A jam-packed week of basketball in Juneau included Haines youngsters, who earned a trio of top-three team finishes at the annual Mike Jackson Memorial Shootout.
Four Community Youth Development teams competed at the March 23-26 tournament: Boys’ “A” and “C” squads, and girls’ “B” and “C.” Both girls teams finished third, as did the boys “A.”
“This is the first time we’ve been in the A-team bracket for a number of years,” said Matt Davis, whose seventh-grade son Mark made the “A” all-tournament team.
Kyle Fossman, who coached the team with Tom Faverty, said it was “an easy decision” to enter the tourney’s most competitive division. He said two of the “A” team’s strengths are listening well and practicing on their own.
“They all work hard and they all want to play basketball and do well,” Fossman said.
Haines posted a 4-3 record in the six-team field, topping Petersburg twice and two HoopTime squads from Juneau. Another Juneau team took the title, followed by Sitka.
All-tournament honoree Mark Davis said competing against mostly eighth-graders was an extra challenge. Coaching provided a boost, he said. “Coach Kyle is a really great coach to go against tough teams.”
Fossman also helped coach the “C” boys with Matt Davis. That team with players as young as fourth grade lost all their games, coach Matt Davis said, but “the boys learned a bunch.” He said the “C” teams were split into two brackets of their own, and Haines went for the more advanced option.
“We believe in trying to get better, rather than just winning games,” Davis said.
The team improved its aggressiveness and rebounding, and finished close to Juneau and Sitka squads, he said. His son Luke, a fifth-grader, was an all-tournament selection.
Both girls’ teams were one win short of reaching championship games. The “B” girls played Petersburg, Sitka and Wrangell. Eighth-graders Marirose Evenden and Raine Winge were all-tournament performers.
The “C” girls, sparked by all-tournament selections Natalie Crager (fifth grade) and Aubrey Cook (sixth grade), faced Angoon and Juneau opponents and lost their final game by only two points.
“They played their hearts out,” said Lori Giddings, who coached with Tiffany DeWitt.
Giddings noted the teams had great parent and family support throughout the week.
DeWitt and Fossman each competed for Haines teams at the Gold Medal Basketball Tournament that same week, and the girls cheered on their coach during Saturday’s Gold Medal championship game, which Haines won by five.
Reflecting on the season, eighth-grader Evenden said she expects at least five freshmen to be on the Haines High School girls’ team next December. “I think our team definitely improved a lot during the year, and we all worked hard, and I was proud of how we did.”