Crimson Bears, Falcons clash in overtime battle

Bloody noses, lead changes and last-second heroics: Juneau basketball fans have come to expect a battle from the girls basketball crosstown rivalry.

The Thunder Mountain High School team fell 42-39 in an overtime heartbreaker to Juneau-Douglas High School on Saturday, as spectators were thrilled by another close game at the Thunderdome.

In a repeat of Friday’s match, JDHS senior Tona Fogg once again played the hero, this time making her team’s winning shots from the free-throw line. With 47 seconds left in overtime, Fogg split a pair of free throws to put her team up by two. Thunder Mountain then got the ball in the hands of senior Ava Tompkins, whose tying shot rattled out, forcing the Falcons to foul.

Tona Fogg found herself once again at the line, and split her shots from the charity stripe to put JDHS up by three points with 14 seconds to go. With the ball and a chance to force double overtime, TMHS’ Tompkins would dribble down and hand off to sophomore Cyrene Uddipa. Uddipa tried to find Tompkins for the game-tying three, but JDHS’ defense stifled any open look, and Tompkins’ last-second heave came up short.

The Crimson Bears’ Fogg led her team with 13 points. Senior Kallen Hoover had 10, and senior Cristina Aerhart added five. Freshmen Alyxn Bohulano and Erica Hurtte also scored five each.

The Falcons were led in defeat by Tompkins with 19. Freshman Nina Fenumiai played a stalwart game in the post, adding 10 points of her own and helping Thunder Mountain hold a slim lead for much of the game.

JDHS senior Aerhart had the brutal assignment of guarding TMHS’ talented freshman Fenumiai.

“She’s very good at playing basketball. She’s got her ground on the inside,” Aerhart said. To Aerhart, the close nature of the game galvanized her team’s identity. “We found our unity. It made us come together more at the end to realize that it was anybody’s game and the harder working team would get the results.”

In a reverse of Friday’s matchup, Thunder Mountain held a slim lead for much of the first half, and went to the locker room with a 15-13 lead. The Falcons added to their lead in the third, holding the Crimson Bears scoreless for the first three minutes. TMHS would go up six in the quarter.

JDHS got into the bonus early in the fourth quarter, and earned their way back into the game from the line, tying the Falcons, 36-36, at the end of regulation.

TMHS shot 12-of-21 at the line while JDHS went 16-of-28.

Thunder Mountain hosts Ketchikan next weekend for two games on Feb. 19 and Feb. 20.

Juneau-Douglas is off next weekend and travels to Ketchikan to play two games Feb. 26 and Feb. 27.

Game times for all matches are to be determined.

More in Sports

Snow is also a four letter word with more than one proper use. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Pure Sole: WTF with the F word

The F word. F… U… and no need for that third and… Continue reading

Jessica Larsen of the University of Alaska Fairbanks Geophysical Institute describes her research on Alaska’s Mount Churchill at the Fall Meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Dec. 9, 2024. (Photo by Ned Rozell)
Alaska Science Forum: The threat within an Alaska mountain

Mount Churchill stands in a white corner of the Alaska map, deceptive… Continue reading

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé senior Dylan Sowa (35) beats Bartlett senior Wyatt Rust (13) in a faceoff earlier this season. Sowa scored four goals in Thursday’s 5-4 extra-time win over the Houston Hawks to open the 2025 ASAA Division II Hockey State Tournament at Soldotna. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)
Crimson Bears open postseason by devouring Hawks on extra-time ice

Sowa wears big hat for sixth-seed JDHS in win against third-seed Houston at state hockey tournament.

Wasilla’s Layla Hays blocks a Colony shot in the Warriors win over the Knights in last season’s state title game. Hays, a senior, and her number-one ranked Warriors play JDHS inside the George Houston Gymnasium on Friday and Saturday. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)
Sports on tap for this week feature current and future state champs

Sports fans living in Juneau, or visiting, will be treated to a… Continue reading

Glacier Swim Club athletes Valerie Peimann, Emma Fellman, Pacific Ricke, Lily Francis and Lucia Chapell dress for the cool pool weather at the 2025 Alaska Senior Championships in Soldotna last weekend. (Photo courtesy GSC)
Peimann, Fellman lead GSC at Alaska Senior Championships

Glacier Swim Club brings 11 swimmers to Soldotna meet, set club record.

Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Nordic Ski Team and community cross-country skiers start the Shaky Shakeout Invitational six-kilometer freestyle mass start race Saturday at Eaglecrest Ski Area. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Crimson Bears cross-country skiers in sync

JDHS Nordic Ski Team tunes up for state with practice race

Thunder Mountain Middle School eighth grader Carter Day of the Blue Barracuda Bombers attempts to pin classmate John Croasman of War Hawks White during the inaugural Thunder Mountain Mayhem Team Duels wrestling tournament Saturday at TMMS. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Inaugural Thunder Mountain Mayhem Tournament makes most of weather misfortune

More than 50 Falcons wrestlers compete amongst themselves after trip to Sitka tourney nixed.

An adult double-crested cormorant flies low. (Photo by Bob Armstrong)
On the Trails: Some January observations

One day, late in January, a friend and I watched two Steller… Continue reading

In this file photo Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé seniors Cailynn, left, and Kerra Baxter, right, battle for a rebound against Dimond High School. The Baxters led JDHS in scoring this weekend at Mt. Edgecumbe with Cailynn hitting 23 on Friday and Kerra 28 on Saturday. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire file photo)
JDHS girls sweep Mt. Edgecumbe on the road

Crimson Bears show road strength at Braves’ gym.

Most Read