Too many turnovers led to the Nome Beltz boys’ 60-to-36 loss to Eielson yesterday in the 3A State Basketball Tournament. Coach Pat Callahan says the Nanooks gave the ball away 26 times during that game, but they had a chance for redemption today during a consolation match.
NBHS went head-to-head with Sitka this morning (Friday) at 8am. However, Sitka took home the victory by four points, sending Nome home without a win in this year’s state tournament.
The Nanooks weren’t the only ones representing Western Alaska in the 2019 State basketball tourney, though. In the 1A bracket, Shishmaref made it to the semifinal game before falling to King Cove, the subsequent 1A State champions. The Northern Lights ultimately placed third overall, after defeating Tanana by three-points last Saturday (March 16).
The Savoonga huskies secured several consolation victories during their appearance in the 1A State Basketball Tournament, including a five-point win over Kipnuk.
Meanwhile, in the 2A bracket, Unalakleet won the 4th-place-versus-6th-place game against Cordova. The final score was 67 to 59. Final games for the 3A State Basketball Tournament will be played tomorrow (Saturday), with the championship game taking place at 3pm.
Image at top: The Nome-Beltz High School boys’ basketball team (2019). Photo courtesy of Nome-Beltz Students Activities.