The Nome boys varsity basketball team continued their winning streak over the weekend, coming out victorious in 2 of their 3 home games against the Bethel Warriors.

Last week, Coach Pat Callahan called Bethel “tough competition”; they beat Nome in a close game at the Delta tournament a few weeks ago. It looks like the Nanooks used that loss as fuel for their games over the weekend.

On Friday, Nome boys swept Bethel 67-46. Gareth Hansen led the way with 18 points, to which Caden Hanebuth added 7 points, 9 assists, and 11 rebounds.

Bethel put up a fight on Saturday: they ended up taking home a 49-41 win. But Nome boys came right back for the third and final game of the weekend, with the help of Nanook Stephan Anderson, who scored 12 of his game-high 25 points in the fourth quarter.

But the impressive performances don’t stop there: in the same game, Dawson Schaeffer was 5 out of 6 shooting from the 3-point range, raising his season high to 19 points. And Gareth Hansen was 5-5 from the free-throw line, bringing him to an incredible 52 consecutive free-throws this season.

As for the Lady Nanooks, who travelled to Bethel for their two games, the Warriors proved tough competition, making for tremendously close games. On Friday, Bethel won by a single point: the final score was 58 to 57. Brooke Anungazuk and Kastyn Lie set up Nome for a win, both scoring 18, but the Lady Nanooks lost a heartbreaker in overtime as Bethel made the 3-pointer that led the Warriors to victory.

But the series ended up an even split: on Saturday, Nome girls won 50-46 over Bethel, with top performances from Brooke Anungazuk, Kastyn Lie, and Daynon Medlin, who scored 15, 13, and 11 points, respectively.

Next up, this weekend both Nome boys and girls will face Unalakleet: this time with the boys travelling to Unalakleet, and the Lady Nanooks hosting home games Friday and Saturday at NBHS.

Image at top: Outside Nome Beltz High School in October 2018. Photo: Katie Kazmierski, KNOM.