The year is early but the Juneau-Douglas High School girls basketball team already has its first taste of championship gold.
The Crimson Bears (3-0) bested Kenai on its home court 35-28 on Saturday to claim the Kenai River Classic championship trophy.
“The five starters are tough defenders,” JDHS head coach Lesslie Knight said. “We’re going to play off our defense. We have feisty guards that get on the ball.’
JDHS senior forward Tona Fogg scored a team-high eight points to lead a balanced offensive effort. Erica Hurtte added seven, followed by Alyxn Bohulano and Georgia Robinson with six, Cristine Arehart with four, and Caitlin Pusich and Cassie Dzinich added two each. Kallen Hoover did not play due to an injury sustained Thursday. Arehart also was named the tournament’s MVP.
The Kardinal’s Hannah Drury led Kenai with nine points.
The Crimson Bears jump out to an early 10-4 lead after the first quarter and increased the spread to 21-14 at halftime. The Crimson Bears defense never let the Kardinals get back into the game, even when two key players, Arehart and Bohulano, spent most of the second quarter on the bench due to foul trouble.
“Alyxn (Bohulano) is a very aggressive, … so hers are going to happen because she’s so feisty on defense,” Knight said.
Despite getting few baskets, Kenai was near perfect from the free throw line in the first half, shooting 8-of-9. Then the Kardinals went cold, making just three free throws on nine attempts in the second. The Crimson Bears were 7-of-9 in the first half, and made nine shots from the charity stripe on 14 attempts for the game. The Crimson Bears also gave up just one three-pointer.
“The whole second half we tried to burn up time and rest on offense,” Knight said, “and we kept possession the majority of the time and we spread the floor and were patient. There’s time when we’ll say ‘nothing but a layup.’ … We didn’t force unnecessary stuff.”
Knight said she’s been “pleasantly surprised” with the play of her three freshmen getting varsity minutes, Hurtte, Bohulano and Pusich.
“They’ll fit right in with the style I want to play,” Knight said, referring to the team’s stout defense. “We’ll definitely be better than last year. We’re young and a little inexperience, but we’re going to play hard.”
