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Gold Medal awards Haines and Hoonah heroes

Published 3:30 am Wednesday, March 27, 2019

By Nolin Ainsworth

Gold Medal awards Haines and Hoonah heroes
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Gold Medal awards Haines and Hoonah heroes
Klukwan’s Andrew Friske, center, shoots against Yakutat’s Derek James, left, at the Juneau Lions Club 73rd Annual Gold Medal Basketball Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé on Tuesday, March 19, 2019. Friske was the recipient of the Dr. Walter A. Soboleff Award for his outstanding community involvement among other traits. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
Hoonah’s Kamal Lindoff, left, steals the ball from Kake’s Jay Peterson in the Master’s bracket final at the 72nd annual Juneau Lions Gold Medal Basketball Tournament at Juneau-Douglas High School on Saturday, March 24, 2018. Lindoff was the lone inductee into the Gold Medal Hall of Fame this year. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire)

Andrew Friske and Kamal Lindoff may not have won the Gold Medal Tournament this year, but they received the applause fitting of a champion on Friday at Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé.

Friske, from Haines, was awarded the Walter A. Soboleff Award, and Lindoff, from Hoonah, was inducted into the Gold Medal Hall of Fame.

“We need to keep together as a community of Southeast,” Friske said in a brief and emotional speech.

[Photos: Gold Medal Basketball Championship Games]

Friske has participated in the tournament for several decades and helped resurrect one of Sitka’s popular basketball tournaments that servers as a warm-up for Gold Medal.

Lindoff has played for Hoonah since 1994 and won numerous championships and sportsmanship awards.

B Bracket Awards

MVP — Kyle Fossman, Haines.

All-Tournament Team — Tyler Swinton, Haines; Dylan Swinton, Haines; Vinny Edenshaw, Hydaburg; Willie Hayward, Metlakatla; Aquino Brinson, Angoon; John Crousman, Angoon; Chris Bryant, Metlakatla; Shea Jackson, Kake; Clayton Edwin, Angoon; Dameon Bell-Holter, Hydaburg.

C Bracket Awards

MVP — T.J. Young, Hydaburg.

All-Tournament Team — Travis Dybdahl, Hoonah; Kevin Young, Hydaburg; Stuart DeWitt, Klukwan; Larry Cooper, Filcom; Joe Young, Hydaburg; Erik Hamilton, Hydaburg; Andrew Friske, Klukwan.

Masters Bracket Awards

MVP — Rudy Bean, Kake.

All-Tournament Team — Lloyd Davis, Kake; Pete Dorn, Klukwan; David Buss, Klukwan; Erik McCormick, Klukwan; Jerry Riddlington, Yakutat; Ken Willard Jr., Hoonah; Jay Peterson, Kake.

Women’s Bracket Awards

MVP — Jesse Ellis, Skagway.

All-Tournament Team — Kaitlyn Jerod, Skagway; Rachel Brittenham, Haines; Rose Fraker, Yakutat; Savannah Ames, Skagway; Melissa Fisher, Hoonah; Fran Daly, Haines; Samantha Clay, Haines.

• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com. Follow Empire Sports on Twitter at @akempiresports.

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