The Thunder Mountain High School boys and girls basketball teams finished in the top-five of their respective season-opening tournaments that ended earlier this week.
The Falcon boys (3-1) won three of four games at the Punahou Invitational in Honolulu, Hawaii, to finish fifth overall, only losing to host and eventual tournament champion Punahou School in the quarterfinals on Friday.
“It was a good start for sure,” TMHS coach John Blasco said.
The Falcons rebounded from the loss to defeat Sacramento Adventist Academy 66-49 on Saturday. In the fifth-place game on Monday, Thunder Mountain defeated Sequoia High School 64-54.
Senior Brady Carandang was named to the all-tournament team after averaging over 20 points per contest. The shooting guard exploded for 39 points in the win against Sacramento Adventist.
Back in Southeast, the Thunder Mountain girls (2-1) placed fourth at the Clarke Cochrane Christmas Classic after posting wins over Craig and North Pole high schools.
The Lady Falcons play in their home opener against Bartlett High School at 7:30 p.m. Thursday.
• Contact sports reporter Nolin Ainsworth at 523-2272 or nainsworth@juneauempire.com.
