The Shishmaref Northern Lights did the unthinkable on Wednesday, March 11, in the first round of the ASAA Class 1A state basketball tournament. They won.
Seeded 12th in the tournament bracket, the Lights used an 11-2 run to start the third quarter to power themselves to a stunning 67-50 victory over the Skagway Panthers in front of a large crowd in the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. Shishmaref’s win was the biggest shocker of the first day of the 4-day tournament as the Panthers had entered the event as the No. 5 seed.
With the loss, Skagway fell to 20-6 overall and, more importantly, into a consolation showdown with Nunamiut.
Shishmaref got off to a quick start. The Lights picked up a three-point shot from Corben Nayokpuk just 22 seconds into the frame.
Skagway answered back. Camden Lawson got the Panthers’ offense going moments later. He took an inbounds pass from Kaleb Coughran and pushed it home for Skagway’s first bucket. He followed that up a few moments later with a second layup that gave the Panthers a 4-3 lead with 6 minutes left in the opening frame.
The Lights regained the momentum from there. They reeled off a 7-0 run over the ensuing 2 ½ minutes and took a 10-4 advantage.
Malcolm Lawson breathed new life into Skagway late in the frame. He posted up in the far corner and drained a three-pointer that pulled the Panthers to within three, at 10-7, with 2:16 left. Senior Royce Borst pushed back an offensive rebound inside the paint a minute later to cut Lights’ lead to one.
Shishmaref got a late basket and went into the second with a slim 12-9 lead.
The Region V champions, Skagway found its game in the second. They outscored Shishmaref by a 13-12 clip in the frame and went into the half down by just two, 24-22.
Borst helped the Panthers erase the Lights’ lead midway through the second. He pulled down a rebound and went coast-to-coast for a layup that capped an 11-8 run and tied the game at 20-20 with 3:18 to play. Less than 30 seconds later, Camden Lawson finished off a 6-0 spree by the Panthers with a fastbreak layup that put Skagway on top, 22-20, with 1:31 left in the opening half.
That turned out to be the Panthers’ last lead.
Nayokpuk scored the final four points of the half and helped Shishmaref sneak into the break with a 24-22 lead.
The wheels came off the Panthers’ wagon in the third. The Lights – sparked by three-pointers by Corben Nayokpuk and Ivan David Nayokpuk – reeled off an 11-2 run over the 3 minutes of the second half and built a 35-24 cushion.
Overall, the Northern Lights outscored Skagway by a 19-8 clip in the third quarter and took a 43-30 lead into the fourth quarter.
Borst finished the game as Skagway’s leading scorer, netting 21 points, including 13 in the second half.
Camden Lawson also finished in double figures for the Panthers with 14.
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