The 3-point “Lockhart Line” arrived at the Alaska Airlines Region V 4A Basketball Tournament at Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s B.J. McGillis Gymnasium in Sitka on Wednesday — and Thunder Mountain High School senior Samuel Lockhart fine-tuned its location with 39 points in a 66-63 win over Ketchikan.
Lockhart scored 24 points in the fourth quarter, helping the Falcons overcome a 13-point deficit, 48-33, with six shots past the arc, two more field goals off the glass and a pair of free throws with less than a second remaining to play.
“He has ice in his veins,” Thunder Mountain coach John Blasco said. “Honestly, though, the guys just believed and they didn’t quit. They stayed together. Yeah, we got behind the guy who was hot, but everybody had to play defense and everybody still had to rebound and help to get him open.”
Kayhi seemed to have the second half in hand as they took a 27-26 lead starting the third quarter and pushed it out to a 41-31 advantage on an assortment of rebounds and scores by senior Andrew Kleinschmidt, and juniors Marcus Stockhausen and Jonathan Scoblic.
Thunder Mountain High School senior Kasen Ludeman (13) defends Ketchikan High School junior Jonathan Scoblic (3) during the Falcons 66-63 win over the Kings at the Alaska Airlines Region V 4A Basketball Tournament at Mt. Edgecumbe High School’s B.J. McGillis Gymnasium in Sitka on Wednesday. (Photo courtesy James Poulson/Daily Sitka Sentinel)
Kings senior RC Lorenzo hit a shot past the arc for 44-31, and Stockhausen rebounded a miss for 46-31 before TMHS senior Lance Nierra found the net. Stockhausen closed out the third quarter with another score for the 48-33 advantage.
The game then morphed into the Samuel Lockhart show as the Falcons buckled down on defense and looked for their 5-foot-10 guard. TMHS senior TJ Guevarra hit the first bucket of the fourth quarter, and Lockhart stole a pass and stopped from deep to bury his first deep swish. Classmate Kasen Ludeman secured a rebound and fed Lockhart for a basket to close to 48-40.
Ketchikan’s Kleinschmidt hit a pair of shots for a 52-40 lead, but Ludeman rebounded and fed Lockhart for another deep make to trail 52-43. Lockhart added a layup for 45 and Guevarra countered a made shot by the Kings’ Scoblic to trail 54-47.
Lorenzo gave the Kings two free throws, but Lockhart sandwiched a pair of shots past the arc around a Stockhausen bucket inside to trail 58-53 with 1:55 remaining.
After Lorenzo hit two free throws, Falcons senior Thomas Baxter connected deep from the corner and Lockhart hit from deep straight out to trail 60-59.
Lorenzo hit one of two free throws for the Kings with 1:07 left to play, and Baxter rebounded the miss and fed Lockhart, who drove past his defender for a layup and a 61-61 tie.
Kleinschmidt hit a layup to give Kayhi a 63-61 lead with 34 seconds left, but Lockhart answered two dribbles inside half court, launching a high arcing shot for a 64-63 lead.
The Falcons forced Ketchikan into two timeouts as the Kings struggled to get a good shot, and Lockhart closed out the game with a pair of free throws for the 66-63 win.
“We just kept talking about believing,” Blasco said. “Kept talking about making plays. We put in our press. We just kind of created a chaotic environment. You have to do something when you are down by that much. They still got a lot of good buckets, but if you have something special like Sam Lockhart, 26 points in the fourth quarter, I’ve never seen anything like the performance he just put on. Thank goodness that basket was as big as the ocean off the coast of Sitka for him.”
Stockhausen had eight points in the first quarter to help Kayhi to a 13-12 lead with TMHS’ Nierra, Lockhart, Baxter and Polasky aiding the Falcons. Lockhart had 10 points in the second quarter, including two past the arc, Ludeman hit from past the arc and Baxter added a free throw. But Lorenz gave the Kings the 27-26 halftime lead, hitting two free throws with seven seconds remaining.
Lockhart’s 39 points came one night after the all-state guard had no shots past the arc in a win over JDHS. Lockhart also finished with nine rebounds, one steal and one assist. Baxter added 12 points, one block, three steals and three assists. Guevarra and Nierra five apiece, Ludeman three and senior James Polasky two points and eight rebounds.
Probably more important was what Lockhart told his teammates in the locker room after the win, according to coach Blasco: “Guys, we did this together.”
“It is pretty cool,” Blasco said. “He made a lot of the big shots, but it was a team effort.”
TMHS hit 5-6 from the charity stripe and had just seven turnovers.
Ketchikan had no turnovers in the first half, but seven in the fourth quarter as TMHS pressed. Kayhi hit 14-20 from the charity stripe.
Lorenzo led the Kings with 21 points, Stockhausen added 20, Kleinschmidt 10, Scoblic five, senior Juan Coronel four and sophomore Jozaiah Dela Cruz three.
Ketchikan will play an elimination game at 8:15 p.m. Thursday against the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé Crimson Bears.
TMHS beat JDHS 62-54 on Tuesday. The Falcons will play the winner of the JDHS vs. Kayhi game for the Region V championship at 4:45 p.m. Friday.
“There are no games off,” Blasco said. “Now we have to scout and prep for the next game. The job is not done. We have to be prepared for Friday now.”
