Halfway through the first quarter of Juneau-Douglas High School’s blowout win over visiting independent Valor Christian, six-foot-seven senior forward Bryce Swofford nearly dunked (his fingers just grazing the rim), then turned around and ran the court to block a layup from Valor’s Joshua Botsford.
The play showcased Swofford’s ability on both sides of the ball as he dominated the early stages of Wednesday’s 91-23 win. His most important contribution, however, may have come from the bench.
Instead of tuning out as JDHS’ lead ballooned (47-11 by half) and head coach Robert Casperson substituted in his bench, Swofford and the rest of the starters cheered their less experienced teammates on.
The Crimson Bears used every minute of the game to deepen their experience and hone their fundamentals in anticipation of conference play.
Buoyed by the support of his teammates, senior forward Jordan Milligan — who put up eight points on the night — benefitted from the extra work.
“I think it’s important, it makes us feel more like a family and trust each other more,” Milligan said of the squad’s camaraderie. “I’m just trying to do whatever I can to help the team win.”
Sophomore guard John Hamrick, playing in his second game on varsity, said he was “a little nervous” before taking the court. Like Milligan, Hamrick played with confidence Wednesday, saying he “sweated off” any nerves on the way to nine points.
As the Crimson Bears’ schedule progresses, head coach Robert Casperson said, the strength of their bench will become more and more important.
“We’re building depth because we’re getting guys more minutes, more comfortable on the court. That should translate down the road when there’s injuries, illness, where guys coming off the bench will be comfortable in their roles and just ready to play.”
A dozen different Crimson Bears scored on the night, with seven of those players scoring more than eight points each. Junior Erik Kelly led all scorers with 17, followed by Swofford’s 14, Luke Mallinger and Ulyx Bohulano’s 12 and Hamrick’s nine.
Championship rematch set for Friday
JDHS and visiting Dimond High School, who the Crimson Bears beat 38-31 in the state championship game last year, will face off at 7 p.m. Friday in a true championship ending to the Capital City Classic. Both teams come into the final game with two wins in the tournament, meaning the winner of that game will claim bragging rights as the Classic champions.
Dimond looks strong in their CCC play so far, having logged comparable wins to JDHS over common opponents: JDHS beat Haines 71-43 while Dimond took the Glacier Bears 85-24; Dimond won over Valor 89-14.
Casperson said that game will be “a lot of fun” and that Dimond looks “really strong” so far having returned most of their team. Look for coverage of that game online at juneauempire.com and in Sunday’s print edition.
CRIMSON BEARS 91, KNIGHTS 23
Juneau-Douglas 30 37 17 7 —91
Valor 5 6 7 5 —23
Juneau-Douglas (91) — Bradley 1, Watts 8, Hamrick
9, Beelitz 3, Bohulano 12, Swofford 14, Shapland-Murray 2, Milligan 8, Kelly 17, Samtani 3, Mallinger 12, Lozada 2
Valor (23) — Botsford 7, Taylor 4, Osborn 2, Chamber
1, Littlejohn 8, Darling 1
Free throws — Juneau-Douglas 6-14, Valor 6-14
3-point goals — Juneau-Douglas 3, Valor 1
Team fouls — Juneau-Douglas 10, Valor 12
Other Wednesday Capital City Classic games
GLACIER BEARS 24, LYNX 85
Haines 3 8 9 4 — 24
Dimond 20 33 25 7 — 85
Haines (24) — Palmieri 8, Light 6, Cunningham 2, Jacobson 2, Fowler 2, Stigen 2, Clay 1, Sage 1
Dimond (85) — Heim 8, Gates-Magnusson 19, Sherman 5, Osborne 4, Parker 4, Boese 5, Moore 4, Horning 2, Tufaga 2, Jenkins 23, Ainuu 4, White 5
Free throws — Haines 8-18, Dimond 4-8
3-point goals — Haines 2, Dimond 11
Team fouls — Haines 12, Dimond 16
FALCONS 16, CHARGERS 56
Thunder Mountain 5 4 4 3 — 16
Marysville Getchell 20 18 11 7 — 56
Thunder Mountain (16) — Lewis 2, Luna 4, Fenumiai 1, Jenkins-Hayes 9
Marysville Getchell (56) — Noriega 3, Norton 2, Wika 12, G. Grandbois 13, Green 2, Palm 7, M. Grandbois 12, Hammer 1, Taylor 4
Free throws — Thunder Mountain 4-6, Marysville Getchell 3-9
3-point goals — Thunder Mountain 0, Marysville Getchell 1
Team fouls — Thunder Mountain 7, Marysville Getchell 10
