The Juneau-Douglas High School: Yadaa.at Kalé girls basketball team returned home after a 3-game tournament in Soldotna with two wins and one loss. After last week’s tournament, JDHS’ record now stands at 9-3.
Thursday JDHS faced off against Soldotna High School. The Crimson Bears managed to stay on top of Soldotna all four quarters for a final score of 46-28. Senior Skylar Tuckwood led the team in scoring with 13 points with junior Mila Hargrave following behind for 9 points of her own. Senior Mariah Schauwecker put up 7 points, senior Ashley Laudert had 6, junior Chloe Casperson had 4, both freshman Gwen Nizich and senior Carlynn Casperson came up with 3 and senior Kiyara Miller had 1.
Carlynn Casperson said after Thursday’s win against Soldotna that she’s proud of her team’s ability to change their momentum and adjust to situations in games.
“Our intensity as a team is key to every game and we know that we need to show up every game from the start with a high level,” Carlynn Casperson said. “We were reading our posts well and will keep working to get accurate passes inside.”
Friday saw JDHS fall short of a win against Anchorage Christian School in a rough match up, resulting in a 66-29 loss. Skylar Tuckwood led again in scoring with a total of 8 points while Gwen Nizich and Schauwecker each put up 7 points. Miller had 3 points with Hargrave and Laudert following behind with 2 points each. Despite the loss, head coach Tanya Nizich said it’s always valuable to be able to play against a great team with great athletes.
“You gain more than you think playing teams of that caliber,” Tanya Nizich said.
Schauwecker echoed Nizich’s comments by adding that the team can only stand to improve after matches against tough opponents.
“I think after these past three games we learned that we are capable of big things,” Schauwecker said. “After playing ACS again I think we realized that we are a tough and aggressive team which helps us prepare for our conference games.”
Saturday JDHS came back strong against Kenai with a 59-19 victory, which saw the Crimson Bears maintain a healthy lead each quarter. Skylar Tuckwood would once again hold the high score with 11 points while Gwen Nizich and Hargrave each put up 10. Laudert had 9 points, Schauwecker had 6, Rayna Tuckwood had 4 with both Carlynn Casperson, Miller and senior Izzy Waters each putting up 3 points.
Hargrave, who had a double double against Kenai, said she sees herself and teammates gaining confidence with each game and continue to build upon working together.
“Everyone contributed this weekend in every aspect and put points on the board for us. We try to set individual and team goals every game,” Hargrave said. “I think all of us were happy with the turnout.”
Next, Tanya Nizich said the Crimson Bears play Service High School in Anchorage, and despite the short turnaround, the team is ready and eager to return to the court.
“Overall we felt like the trip was a success for us and we hit the road again this Wednesday to play four games and are excited about that,” Tanya Nizich said.
• Contact reporter Jonson Kuhn at jonson.kuhn@juneauempire.com.
