Thunder Mountain High School boys basketball coach John Blasco has been asked the question more than once.
Why do you guys play so much better on Saturday than Friday?
The last three Fridays have amounted to three Falcons losses.
The last three Saturdays, however, have all been high-scoring wins. THMS scored 68 points against Mt. Edgecumbe, 70 against Juneau-Douglas and a season-high 77 against Ketchikan.
“I don’t have an answer for why. More comfortable on Saturday maybe, I don’t know, but come Regions, you can’t wait a day to get warmed up,” Blasco said of the Saturday night fortunes.
The Falcons (10-9, 4-2 SEC) will try to put up their Saturday numbers tonight (Friday) at 8 p.m. against Mt. Edgecumbe, ending an 11-game road stretch.
A weekend sweep would feel good this weekend but great next weekend.
Two wins against Ketchikan at home next weekend will secure TMHS the No. 1 seed and a first-round bye at the Region V Tournament in three weeks.
But for now, the team is just focusing on defeating Mt. Edgecumbe.
“Roy Williams of North Carolina said that the biggest game is your next game and so we’re focusing on Edgecumbe, Friday, Saturday,” Blasco said. “They’re a strong opponent and we want to get better as we prepare for our last two conference games against Kayhi. But you can’t overlook Edgecumbe — obviously, they already got us once.”
Mt. Edgecumbe defeated TMHS 48-47 at the end of January before Hansel Hinckle scored 18 points in a 68-40 win the following night.
No place like … the road?
Seventeen of the Falcons first 19 games of the season have been on the road. Despite the ferry fatigue and missed school days, Blasco said there are upsides to playing away from Thunder Mountain.
“I like being on the road, minus the fact that family doesn’t get to see their kids play,” Blasco said. “It does build a tougher team in my opinion. … You spend a lot of time together, whether you’re group housing up north or you’re riding a 19-hour ferry ride, you’re spending a lot of time together. I think it does help build relationships within the team.”
Clark in control
Despite being the tallest player on the team, senior Luke Clark spends most of his time on the perimeter. And he seems to like it there — his 14 points per game lead the team. Blasco always knew No. 21 could play, but injuries kept the small forward off the floor for almost all of last season.
“He’s been a talented player for several years, he’s just been fighting injuries,” Blasco said. “This year, he’s playing with a lot of joy and a lot of confidence and so it’s fun to see that he can recover his senior year and play the way he’s playing. And it definitely gives our offense a lift when he’s playing the way he does.”
Crimson Bears take on Kings
It’s the JDHS boys and girls basketball teams turn to play Kayhi. The JDHS girls (5-15, 2-2 SEC) will have their home hardwood all to themselves, though, as the boys take on the Kings in Ketchikan.
The Ketchikan girls basketball team (12-7, 4-0 SEC) has won six of its last eight games and are a perfect 4-0 in Southeast Conference play so far. They defeated JDHS 75-62 and 46-31 in mid-January. Lady Kings guards Ashley Huffine and Brittany Slick combined for 62 points in that series.
After getting burned by JDHS’ Caitlin Pusich (25 points) in the Friday loss, Kayhi limited the rangy Pusich to seven on Saturday.
Coach Lesslie Knight says this series will give her team a realistic outlook on their Region V championship hopes.
This weekend, they will have the services of junior Alyxn Bohulano and senior Morgan Balovich, who both sat out of the last games against the Lady Kings.
“I think this weekend’s going to be a tale-tell of what’s going to happen (at Regions),” Knight said. “The matchup here is going to be better with us having Alyxn back. … We’re going to look like a little bit of a different team. It’s overwhelming the difference with Alyxn on defense and putting pressure on the ball. And she pushes the tempo on offense, too.”
To JDHS’ credit — discounting the Capital City Classic — the Crimson Bears haven’t been swept at home all season.
The TMHS girls basketball team is off this weekend.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
Juneau-Douglas’ Alyxn Bohulano, center, steals the ball against West’s Alyx Bowen, left, and Gillian Huss during their game on Friday, Feb. 2, 2018. The Crimson Bears host Ketchikan High School Friday and Saturday night at 8 p.m. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)
