After experiencing the sting of defeat Friday night, Thunder Mountain High School senior Luke Clark turned in a 20-point performance Saturday night in a 70-58 win over Juneau-Douglas High School.
“I just didn’t want to feel that again (losing to JDHS), especially since it’s my last time playing here, so I really wanted to come out with a win,” Clark said.
Clark made four 3-pointers in the first half and fellow senior Josh McAndrews (16 points) made some pretty reverse layups in the second half as the Falcons’ high scorers.
JDHS senior Erik Kelly scored 15 points. Kasey Watts and Kolby Hoover scored 11 and 10 points respectively in the loss.
TMHS made a concerted effort to slow Kelly and Hoover, who scored 11 of their team’s 16 points in the third quarter.
“I think we take them out, we shut them down, it’s a much easier game for us,” TMHS guard Roy Tupou said.
The Falcons quickly built a double-digit lead for themselves and led 19-8 after the first quarter. Clark made two 3-pointers in both the first and second quarters.
The Falcons led by 13 points at halftime and nine at the beginning of the fourth quarter.
“When a shooter sees the ball go through the rim a few times, they believe the next few are going to go also,” JDHS head coach Robert Casperson said. “Luke got on that gravy train and, yeah, we’re playing catch up, and we’re trading 2’s for 3’s.”
And after disappearing in the third quarter, the Falcons’ three-ball made a reappearance in the fourth.
With just five minutes left in the game and feet away from a sea of orange-shirt-clad JDHS students, Clark knocked down his fifth 3 of the game. The basket increased the Falcons’ lead from seven to 10 points.
Ninety seconds later and from the same exact spot location, Owen Mendoza put TMHS up 12 with a 3 of his own.
Both teams scored a significant portion of their points in the fourth quarter from the foul line. JDHS went 16 for 32 from the free-throw line in the game; TMHS went 17 of 27.
The student section of JDHS consisted of various shades of orange to match the color of the players’ socks.
Thousands of dollars were raised for Cancer Connection at the game, which was dedicated in memory of JDHS basketball alumnus Kevin Guimmayen, who died of leukemia less than a year ago.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nolin.ainsworth@juneauempire.com.
