The Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team seized a 28-9 first quarter lead Thursday night against Sitka, eventually winning 75-48 in the second day of the Capital City Classic basketball tournament.
The Crimson Bears now play the only other unbeaten boys team in the tournament —Palmer — on Saturday night at 7 p.m.
Looking ahead to Saturday’s game, JDHS head coach Robert Casperson said, “Palmer is a very good team and very well coached. Those kids, they shoot it extremely well from the perimeter, we’re going to have to defend the 3-point line like our lives count on it.”
Senior forward Erik Kelly scored 18 points and senior guard Kolby Hoover tallied 14 points for JDHS. Kelly said after the game playing against Sitka — significantly shorter than JDHS’ opponent on Wednesday night in Friday Harbor — was a double-edged sword.
“They’re definitely a lot shorter (than Friday Harbor) so our guards had a good matchup,” Kelly said. “It was a little tough for me being big having to guard a guard — but I like it. It was good for our guards, I think it got them some good experience, especially the younger ones.”
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Palmer 72, Friday Harbor 28
Palmer forward Clayton Southwick scored over 20 points for the second time in two days, as the Moose trampled Friday Harbor 72-28 Thursday afternoon at JDHS.
The inconsistent Wolverines offense mustered just 12 points in the second half. Junior center Marshall Clark scored 10 points for Friday Harbor while teammates Isaac Mayer and Rio Black chipped in six points each.
Friday Harbor will play Sitka at 3 p.m. on Saturday in its final game of the Capital City Classic.
Palmer plays tournament host Juneau-Douglas on Saturday at 7 p.m.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
