Prairie High School junior Kendyl Carson drives to the basket during a game against Kelso High School in Kelso, Washington, on Dec. 20, 2018. Carson and the Falcons won the Class 3A state girls basketball tournament earlier this month. Carson left Juneau two years ago to pursue her basketball dreams in Washington, but said she’s gearing up to come home to play her senior season at Juneau-Douglas High School. (Mike Schultz | Clark County Today)

Prairie High School junior Kendyl Carson drives to the basket during a game against Kelso High School in Kelso, Washington, on Dec. 20, 2018. Carson and the Falcons won the Class 3A state girls basketball tournament earlier this month. Carson left Juneau two years ago to pursue her basketball dreams in Washington, but said she’s gearing up to come home to play her senior season at Juneau-Douglas High School. (Mike Schultz | Clark County Today)

Former Juneau hoopster’s team wins Washington state championship

Kendyl Carson scored 23 points in state semis

A Juneau youth recently helped deliver a high school state basketball championship to her adopted Lower 48 team.

Kendyl Carson and Prairie High School, a public school just across the Washington border from Portland, won the Class 3A Washington state title earlier this month. Prairie defeated Mt. Spokane (Mead) 37-35 in the championship on Saturday, March 2, at the Tacoma Dome. The Prairie Falcons were victorious the two previous days against Edmonds-Woodway (Edmonds) and Kamiakin (Kennewick).

[Juneau-Douglas falls to Lady Kings in title game]

“That was the big goal of mine of just giving my teammates confidence to win one game at the Dome,” said Carson, who played junior varsity her sophomore season due to Washington transfer rules. “It’s a dream come true because we actually got three wins in a row and that was the most those kids have ever won in the Dome.”

The 16-year-old was born and raised in Juneau and played the 2016-17 season for Juneau-Douglas High School. Before her freshman year was up, Carson moved to the Puget Sound area to play on the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) circuit. She ended up staying in Washington the following year, moving in with an aunt and uncle in Battle Ground.

Juneau-Douglas’ Kendyl Carson dribbles from Palmer’s Lorna Suaava during the 2016 Princess Cruises Capital City Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

Juneau-Douglas’ Kendyl Carson dribbles from Palmer’s Lorna Suaava during the 2016 Princess Cruises Capital City Classic on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2016. (Michael Penn | Juneau Empire File)

“My parents wanted me to stay down here and play basketball and live with my aunt so I can get more competition for high school and a little bit more exposure,” said Carson on Wednesday from Juneau, where she is spending a rare week away from basketball.

The Prairie Falcons varsity team went 21-5 last year with Carson watching from the sidelines.

She injected energy and positivity to the squad this year, and with Carson on board, the Falcons entered the state tournament 22-2.

“She kind of let the game come to her,” Clark County Today prep sports reporter Paul Valencia said. “She never took over games and part of the reason is she had two senior teammates who were D1 signees and a third senior who was a four-year varsity player. But she locked it down on defense, was always great on defense and her passing skills are above and beyond.”

The Juneau native said it was “crazy” to be playing in the Tacoma Dome, one of the largest indoor arenas in the country, for the Big Dance.

“I never thought I would be playing there,” she said. “I had a lot of family there, I had a lot of support from the community around here. I have a lot of people from Juneau who were watching me on TV and recording it and all that stuff so it was a very cool moment. I would have never changed it for the world.”

Only one Prairie player — senior forward Brooke Walling — scored over seven points in the low-scoring championship game. Carson was held to four points after scoring 23 in the Falcons’ 67-62 win over Kamiakin (Kennewick) in the semifinals.

“They were up seven at halftime then we picked up our defense,” Carson said. “We shut down their best player to five points, we stopped Jayda Noble, we finally started boxing her out and getting boards and getting more possessions. We held them to nine points the whole second half and that allowed us to just sneak by and outscore them by two.”

Carson said her ultimate goal is play Division I basketball at a school with a strong nursing program.

That dream isn’t too farfetched, either.

Carson averaged 17 points and eight rebounds during the state tournament.

After finishing this school year, Carson said she plans on returning to JDHS for her senior year, a move that would make the Crimson Bears the prohibitive favorite to win the Region V Basketball Tournament.

In the meantime she’ll play another year for the AAU team, “Tree of Hope,” which competes in the Elite Youth Basketball League (EYBL).


• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com. Follow Empire Sports on Twitter at @akempiresports.


More in Sports

Public lands are a unique privilege that Americans should relish and protect. (Photo courtesy Jeff Lund)
I Went to the Woods: The comment section: Where discourse goes to die

Someone always takes it upon themselves to filter a post, headline, story or ideas through their political view and come up with a divisive hot take.

2024 Olympic wrestling gold medalist Amit Elor, 21, right, demonstrates a counter tie on Wasilla High School junior Taryn Wright, 16, during the Juneau Girls Wrestling Clinic on Tuesday at the Juneau Wrestling Center. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Alaska wrestlers take on Olympic and world champion at Juneau camp

Gold medalist Amit Elor shows girls path to success

The dainty little flowers of sheep sorrel are either male or female, but not both. (Photo courtesy Mary F. Willson)
On the Trails: Butterworts, leaf rollers, and invasive flowers

On a bright, sunny day in mid-June, a friend and I strolled… Continue reading

The juniors start at the Mount Marathon Race on July 4, 2025, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Anchorage’s Zuber, Flagstad capture junior Mount Marathon races

Kenai’s Boonstra takes 2nd in junior girls race

Anchorage's Klaire Rhodes, 27, wins the women's race at the Mount Marathon Race on July 4, 2025, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Anchorage’s Rhodes defends women’s Mount Marathon crown

With Seward stuffed with people for 97th running of the Mount Marathon… Continue reading

David Norris, 34, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado, wins the men's race at the Mount Marathon Race on July 4, 2025, in Seward, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Norris goes 6 for 6 in Mount Marathon men’s race; Moore’s streak ends at 54 races

One streak lived while another streak ended during a brilliantly sunny men’s… Continue reading

Swimmers race in Saturday’s Open Water Swim Series on Auke Lake. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Open Water Swim gives swimmers strokes

Theme of no lines, no lanes, no limits inspires

Juneau’s Auke Bay Post 25 third baseman Madden Mendoza tags out Palmer Post 15 base runner Reed Craner (2) during Juneau’s 7-6 win over Palmer in American Legion Baseball action Sunday at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Juneau’s Legion baseball team sweeps Palmer

Ludeman hits walk-off, Auke Bay Post 25 defeats Palmer Post 15

Juneau’s Auke Bay Post 25 batter Noah Lewis is hit by a pitch during American Legion action against South Post 4 earlier this season. Juneau will play a home series against Palmer Post 15 Saturday through Monday at Adair Kennedy Memorial Park. (Klas Stolpe / Juneau Empire)
Auke Bay Post 25 splits games in Anchorage

Juneau’s American Legion team will host Palmer this weekend

Most Read