From March 1 to March 3, Bethel hosted the region’s 1A basketball tournament, whose winners would be continuing on to state championships.
But at Bethel Regional High School, the lines to get into the games were a sport of their own. Fans from across the Yukon-Kuskokwim (Y-K) Delta spent their weekend waiting for hours to cheer on their village teams at the 1A Coastal Conference Basketball Tournament.
Listen to this audio postcard featuring the voices of Jessica Hawley, Amer Riley, John Maxi, Pamela Keene, Robert Panruk, Charlie Isaac, Tommy Andrew, Maya Maxie, and Wilson Twitchell.
Transcript:
Jessica Hawley: My name is Jessica Hawley.
Amber Riley: Amber Riley.
John Maxie: John Maxie.
Pamela Keene: Pamela Keene.
Robert Panruk: Robert Panruk.
Carlie Isaac: Charlie Isaac.
Wilson Twitchell: Wilson Twitchell.
Jessica Hawley: “I've been waiting since 8:30 this morning.
Maya Maxie: Six, maybe six hours.
Pamela Keene: Since 8:30 a.m.
Amber Riley: Since 9:00 this morning.
Wilson Twitchell: I take care of the Johnson River Ice Road, but we had to make, you know, ways and means for Kasigluk folks to drive down. We started plowing 5:30 this morning to mouth of Johnson [River]. Got to mouth of Johnson [River] about 7:30 [a.m.], came here and got in line. So close, about three hours, and we’ll do it again, do it again tonight.
Samantha Watson - KYUK: Can you tell me how you’ve been passing the time?
Amber Riley: Playing cards! Playing even three card command, sleeping, just hanging around, YouTube.
Pamela Keene: Dinner, talking with people, checking with my baby. I came from Togiak, Bristol Bay. My hands are already sweaty just thinking about it. I couldn't sleep last night till 3:00 [a.m.]. Yeah, nerves. Time's going by fast.
Maya Maxie: Slow. It's crazy, it's 2025. Wouldn't they come with a better system by now?
Jessica Hawley: I like it this way, but it will be nice if it got, like, an arena.
Wilson Twitchell: It's been loud, but we're excited.
Pamela Keene: It makes your ears itchy. Really exciting games make your palms itch.
Jessica Hawley: This is what everybody looks forward to every every year, March Madness.
Charlie Isaac: When I first start coaching, now I'm coaching the people I played against, their grandkids. I'm coaching against their grandkids. My players playing against their grandkids.
Tommy Andrew: When we have a tournament, everybody knows everybody. Most of them are related.
Robert Panruk: This tournament, there's about 17 villages that compete to come here, and only eight boys and eight girls could come here, and only one goes to state. One, one out of 17 schools. Blood, sweat, and tears to get to here, and they show it. You see them playing. They show it on the court. Blood, sweat, and tears that you try and go to Anchorage.
Wilson Twitchell: You know, you feel the excitement from the players.
After a day of waiting and an evening of cheering, the Kasigluk-Akiuk Lady Grizzlies and the Kipnuk Falcons took first place.
They’re currently in Anchorage for the Alaska 1A/2A Basketball State Championships held from March 12 to March 15. They’re joined by other teams from the region — the Akiachak Huskies, Aniak Lady Half Breeds, Emmonak Huskies, and Scammon Bay Eagles.
Tune into KYUK at 6:40 a.m. for live coverage of the championships.
