Raiders make most of season-ending games

Published on March 11th, 2010

By JIM WILSON

High school basketball boys and girls teams from Barrow, Nome, Bethel, Unalaska, Dillingham Kotzebue and Hooper Bay faced off during the Western Conference Basketball Championship hosted by Unalaska High School March 3 through 6.

The fourth-seeded Unalaska Raiders boys team opened the tournament March 3 against Dillingham in the opening round. Unalaska jumped out to an early lead and never looked back, leading at the half by 14 and ending with a 55-28 victory. The Raiders were able to establish an effective inside and transition game to cruise to an easy victory. Unalaska was led in scoring by Cameron Lynch with 14, Michael Fernandez with 11, and Andrew Seman with 10.

Unalaska's victory over Dillingham earned them a berth in the semifinals against the top-seeded Barrow Whalers, who have consistently been ranked in the top three in the state for the year. Unalaska was not to be intimidated and behind strong support from their home crowd, were tied at the end of the first quarter, 13-13. Barrow made a run in the middle quarters and extended the lead to as much as 15. Unalaska came storming back in the fourth quarter behind effective full-court pressure and timely shooting. Unalaska closed the deficit to as little as five, but eventually lost the hard-fought game 68-62. Unalaska was led in scoring by Cameron Lynch with 21, Andrew Seman with 13, and Marc Sorenson with 9.

Facing the Huskies

The Raiders next faced the Kotzebue Huskies on March 5 for the right to advance in the tournament. The game was tight early, with both teams turning the ball over and having difficulty converting opportunities. Unalaska was able to hold a slim 7-6 lead at the end of the first quarter. However, behind solid defense and efficient offense they quickly extended the lead to 43-24 by the end of the third quarter. The final score was 53-27, with Unalaska advancing in the tournament. Unalaska was led in scoring by Cameron Lynch with 23.

Unalaska faced Bethel on March 6 with the chance to play Barrow again for a state berth on the line. The Raiders were also attempting to avenge an early season 13-point loss to the Bethel Warriors. Unalaska opened strong and led 13-10 at the end of the first quarter and 22-20 at the half. Unalaska then extended its lead to 37-39 at the end of the third quarter. Bethel however came out strong in the fourth quarter behind the outside shooting of Joey Glasheen and an aggressive half court trapping defense. Unalaska's lead disappeared quickly and Bethel took a four-point lead with just over two minutes remaining. Unalaska continued to attack and closed the gap multiple times over the next two minutes, but could never get back on top. Bethel made timely free throws down the stretch and escaped with a 57-55 victory. Unalaska was led in scoring by Micheal Fernandez with 16, Andrew Seman with 10, and Cameron Lynch with 10.

The tournament marked a dramatic turnaround for the Unalaska Raiders, who started the season 0-5, but ended winning 9 of their last 11 games and finished 9-7 on the year. The Raiders were awarded the Sportsmanship Award for the tournament, and Michael Fernandez and Cameron Lynch were named to the all-tournament team.