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Sand Point boys win silver at Showdown

February 9th 12:06 pm | Van Williams Print this article   Email this article   Create a Shortlink for this article

The Sand Point boys basketball team enjoyed a thrilling ride all the way to the championship game of last week's New Stuyahok Showdown.

And although the Eagles were denied the title after losing a hard-fought decision coach David Mitchell doesn't want his players to lose sight of their awesome accomplishment.

"I am proud of this group of kids," he said. "They are getting better each game."

That progress was on display throughout in New Stuyahok, where Sand Point won two games and landed two players, all-stars CJ Roby and Brandon Gundersen, on the all-tournament team.

It all started with a 75-65 win over Koliganek in the first round in which the Eagles played well on both ends of the floor and won all four quarter.

Roby pumped in 17 points and Gundersen was close behind with 16.

Kory Cheek controlled the backboards and added a half dozen points.

Teammates Tim Lungren and Keith Wilson combined for 10 point while Troy Bousley came off the bench to give the Eagles a boost on the glass.

In the girls game, Koliganek beat Sand Point 76-20.

On the second day of the tournament, Sand Point boys ran away from the Manokotak Lynx in a 75-24 victory.

Roby shined on offense with a game-high 29 points, leading four double-figure scorers. Gundersen pumped in 14 points and Lungren added 12.

The Eagles played tenacious, suffocating defense, creating turnovers almost at will.

Bousley was again strong in reserve, delivering 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting.

In the girls game, Sand Point drooped a 58-28 decision.

"They played hard and had great fun," said coach Hana Jones.

In the boys championship game, the Eagles had to battle New Stuyahok and foul trouble yet still managed to take a 32-29 advantage into halftime after Roby drilled a 3-pointer at the buzzer.

The second half was just as exciting with both sides exchanging big plays until New Stuyahok prevailed 61-57 in the end.

The firm of Roby, Gundersen and Lungren combined for 42 points (each player had 14) and Cheek added 10 of his own. Matthew Bravo scored five points.

"This game was a great learning experience for these young people," Mitchell said. "I think sometimes losses can be used to teach those important life lessons. By postseason, they should be ready and can compete and beat anyone if they play to their potential."

 

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