The Nome-Beltz Nanooks faced off against the Barrow Whalers for the fourth time in under a month at the ASAA 3A State Championships. The semifinal match ended like the three before it, with a Nanook victory.
The Nanooks took an early lead with a series of buckets to open the match. By the end of the first quarter they had built up a 17-10 lead.
A wall of white filled the stands behind the Beltz bench as fans organized all-white attire for the semifinal. Several fans arrived on a flight that landed less than an hour before tipoff.
Finn Gregg went into halftime on top of the scoresheet with 14 points, two of which were three-pointers. Cohen Booth, the tallest on the team, led in rebounds with four.
Barrow managed to cut the lead slightly, outscoring the Nanooks 18-16 in the second quarter. Sophomore Alex Fruean put up 18 points in the first half alone as he took command of the Whaler’s offense. Going into the half, Nanooks led by a score of 33-25.
The Nome-Beltz cheer squad roused the crowd at halftime, with the Nome-Beltz fans cheering along, filling the cavernous Alaska Airlines Center. As the Nanooks returned to the court the crowd chanted, “I believe that we will win.”
Kendall Ulroan resumed the fervent scoring pace he had in the quarterfinal with a three-pointer to extend the lead early in the third quarter.
With 48 seconds left on the clock in the third, Orson Hoogendorn calmly collected the ball and made his way toward the basket. At the last moment, he glanced up at the rim as two Whalers closed in, floating in a layup to extend Nome-Beltz’s lead to 55-28.
After a Barrow timeout, Lane Scuerch added another layup, drawing roars from the crowd. Barrow burned yet another timeout to slow the hemorrhaging.
Coming out of the timeout, a crowd management employee on the floor yelled to a colleague, “this is the most packed I’ve ever seen this place.”
Where he shines brightest, Hoogendorn kept the points coming in the paint. Despite a 20 point lead, the white wall behind the Nome-Beltz bench chanted “defense” when Barrow reclaimed the ball.
As the fourth quarter ticked down, Coach Patrick Callahan kept the players fresh with more frequent substitutions. Gregg remained on the court until there was 1:27 left on the clock. Fellow senior, Hoogendorn, checked out with 56 seconds left to a standing ovation.
Freshman Gabe Tran checked in and helped the team play keep-away as the clock expired.
The game ended with a final score of 67-51.
The Nanooks will face Sitka for a shot at two-straight state championships Saturday at 3:00 p.m. Sitka defeated the Nanook's opponent from last year, Mt. Edgecumbe, 64-62 in its semifinal match earlier in the day.
