Hydaburg nips Angoon with a Gold Medal buzzer beater

The Juneau Empire’s expanded coverage of the Juneau Lions Club 74th Gold Medal Basketball Tournament is made possible by Sealaska Corp. Thanks to this sponsorship, this article —and all of this xyear’s Gold Medal coverage — is available online without a subscription to the Empire.

This article has been updated to correctly identify Darren Edenshaw.

A left-handed finger roll layup from one of the deadliest three-point shooters in the game gave Hydaburg a 74-72 win over Angoon on the opening day of the Juneau Lions Club 74th Gold Medal Basketball Tournament at the Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé gymnasium.

Hydaburg’s Vinnie Edenshaw drove from the top of the key and put his game-high 32nd point off the glass and through the net as the buzzer sounded on Sunday.

“That’s what I do,” Edenshaw said of the pressure-packed moment. “These guys know who to get the ball. That’s how we play at home…open gym, game point, they know who to get the ball…”

The game was tied at 67-67 with less than three minutes remaining when Angoon’s Anthony Snow buried a deep shot and Aquino Brinson added a close jumper for a 72-67 advantage.

One of Hydaburg’s youngest ballers, Jaren Carle, then stole a dribble and hit a short jumper, blocked a shot on the other end and hit from past the arch with 50 seconds remaining to tie the game at 72-72.

Angoon missed a shot with 14 seconds left and the entire gym knew who would get the last shot.

Edenshaw dribbled over half court, faked a three at the arch, and blew down the lane through traffic for the winning score.

“Man I am so happy we got all of our guys here at Gold Medal,” Edenshaw said. “Like Joe (Young) and TJ (Young)… that supporting cast gives us open three’s… our defense… this group of guys really opens our play a lot.”

Angoon led 57-55 starting the fourth quarter but Carle hit a deep shot past the arch for a 58-57 Hydaburg advantage.

Angoon went on a 10-2 run behind baskets by Kendrick Payton, Snow and Duncan O’Brien but Hydaburg’s Jaren Carle was fouled on a steal and hit two free throws, Edenshaw nailed a jumper and Darren Edenshaw a shot past the arch to knot the game at 67-67.

“I can’t even remember,” Jaren Carle said. “I am so tired. This is the first game I have played in a minute.”

Carle said the win meant more than just advancing in the tournament.

“This has definitely been a long time coming,” he said. “I remember just watching my dad in here when I was younger. He was probably a little older but he instilled in me what an honor it was to play in this tournament. It’s a lot of fun. It is good to get the first W, I would have been a little disappointed if we lost.”

Angoon opened the game on a 10-3 run with Payton being a difficult player to stop inside, and they pushed the lead out to 21-7 as Brinson nailed three shots past the arch in a row.

Vinnie Edenshaw hit two deep shots of his own to help pull Hyadaburg within eight points but Snow scored at the buzzer to give Angoon a 30-20 lead.

Vinnie Edenshaw would hit four shots past the arch in the second period, Darren Edenshaw another, and Jaren Carle two shots closer in to help Hydaburg take a 39-36 lead at the half.

Angoon regained the lead 57-55 after three quarters with a balanced scoring attack of Jack Nixon, O’Brien, Payton, Brinson and William Silva but Hydaburg still had three open arch beaters by Darren Edenshaw and two from Vinnie Edenshaw to stay close.

“I would say it was defense,” Angoon’s Aquino Brinson said. “Defense, defense, defense. We had it good on offense but we just needed to get more stops on defense and get a little bit more momentum. That kind of kept us short this game.”

Vinnie Edenshaw led Hydaburg with 32 points, Darren Edenshaw added 20, Jaren Carle 15, Joe Young four, George Peratrovich two and Claude Young one.

Hydaburg hit 6-14 at the free throw line, Angoon 0-3.

Brinson led Angoon with 17 points, O’Brien and Snow added 15 apiece, Payton 12, Nixon eight, Silva three and Julian Duncan two.

“It is always important to get the first win,” Hydaburg coach Al Nix said. “It gives guys a different perspective. Shows where there at and how they are playing together, mixing in new guys and young guys. It has been fun. It is good to be with this group of guys and see them gel together like this. It is always good to get that first one, right? It sets the mood. It is just as nerve-wracking coaching as playing, it really is. Everybody on the team was willing to make sacrifices for us to win and I’m glad they all recognize that… everyone wants to be out on the floor but they also recognize it is about the next step, the next level and the next step…”

Hydaburg advances to play Monday night against the winner of Sunday’s Haines- Yakutat contest. Angoon falls into an elimination game on Tuesday against the Haines-Yakutat loser.

Hydaburg last won the B Bracket of the tournament in 2015, a 94-56 win over Metlakatla. Angoon last won the B Bracket in 2016, in a 102-86 shoot-out over Hydaburg.