Crimson Bears boys fall 74-54 to region champion Kings

The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears won the tipoff in Friday’s do-or-die Region V 2A/4A tournament championship game against Ketchikan at the Kings’ Clarke Cochran Gymnasium, but fell short in their bid to extend their season, falling 74-54.

“It is not the result we wanted, but we gave it everything we had,” JDHS coach Robert Casperson said. “We did the things we talked about. But if you would have told me that we would hold Stockhausen (Kayhi senior Marcus) to seven points on the game and lose by 20 I would have thought you were crazy. But the kids in Ketchikan they stepped up, they made the plays they needed to and they just really shot the ball so well tonight. It was impressive.

Kayhi struck first with an inside power move by senior Jonathan Scoblic who would score three straight baskets inside.

In between Scoblic’s scores JDHS junior Joren Gasga hit back-to-back shots from past the arc to tie the game at 6-6.

JDHS senior Ben Sikes blocked a shot by Kayhi senior Marcus Stockhausen and Crimson Bears senior Ahmir Parker was rewarded on the other end with a pair of free throws for an 8-6 lead.

Ketchikan would close the quarter on a 13-2 run by Kings senior Gage Massin, Scoblic and Stockhausen to take a 19-10 lead.

Ketchikan opened the second quarter with a shot past the arc by junior Jozaiah Dela Cruz for a 22-10 lead and JDHS would answer with a score by Parker to trail 22-12, but would not get within 10 points for the rest of the game.

J. Dela Cruz hit from past the arc and then closer in, and Scoblic found another close shot for a 29-12 lead.

JDHS junior Brandon Casperson answered with a shot past the arc and a driving score to close to 29-17, but Kayhi’s J. Dela Cruz, Massin and Stockhausen closed the scoring for the Kings at 36-17.

JDHS junior Elias Dybdahl posted up inside for an assist by B. Casperson and shoed at the buzzer to trail 36-19 at the half.

JDHS’ Parker, B. Casperson, Dybdahl and junior Damian Efergan all shared time shutting down Kayhi’s leading scorer Stockhausen.

“It was defense by committee,” coach Casperson said. “Trying to keep fresh guys on him. Keep an eye on fouls and see if we could make him work. And we did a great job. We did what we talked about. Guys worked extremely hard. It’s just that they shot the ball incredibly well.”

JDHS bench stats at halftime according to coach Casperson showed Kayhi shot 82% inside the arc and 60% outside of it.

The Kings had responded with their most balanced game of the season as Scoblic scored 11 points in the first quarter and J. Dela Cruz 10 in the second stanza and rest of their staff worked the ball around the perimeter under the Crimson Bears hard pressure defense.

“We were challenging shots,” coach Casperson said. “We were rotating and moving, we literally did the stuff we talked about. Ketchikan played extemely well tonight and that was the kind of effort we were going to try and force them to make if they were going to beat us. We didn’t play poorly. We didn’t shoot terribly. We could have rebounded better, that was something we struggled with.”

JDHS had just six turnovers in the game and Kayhi eight.

JDHS would exchange baskets with Kayhi through the third quarter, outscoring the Kings 18-12 behind Parker, B. Casperson, Gasga, Sikes and senior Pedrin Saceda-Hurt and close to 50-37 with eight minutes left to play.

Ketchikan grew more patient in the fourth quarter, pulling the ball out and opening with a 14-7 run for a 64-44 lead with half a stanza left in the championship game.

The Crimson Bears fouled to keep the clock off and both teams played even to the buzzer. Kayhi would go 8-14 from the charity stripe in the fourth quarter.

“I’m proud of our guys,” coach Casperson said. “It’s been a very interesting season. Just from start to finish the way the kids worked and came together. How they bought in and believed in each other. I know it hurts right now, but after they have some time to process they are going to look back and they are going to have some fond memories from the season, and the things that we did and the work we put in, and I’m sure that will carry over to future success. Especially for our seniors. I’m really proud of the way our seniors handled themselves.”

Gasga and Dybdahl led the Crimson Bears with 12 points apiece, B. Casperson added 11, Parker 10, Saceda-Hurt four, Kurt Kuppert three and Sikes two.

JDHS hit 7-8 at the free throw line, Kayhi 11-18.

Scoblic led the Kings with 21 points, J. Dela Cruz 17, Massin 13, Stockhausen seven, junior Edward Dela Cruz six, sophomore Zyrus Manabat five, sophomore Henry Vail two and sophomore Tyrone Alahan one.

“Good for Ketchikan,” coach Casperson said. “They might have had kids that haven’t scored that much in three games combined that led them in scoring tonight. So good for them. If they can maintain that kind of momentum with this little break before state then they might be able to do something up there. That would be great to see Region V well represented…Anyone watching that game I’m sure enjoyed it. It was a clean good basketball game. And if you were a fan of hot shooting you definitely got your fill of that by Ketchikan…Had you said we were going to hold Marcus to seven then, OK, we were going to win that game would have been my expectation. Certainly not a 20-point game, not with our game plan and we had a puncher’s chance. We executed that part of it and they fought back. Those other kids did a great job for Ketchikan. Maybe it built some depth for them and some capacity and they realized not all their eggs are in one basket.”

This was JDHS’ sixth game this season against Kayhi. The Crimson Bears lost the opening region game 56-43 on Thursday. JDHS lost 52-48 and 70-63 at home Jan. 3-4, and won 61-50 and lost 58-53 at Ketchikan Feb. 14-15.

Ketchikan advances to the ASAA 3A/4A Basketball State Championships March 19-22 at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center. Kayhi has an 18-8 record overall and 5-1 from the Southeast Conference. JDHS’ season ends with a 10-17 record overall, 1-5 from the SEC.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.