The annual Southeast Region V basketball tournament is planned for March 27 in Ketchikan. Only the top four 2A teams will participate and they will play a one-day single elimination tournament. The Haines boys will be attending, but the girls will not.
The region chose Ketchikan to host the tournament because it is accessible through Alaska Airlines and convenient for every team. As of right now, it is also a low-risk COVID-19 community. The boys’ team will fly from Haines to Ketchikan on March 26 on a direct charter flight. They will play the next day, and return home on March 28.
Masks and testing are mandated for the tournament. The Haines team will be tested for the COVID-19 virus March 22 and have their results before the scheduled departure. The travel roster will be limited to eight players. Coach Tyler Swinton and athletic director Lynzee Swinton will also attend.
Senior Jayden Hotch said he is excited Haines is able to participate at regionals, but is worried about traveling. He said he doesn’t want to risk contracting COVID-19 but he still wants to go because this is his last year before he graduates.
“I think it’s worth risking, personally,” said Hotch. “A couple weeks of quarantine is worth being able to play in my last high school basketball games.”
Senior Mark Davis is confident that the schools’ mitigation plans will keep the team safe. “I’m really happy we can have a regional basketball tournament,” said Davis. “The mask mandate, testing, and quick trip will keep us all as safe as possible.”
Each team in the tournament is guaranteed one game. The number one seed will play the fourth seed, and the second seed will play the third. The winners will play for the regional title. The seeding for the tournament has yet to be determined.
The original plan for Region V was for all the boys’ teams to go to Wrangell or Petersburg, and all the girls’ teams to go to the other town. This was changed so the teams could be in a low-risk community.
The Petersburg Vikings and the Wrangell Wolves are both expected to play in the tournament. Petersburg experienced a surge in cases earlier this month.
The teams will be competing for the Region V title. Usually, the winner advances to the state tournament. As of right now, all 2A teams except Haines have decided they are not going to participate in the state tournament.
“The Haines School will likely (also make) this decision,” said Lynzee Swinton, “but we have not officially decided yet.”
school board members discussed the regional and state tournaments at their March 16 meeting, said superintendent Roy Getchell. An official decision about state will not be made for another week or two.
The state tournament will be hosted by the Matanuska-Susitna Borough, which is not a low-risk area at the moment. For Haines to be able to attend the tournament, the travel mitigation would need to be changed or Mat-Su’s risk level would need to decrease to low.
“Things tend to change quickly in the COVID-19 world,” said Getchell. “So, for now, it is one foot in front of the other.”