JDHS boys and girls show up to show out against peers

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé boys and girls varsity basketball teams hung their basketball stockings with care over the initial days of the holiday season, and filled them with final games at Las Vegas on Saturday and against their alumni peers on Monday. All that remains is to play with all their gifts in the George Houston Capital City Classic, beginning Friday.

In Las Vegas, the Crimson Bears girls played their final two games in the Tarkanian Classic, falling to California schools Santa Monica High School, 62-48, on Friday and Westchester High School, 52-30, Saturday, finishing the tourney with a 2-2 record. They had defeated Nevada’s Cimarron-Memorial, 45-21, on Wednesday and Colorado’s Castle View, 47-39, Thursday.

“All four games were great,” JDHS coach Tanya Nizich said. “It really showed us what we need to continue to work on in practice. The last two games were much more physical games and a faster-paced game and we saw some press, some traps, things we will have to work on. I think it kind of caught us off guard a little bit considering the first two games we had when things were going in our favor. So we need to work on our composure, make smart passes, the little things.”

Against Santa Monica, the JDHS girls trailed 19-10 after one quarter and 28-25 at the half. Crimson Bears junior Gwen Nizich had 13 of the team’s 15 second-quarter points and freshman Athena Warr had the other bucket, scoring her first career varsity points.

“I thought the tournament was a really good experience and had good competition,” Warr said. “Some takeaways were you have to communicate not just on defense, but on offense as well because when the whole team is on the same page everything runs a lot smoother. Something I took away individually is that you have to be hyper-aware on the court because there are so many things happening at once.”

Santa Monica would lead 43-38 after the third quarter. The Crimson Bears played physical and hit six of their 13 quarter points from the free throw line, but could not close the gap in the final eight minutes of game action.

Nizich led JDHS with 20 points, sophomore Layla Tokuoka had nine, senior Kerra Baxter seven, junior Cambry Lockhart and senior Addison Wilson three apiece, and senior Cailynn Baxter and Warr two apiece.

Santa Monica’s Kim Macias scored a game-high 21 points, Bailey Prewitt added 20, Maya Kelley 10, Sydney Ghobrial nine and Denvir Lee two.

Against Westchester, the Crimson Bears again stayed close in the first quarter, but could not get enough momentum for the lead and faltered in the next stanza. JDHS trailed 14-9 after eight minutes, 29-12 at the half, and were outscored 23-17 in the second half.

Nizich led the Crimson Bears with 14 points, Tokuoka had eight, Wilson and C. Baxter three apiece, and K. Baxter two.

Westchester’s leading scorers were Reigne Waugh with 15 points and Savannah Myles with 12.

“The Vegas tournament was a great starting point for our team,” guard G. Nizich said. “It gave us insights into what we can improve on and what strategies worked well. The experience strengthened our team bond both on and off the court. Moving forward, it would be beneficial for us to focus on ball movement and making smart passes to break a press. Personally, my takeaway is to execute my role effectively, whether it’s bringing the ball up the court, setting screens, communicating or encouraging my teammates.”

The Crimson Bears boys fell to Oregon’s Reynolds High School, 50-42, and defeated Nevada’s El Dorado High School, 60-20, and finished the tourney with a 2-2 record. They lost to Utah’s South Summit, 57-36, on Wednesday and defeated Nevada’s Coral Academy of Science, 65-32, Thursday.

Against Reynolds, the Crimson Bears held an 8-5 lead after eight minutes and 19-18 at the break using a balanced scoring attack by junior Brandon Casperson, senior Ahmir Parker, senior Pedrin Saceda-Hurt and junior Joren Gasga. They continued a slim lead after three quarters, 33-31, but began to wear down and were outscored 19-9 in the final eight minutes to lose by eight points.

“We were in a tight game the whole way, but then we struggled to score in the fourth quarter,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “We had good looks, but the shots just didn’t fall. Despite that reality, we kept our composure and tried to make the ‘next play,’ which is a critical expectation in our program. In the end, Reynolds hit some free throws down the stretch to create the final margin. I was proud of the team and how hard they played the entire game. We’re coming together and learning quickly.”

Gasga led JDHS with 16 points, B. Casperson had 12, Parker seven, Saceda-Hurt five and junior Elias Dybdahl two.

Against El Dorado, the Crimson Bears’ defense set the tone early and created a lot of offensive opportunities as they opened a 23-3 first-quarter lead, and were up 41-9 at the half. They led 51-12 after three quarters and finished the last eight minutes with a 7-6 scoring edge.

“I was impressed with the adjustments that we made from the previous game against Reynolds, which showed me we’re coming together as a team and learning every time we play,” coach Casperson said. “These guys are sponges. They listen well, and do their best to adjust and improve together.”

Gasga led JDHS with 14 points, Dybdahl had 10, Parker eight, B. Casperson seven, junior Damian Efergan five, freshman Keaton Belcourt four, Saceda-Hurt and sophomore Hunter Carte three apiece, and junior Kurt Kuppert and junior Tyler Frisby two apiece.

“The Tarkanian Classic was a great opportunity for us to make some important strides together, prior to facing Alaskan competition,” coach Casperson said. “I absolutely saw growth in everyone during our four games. Finishing 2-2 against the teams we faced is a solid outcome considering our relative inexperience so early in the season. There were a lot of ‘firsts’ on this trip…first varsity start, first varsity playing time, first varsity points, first time to Las Vegas, first In-N-Out Burger. The main thing I saw that I believe will provide a foundation to build upon is that no matter the situation, whether we were down 20 or up 20, we played extremely hard. All the opposing coaches commented on that fact. I love that for the boys. In the end, our shared experience on this trip should pay dividends down the road. Especially when we add Gavin Gerrin and Ben Sikes into the mix (unavailable for this trip).”

The JDHS boys defeated their alumni 59-57 on Monday night at the George Houston Gymnasium and the JDHS girls defeated their alumni 52-40. No scorebooks were kept.

The boys alumni featured Kaleb Tompkins (2016), Kolby Hoover (2018), Alwen Carillo (2024), Tristen Bryant (2019), Joe Aline (2023), Sean Oliver (2024), Garrett Bryant (2021), Oryan Dybdahl (2023), Tias Carney (2022), Bryce Swofford (2017), Terrence Wheat (2010), Adrell Mulgrew-Truitt (2022), Rae Razor (2021), Krishant Samtani (2019), Travis Dybdahl (1997), Jhowel Estigoy (2024), JR Cumlat (2002).

The girls alumni featured Johanna Pasion (2022), Kayla Woodburg (2023), Kiara Kookesh (2023), Chloe Casperson (2024), Nani Weimer (2011), Mila Hargrave (2024), Ashley Laudert (2023), Kara Lockhart (1999), Toriana Fogg (2014), Carlynn Casperson (2023), Trinity Jackson (2022), Ashley Barnett (2015), Danielle Larson (2003), Antonia Fogg (2016), Jonelle Staveland (2013), Michaela Demmert (2014), Jenae Pusich (2021), Caitlin Pusich (2019), Kiyara Miller (2023).

Alumni at the now-defunct Thunder Mountain High School also played a game on Sunday in their gym of the rebranded Thunder Mountain Middle School. TM White beat TM Blue 101-91. Samuel Lockhart lead White with 31 points. Bryson Echiverri led Blue with 19 points.

The participants were Harbor Thomas, Luke Nye, Matt Seymour, James Polasky, Matthew Hartsock, Thomas Baxter, Matthew Johns, TJ Guevarra, Samuel Lockhart, Bryson Echiverri, Hansel Hinckle, Cody Grussendorf, Kaden Ludeman, Lance Nierra, Ryan Lee, Kaiden Ward, Riley Olsen, Colin Ludeman, John Morris, Reese Saviers, Connor Guizio, Zeb Story, Chase Saviers, Noah Reishus-O’Brien, John Blasco, Mahina Toutaiolepo, Bernard Yadao, Jeremiah Stephens and Coach Joe Tompkins.

Beginning Friday both JDHS teams host the George Houston Capital City Classic.

The Crimson Bears girls will play Klawock, Kenai and Chugiak.

Klawock returns four players from a team that played into the 1A girls state semifinals last season and are traditionally known as a competitive team. They also have four underclassmen, including two eighth graders, and have always brought up younger players through their community gym. Chugiak plays in the powerful 4A Cook Inlet Conference and features four battle-tested seniors and two juniors. Kenai from the 3A Peninsula Conference will bring just one senior and a loaded junior-heavy roster.

“I expect good competitive teams,” coach Nizich said. “We are very excited to be playing them.”

The Crimson Bears boys will play Cordova, Soldotna and Federal Way.

Federal Way features six seniors and a roster that has no player smaller than 6’2. Soldotna’s three seniors, six juniors and two sophomores like to run and press, and are a perfect fit for the tourney. Cordova returns eight players, four of who are seniors, from a team that played in the 2A state tournament last season.

“I am excited to see everyone back for the holidays supporting the kids on the team as they work hard and they try to make the community proud,” coach Casperson said. “It’s going to be a great experience. The GHG will be rocking with pep band, cheer and dance all weekend long.”

Performing all tournament will be JDHS pep band led by band director Brian Van Kirk, the award-winning JDHS dance team led by head coach Kayla Price, and the defending state champion JDHS cheer squad led by head coach Carlene Nore.

The GHCCC schedule:

THURSDAY: 1 p.m. girls – Kenai vs. Chugiak; 3 p.m. boys – Federal Way vs. Soldotna; 5 p.m. girls – JDHS vs. Klawock; 7 p.m. boys – JDHS vs. Cordova.

FRIDAY: 1 p.m. girls – Chugiak vs. Klawock; 3 p.m. boys – Cordova vs. Federal Way; 5 p.m. girls JDHS vs. Kenai; 7 p.m. boys – JDHS vs. Soldotna.

SATURDAY: 1 p.m. girls – Klawock vs. Kenai; 3 p.m. boys – Soldotna vs. Cordova; 5 p.m. girls – JDHS vs. Chugiak; 7 p.m. boys – JDHS vs. Federal Way; 9 p.m. Awards Ceremony.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.