The Bethel Warriors basketball squads each won games against the defending state champion Nome-Beltz Nanooks this weekend.
On Feb. 21, both the boys and girls teams scored victories. Away at Nome-Beltz High School, the Lady Warriors edged out the Nanooks 42-39.
For fans at home in the Warrior Dome, the Bethel boys’ win over the Nanooks was electric. The Warriors trailed the Nanooks by 16 points in the last seconds of the first quarter, but sophomore Ethan Wheeler got Warriors fans fired up early on. His 3-point shot at the buzzer was just one of a series of clutch plays for the Warriors throughout the game.
At the halftime buzzer, Wheeler hit another 3-pointer, bringing the Warriors to within nine points of the Nanooks to end the second quarter.
Bosco Charles and KYUK’s Mathew Hunter called the game live on KYUK radio in Yugtun and English.
“Once again, Ethan Wheeler at the last second!” Hunter said.
The Warriors once again fell back by double digits during the third quarter. This quickly changed in the fourth quarter when another shot from downtown by Wheeler and a turnover brought Bethel within four points of Nome.
With 20 seconds to go and the game tied 61-61, Warriors senior George Lee came up with an offensive rebound and putback that put the Warriors in the lead. When the Nanooks committed an offensive foul, the Warrior Dome rejoiced.
“Three seconds, two seconds, offensive foul! Offensive foul! 63 to 61!” Hunter and Charles announced.
In their second home and away games on Feb. 22, the Warriors squads didn’t repeat the Feb. 21 upsets. In Nome, the Lady Warriors went down to the Lady Nanooks 56-43, while back at the Warrior Dome, Nome showed that they were still a formidable adversary in a victory over Bethel 67-33.
Currently the defending champions, the Nanooks boys team won their first-ever 3A State Basketball Championship in 2022 and also advanced to the final match in 2023.
Next up, the Warrior Dome will host the 1A Lower Kuskokwim School District tournament from March 1 to March 3. The following weekend, the Warriors will see the Nanooks again when they travel to Nome for the 3A regional championships. If the Warriors’ momentum carries and they can capture one of the top two spots at regionals, they’ll travel to the state championship at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage from March 19 to March 22.
