MVP Weimer leads Craig women to Gold Medal title

Craig broke out to a 19-3 lead against Hooper Bay and that set the tone for their 61-42 Womens Bracket championship win Saturday at the 76th Annual Juneau Lions Club Gold Medal Basketball Tournament in the George Houston Gymnasium.

“I think key for us in the tournament was we countered whenever anybody brought anything to us,” Craig player/coach Tina Steffen said. “We had a counter if they tried to play us tough inside we had shooters. We really talked about defense and adjusting to the different teams defensively…I think we just countered every single time.”

Craig’s Michaela Demmert, Nani Weimer and Vanessa James all hit from past the arc, and Lillian Borromeo, Liz Thomsen and Steffen from inside. Steffen added four free throws as Craig used their height inside and press to slow down the quickness of Hooper Bay.

“Definitely communication was key,” Demmert said. “And just talking with one another. Talking about where we need to pick up slack and just feeding the ball to whoever’s hot but, yeah, I’d say communication is huge.”

Hooper Bay’s Brandi Hale put their first points on the board with a free throw at the seven-minute mark and a jump shot with just under five minutes left in the stanza. Hooper Bay added a shot past the arc by Susie Long and Zoey Lake, but trailed 24-9 after 10 minutes.

Craig would go on an 11-2 run to open the second quarter behind scores by Demmert past the arc, Steffen inside, Borromeo, James and capped by a Weimer shot past the arc for a 35-11 lead.

“I think we knew they were capable of getting hot and making a lot of threes so a 20-point lead didn’t feel comfortable,” Weimer said. “So we wanted to keep it fast-paced since they are never out of it…I think key for us was just being patient on offense. A lot of teams were doing zone on us so it as just working the ball, waiting for good looks and then pushing the ball when we could.”

The teams exchanged scores into halftime with Hooper Bay making up some of the difference with shots by Z. Lake, Mary Long, Hale and Florence Kargi all finding the net.

Craig would lead 41-26 at the half.

Board work and defense inside were huge all tournament for Craig and players Steffen, Molly Sharp and Liz Thomsen were key in that task.

“I think we all just kind of grew up in different decades,” Sharp said. “We determined we have four different decades here so…but overall we have all played together over the years and kind of mentored from Tina (Steffen) down. And just communicating with each other and kind of setting up game plans for how we’re going to play and then adjusting it as we’re going through each quarter. Making changes if we need to. Everyone just making sure they’re playing their role.”

Craig outscored Hooper Bay 15-7 in the third quarter with Demmert hitting twice past the arc, and Weimer, Steffen and James getting transition baskets for a 56-33 lead heading into the final stanza and a running clock was initiated.

Box score

Craig 61 – 20 points, Weimer 13, James 12 (3F), Steffen 9, Borromeo 5 (3F), Thomsen 2 (2F), Molly Sharp (1F). Craig hit 9-17 at the free throw line.

Hooper Bay 42 – Hale 13 (2F), Z. Lake 8 (4F), S. Long 6 (2F), Ariana Lake 6 (2F), Kargi 3 (1F), Iyana Andreanoff 2, Tenisha Smith 2 (1F), Sandra Lake (4F). Hooper Bay hit 5-8 at the line.

Women’s Bracket Awards:

Champions – Craig. Runner Up – Hooper Bay.

Sportsmanship Award – Brandi Hale, Hooper Bay.

All-Tournament Team – Michaela Demmert, Craig; Florence Kargi, Hooper Bay; Nadine Fraker, Yakutat; Susie Long, Hooper Bay; Melissa Fisher, Hoonah; Monica Ashenfelter, Kake.

Most Valuable Player – Nani Weimer, Craig.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.