The Unalakleet Wolfpack boys’ basketball team captured the Class 2A state championship on Saturday, defeating Cordova 40-36 in a dramatic comeback at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. The victory is Unalakleet’s first state title since 1996.
Donning the team’s signature all-white uniforms, junior Isaac Smith led the comeback with 10 of his 14 points coming in the fourth quarter. The 6 feet 1 inch guard hit two crucial 3-pointers in the final minutes, including the go-ahead shot with 2:34 remaining. He finished with a double-double and 12 rebounds, a block, and three steals.
“I was next to him on the sideline and I was telling him to drive it,” Unalakleet coach Thurman Jack said. “Later that night he said, ‘I heard you telling me something, but I just shot it’. He just let it fly.”
Freshman Joshua Smith sealed the win with two free throws in the closing seconds.
The Wolfpack allowed an average of 46 points per game leading up to their run at state. Going into the tournament, Jack shifted the team’s attention toward their defense.
“That was a big focus that we talked about leading up to our conference tournament and our in the state tournament, to kind of lock in on defense,” Jack said.
For the team’s three games at the state tournament, they allowed an average of 39 points per game. Their defense hit a high point in the championship game against Cordova with just 36 points allowed.
Senior Paxson Commack contributed 11 points, including a key basket late in the fourth quarter. Jack said it was Commack's contributions on both sides of the ball that impressed him most.
“He is such a great defender. Throughout the year I could put him on any player from the other team, he would almost shut them down. So defensively, Paxson was huge.” Jack said.
The run to the title came with other nail-biting moments, like in the semifinal against Seward where Commack floated in a last-second layup to take the 44-42 victory. Both Smith and Commack earned spots on the All-State Tournament Team for their performances.
The last time the Wolfpack earned a state championship, Jack played as guard. He had recently arrived from Nome, where his father Bill Jack had served as coach for Nome-Beltz.
“The way the community accepted me in high school, it's something that I've always wanted to repay, and I felt like this is one way that I can do that,” Jack said. “It was special for me to be able to do that.”
Unalakleet’s Lady Wolfpack team secured third place at the state championship tournament after falling in a close semifinal game to the eventual state champions from Seward 32-29. The team closed out the game with just four players on court after two fouled out of the game.
Seniors Beth Ivanoff and Cedar Busk were named to the All-State Tournament Team, with Ivanoff also winning the 3-point contest. The girls’ team was also recognized with the State GPA Award, finishing with a combined 3.87 grade point average. The team finished the season 22-4, with four seniors set to graduate this spring.
Most of the athletes made it back to Unalakleet Sunday with a parade to greet them.
“There was a lot of handshakes and hugs. After we got everyone loaded up and took some pictures we drove around the village in kind of like a mini parade, honking and waving,” Jack said.
The celebrations will continue next week with a potluck scheduled for Monday.
