The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears girls finished their sweep of visiting Southeast Conference foe Ketchikan Lady Kings with a 51-23 win Friday inside the George Houston Gymnasium. JDHS had defeated Kayhi 52-23 Thursday.

For the second night in a row the JDHS sharpshooters struggled from outside under the Ketchikan zone, but the taller Crimson Bears held an inside advantage despite the physical play shown from SEC rivals Kayhi.

“We know just to expect everything,” JDHS senior Kerra Baxter said. “They are just a really good team at being physical and they are scrappy. They’re not the best team, but we have to expect them to want to shoot it and want to drive and all that, so we just have to expect everything.”

Baxter would follow a missed outside shot to score the first points of the game and added another basket on the next trip down court for a 4-0 lead.

Kayhi junior Kylie Brendible hit from distance to cut the lead to 4-3 with over six minutes remaining and it seemed the teams would be on fire.

Instead both sides pushed and shoved the length of the floor and the next points wouldn’t come until four minutes remained when JDHS senior Cailynn Baxter was fouled and hit a pair of free throws for a 6-3 lead.

Seconds later Kayhi junior Kaili MacManus scored on a layup to close to 6-5.

“We always have a good mindset as a team,” JDHS’ C. Baxter said. “We always have high energy, never low. Our bench is always hype. Ketchikan is always a strong and, like, fast team. I expect them to be the same at regions. We just have to make a few tweaks and just play our game like we always do.”

JDHS would close out the quarter on a 9-0 run that included the Baxter twins hitting two free throws apiece, K. Baxter swishing a shot past the arc, and sophomore Layla Tokuoka being fouled on a drive and hitting both free throws for the 15-5 advantage.

Once again Tokuoka, classmates Cambry Lockhart and Bergen Erickson and junior Gwen Nizich would prove to be to much for the the Lady Kings in the backcourt, and the Baxter twins inside, and seniors Addison Wilson and Mary Johnson, and freshmen Athena Warr and Lydia Goins off the bench and in the key.

C. Baxter opened the second quarter with three straight steals, the first was set on the glass for a score, the second she passed to Lockhart for a basket and the third just padded her game stats. She would score again after two possessions for a 21-5 JDHS lead halfway through the stanza.

Ketchikan’s physical play earned Lady Kings junior Kari Klinger and senior Shyla Abajian their third fouls in the stanza as well.

Kayhi’s MacManus hit one free throw and JDHS’ Tokuoka answered with two from the charity stripe for a 23-6 Crimson Bears advantage.

Tokuoka would drive and put the fans on their feet as she slipped a pass to Wilson who scored for points 25.

Kayhi’s MacManus hit for the final points of the half, but JDHS led 25-8.

“I think sometimes a few of us don’t know that her passes are coming,” JDHS coach Tanya Nizich said of Tokuoka. “We always have to have our eyes open when Layla is throwing the ball…I thought it was a good game overall. Ketchikan always challenges us one way or another. It got a little physical there, but you know every game has got to be a little physical.”

The second half started out fiery as JDHS had some steals and scores, and got supporting defensive contributions from some younger roster players to outscore Kayhi 10-7 and lead 35-15 after three quarters.

“We changed up our defense a little bit this game, and I thought we did a good job of getting deflections and having our hands up on defense,” JDHS coach Nizich said. “Every time we did that I feel like we got a tip or got a steal. I was happy with our shooting. We just weren’t hitting them today from the outside, but when we are open they know I am going to tell them they have the green light. I think we just need to keep working on that and have a little bit higher percentage shot from the outside.”

C. Baxter and Tokuoka put four points on the board as the fourth quarter opened, each used the strongest point of their basketball makeup – C. Baxter challenging for a rebound basket and Tokuoka taking Kayhi’s Klinger to the basket for her fourth foul to give JDHS a 39-15 lead. Klinger would foul out on the next JDHS possession.

Kayhi junior Kylie Brendible blocked a shot by C. Baxter inside and gathered the loose ball to feed senior teammate Lilli Goodwin on a fast break basket.

JDHS’ Lockhart connected on a short jumper and Kayhi’s Abajian answered with her own tough shot in the key for a 41-19 score.

“I think we definitely played better than we did at home,” Kayhi’s Abajian said. “So we have three weeks until regions and we’re going to figure out everything we can to make it harder for them to beat us. Our team just tries to work really hard. We aren’t as high in skill level but we do put a lot of effort in our games.”

Baskets were exchanged down the stretch as JDHS’ Erickson connected for a score and Kayhi’s Goodwin answered for a 43-22 tally.

JDHS’ Nizich swished a short jumper and Kayhi’s Goodwin earned a point from the free throw line for 45-23.

“We wanted to get a lot more shots up and we didn’t in the first half,” Ketchikan coach Kelly Smith said. “We at least got attempts in the second half. It doesn’t matter how well we defend if we can’t figure out how to put up 40 or 50 points on these guys we don’t stand a chance. The kids don’t understand the shots I want them to take right now. You work so hard to get a good shot in practice and in season, right now we just have to take chances…at regions we’ll play hard.”

JDHS’ K. Baxter put an exclamation point on the game with a three-point shot with a minute remaining, and freshman teammate Kyndal Saceda pulled up for a jumper just as far outside the arc and the final points in the 51-23 Crimson Bears win.

“Kyndal has been doing great in our JV games,” JDHS coach Nizich said. “I like her demeanor out on the court. She is always just very calm and I just wanted to throw her in to see what transpired out of it, and I think she did great.”

C. Baxter led JDHS with 16 points, K. Baxter added 12, Tokuoka eight, Lockhart and Erickson four apiece, Goins three, and Wilson and Nizich two apiece.

The Crimson Bears hit 14-15 at the charity stripe, the Lady Kings 2-6.

MacManus led Kayhi with eight points, Goodwin six, Abajian four, Brendible three and Klinger two.

The Crimson Bears girls improve to 14-5 overall and 4-0 in the conference. They were ranked fifth in the state for 4A teams before this weekend behind Mountain City Christian Academy (Northern Lights Conference), Wasilla (NLC), Colony (NLC) and Bartlett (Cook Inlet Conference). The Lady Kings are 6-13 overall and 0-4 in the conference and currently ranked 16th.

The JDHS JV defeated KAYHI JV 38-32.

JDHS JV – Warr 14, Saceda 10, Goins 6, Heaven McGraw 4, June Troxel 2, Sadie Lockhart 2. KAYHI JV – Claire Ruaro 8, Kali Jones 6, Haley Warren 4, Ellie Guthrie 3, Ezrah Harney 2, Peyton Nickich 2, Zorraine Zapanta 2, June Ripley 2.

The JDHS C team defeated KAYHI C 34-23.

JDHS C – Maya Hayes 6, A’hRyana Maake 6, Cassandra Chenoweth 6, Shandlin Frommherz 4, Freya Shelton-Walker 4, Keirstin Johnson 4, McGraw 2, Madeline Tingey 2. KAYHI C – Cereniti Boendia 6, Zapanta 5, Guthrie 4, Jones 4, Ripley 2, Jacinda Morison 1, Marley Phillips 1.

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