JDHS boys battle in extra time with Soldotna

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé and Soldotna boys basketball teams used 32 minutes and four extra to determine a victor in the Saturday nightcap game of the George Houston Capital City Classic in the Crimson Bears’ home gym.

“It was a lot of fun, exciting and all that,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “Soldotna came out and played tough, played physical and did a great job.”

A trip to the free throw line twice in the last 10 seconds by Soldotna senior Izaiah Gilbert broke a tie with 9.8 seconds left as he hit one of two for a 61-60 lead.

JDHS had a chance for a shot as they pushed the ball upcourt, but instead were called for traveling when most of the gym were screaming foul.

JDHS fouled Gilbert immediately and he again sank one of two for the 62-60 final as a last-second Crimson Bears heave fell short.

“My team counts on me,” Gilbert said. “My team needed me in the end and you have to push through everything.”

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CAPITAL CITY CLASSIC COVERAGE:

Day 1: Chugiak girls run past Kenai | Federal Way gets past Soldotna 63-40 | 4A Crimson Bears girls topple 1A Chieftains | JDHS boys beat Cordova

Day 2: Chugiak girls defeat Klawock | Federal Way wins against Cordova | 4A Crimson Bears girls topple 3A Cardinals

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Gilbert twisted an ankle with seven minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and went out with the Stars trailing 46-45, returned and twisted both ankles with 3:11 remaining and trailing 52-51.

“I taped one up and it felt good,” he said.

Soldotna had led 45-44 starting the fourth quarter and JDHS senior Ahmir Parker, junior Brandon Casperson and junior Tyler Frisby provided the punch to get that 52-51 lead.

Soldotna junior Owen Buckbee scored for a 53-52 Stars lead with 2:14 remaining in the stanza and senior Easton Hawkins scored with 57 seconds left for a 55-52 advantage.

JDHS’ Parker found the ball at the top of the key and nailed a shot to tie the game at 55, sending it to overtime.

“This is what is cool about Southeast,” Soldotna coach Darren Zibell said. “Coming in and playing in an environment like this, intense, loud, a lot of fun, overtime. That’s fun and we get to do it again in a couple weeks we’ll see Juneau in Homer. That was a good basketball game. It was one of those goes either way type of deals. I thought with two minutes left whoever has the ball last is going to win this game…Their pressure was intense in this environment. I will say my guys have matured a lot since the season started and that is nice to see because that hasn’t always been the case. I think it was a good test for us…Gilbert is averaging 21 points a game, and Hawkins earned his position back in the starting lineup tonight and had a game he is capable of.”

In the extra time Soldotna’s Hawkins gave the Stars the 57-55 lead and JDHS junior Joren Gasga tied it with a runner.

Hawkins hit another runner with 2:35 left and JDHS’ B. Casperson tied it at 59-59 seconds later.

Hawkins hit one of two free throws for a 60-59 lead and Parker hit one of two for JDHS to tie the score clock again.

A loose ball went the way of the Crimson Bears, but after a timeout they turned the ball over setting the stage for Gilbert and the Stars last-second heroics.

“We don’t quit, right, so we’ve always got a chance,” coach Casperson said. “I didn’t see anybody pouting or feeling sorry for themselves. We stay positive. The guys work to pick each other up so we are always going to have a puncher’s chance in a game like that. You know a couple layups here and there that we didn’t get, a couple that we gave up to them by not rotating defensively…Those things get magnified towards the end of a close game. It’s a good experience for our guys to be in an overtime game too. That is new to a lot of them. We are going to check off a lot of firsts this year and that is certainly a first for a lot of those guys, to play meaningful minutes in an overtime game.”

Soldotna had an early 10-2 lead in the first quarter and was up 15-12 with seconds remaining in the stanza when JDHS senior Pedrin Saceda-Hurt hit from deep to tie the game at 15-15.

The teams never had more than a four-point lead in the second quarter. JDHS’ B. Casperson and Gasga provided the scoring in the stanza, and Soldotna rode Gilbert’s hot hand until the final seconds when Stars sophomore Damari Adams put a rebound in at the buzzer for a 31-29 halftime advantage.

“Second shot points killed us,” coach Casperson said. “Sixteen of their baskets came on second-chance putbacks.”

JDHS would fall behind by nine points in the third quarter, 40-31, until Saceda-Hurt pulled up for two points, senior Ben Sikes added a free throw, Parker scored on a rebound and then on two free throws, and tied the game on a euro-step layup.

Soldotna junior Theo Huff gave the Stars a 42-40 lead.

JDHS junior Damian Efergan followed a shot to tie the game at 42-42 and Saceda-Hurt pushed that to 44-42 off a long lob pass by Parker.

Soldotna’s Gilbert scored and was fouled on an inbounds play to give the Stars a 45-44 advantage with 6.7 seconds left in the period and lead into the final eight minutes.

“They kicked our butts on the boards even though we had identified that as something we had to focus on,” coach Casperson said. “I don’t know, we just weren’t ready. I didn’t have them prepared to rebound and play as physically as we might need to in those situations. We’ll learn from it. We’ll get better. We have another tough challenge tomorrow. That’s what is great about a three-game tournament is you can’t feel sorry for yourself, you’ve got another game tomorrow.”

JDHS will face undefeated Federal Way (WA) in the tournament final game Sunday night.

Parker led the Crimson Bears with 16 points, Gasga added 15, Saceda-Hurt 10, B. Casperson nine, Frisby three, Efergan, senior Gavin Gerrin and sophomore Logan Carriker two each and Sikes one.

JDHS hit 7-14 from the free throw line, Soldotna 9-17.

Gilbert led the Stars with 28 points, Hawkins added 13, Adams six, Huff five, Buckbee and junior Jayden Stuyvesant four apiece and junior Liam Peck two.

JDHS defeated Cordova 62-39 on Friday. Soldotna lost to Federal Way 63-40 on Friday. Federal Way defeated Soldotna 64-40 Friday and Cordova 64-31 Saturday.

Following is the GHCCC schedule:

FRIDAY: girls – Chugiak 43, Kenai 34; boys – Federal Way 63, Soldotna 40; girls – JDHS 71, Klawock 21; boys – JDHS 62, Cordova 39.

SATURDAY: girls – Chugiak 45, Klawock 25; boys – Federal Way 64, Cordova 31; girls JDHS 57, Kenai 13; boys – JDHS vs. Soldotna.

SUNDAY: 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.