, rosters and schedules can be faxed to 1-907-586-3028, attention Sports, or they can be e-mailed to sports@juneauempire.com.