Fans nearly blew the top off the Warrior Dome for the championship matches of the 37th Annual Coastal Conference 1A Tournament in Bethel on March 3. In the end, the Kipnuk Falcons and Kasigluk-Akiuk Lady Grizzlies emerged victorious and are headed to state.
Kipnuk Falcons head coach Adolph Paul said that his team had their work cut out for them against the Kasigluk-Akula Tundra Foxes, who went down in overtime to the Falcons 53-50 in the championship match.
"We lost to them two in a row, and we pulled through," Paul said. "Our season started really slow, with a lot of new players and a lot of no-shooters, but we pulled through through lots of hard work."
Paul said that the Falcons are ready to descend on the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage for the 1A state championships from March 12 to March 15.
"Bring it on," Paul said.
Falcons sophomore Tyrel Handley, who is headed to state for the second year in a row, gave a shout out to the fans that kept the Warrior Dome at standing room only throughout the three-day tournament.
"You always miss the experience of the crowd after a long time. The rest of the village[s] are always sometimes quiet, and district is always fun because of all the people supporting us. It was really loud," Handley said.
On the girls' side, the Kasigluk-Akiuk Lady Grizzlies fought hard in a very physical and emotional game that sent the Lady Grizzlies and Napaskiak Lady Hawks onto the floor scrambling for the ball throughout the game. Kasigluk assistant coach Curtis Kassel was beaming as his team exchanged tear-filled hugs with the Lady Hawks on the court.
"We worked so hard for this because throughout the whole season we couldn't beat these ladies. Really tough team, the Hawks. Man, they had us all season," Kassel said.
Kassel, who traveled with the Lady Grizzlies to state in 2023, said that he helped build the team’s confidence over the hard-fought season.
"At first they seemed like they couldn't believe that they could do it," Kassel said. "I could sense their eyes just looking at them. And I'll be like, ‘Hey, smile at me.' And if they don't smile, I'd say, ‘Hey, you can dunk it maybe.'"
Lady Grizzlies freshman Chloe Wassillie, one of the standout players of the tournament, came through with two clutch free throws in the last 30 seconds of the championship that ultimately secured her team’s victory over the Lady Hawks, 46-44. She said that her strategy throughout the tournament was all teamwork.
"Passing the ball around … making sure everyone gets a chance to shoot," Wassillie said.
On the final night of the tournament, the chants that rang out through the Warrior Dome were deafening. Fans belted out P-K-A and K-U-K, the airport codes for Napaskiak and Kasigluk. They rocked the bleachers with their boot stomping and loudly protested when calls didn’t go their way. But when the games were over, it was hugs and good cheer.
Volunteer game caller Corey LePore, a former Bethel Warrior himself, summed up the spirit of the tournament.
"The way these players compete against each other and still have the class, and dignity, and the sportsmanship that pick each other up off the floor. They high five each other when there's a foul, but they play hard against each other," LePore said. "You don't see it at any other level in basketball: 3A, 4A, college, NBA. They could take a picture out of this and all learn something from it. To me, it's a cultural thing. It's based in the Yup’ik culture and the way they do things."
The Falcons and Lady Grizzlies will next travel to the 1A/2A state championships at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage from March 12 to March 15 alongside the Akiachak Huskies, Aniak Lady Halfbreeds, and other teams from Western Alaska yet to be determined.
Boys Results
- Champion - Kipnuk Falcons
- Runner-up - Kasigluk-Akula Tundra Foxes
- 3rd place - Toksook Bay Islanders
- 4th place - Chefornak Shamans
- 5th place - Kwethluk Carayiit
- 6th place - Eek Cougars
- Tied for 7th place - Newtok Jaegers
- Tied for 7th place - Kongiganak Wolverines
Girls Results
- Champion - Kasigluk-Akiuk Grizzlies
- Runner-up - Napaskiak Hawks
- 3rd place - Tuntutuliak Blue Jays
- 4th place - Chefornak Shamans
- 5th place - Toksook Bay Islanders
- 6th place - Kipnuk Falcons
- Tied for 7th place - Quinhagak Seahawks
- Tied for 7th place - Kasigluk-Akula Tundra Foxes
