It was supposed to be a rebuilding year.
When the Unalakleet Lady Wolfpack suited up for its first exhibition match of the season against Shaktoolik, it fielded just six players. Only two were returning starters and two were still in middle school. The squad was classified as junior varsity due to a lack of varsity-eligible players.
Then Unalakleet senior and multisport star, Ourea Busk, went down with an ankle injury.
For the team’s second match against Shaktoolik, Busk watched from the bench with crutches under her arms as Shaktoolik ran away with a 24-68 win. Ourea Busk’s freshman sister, Turi Busk, sat on the bench beside her with a boot on her foot.
“We started off this season with injuries, I felt like every weekend. So we didn't really have that consistency each weekend,” the team’s coach, Jonisha Wilson said.
With Ourea Busk out of the lineup, the team’s only other returning starter, Violet Jack, stepped up. The tall senior picked up an astounding 25 rebounds and 25 points in a 68-26 win over Alakanuk in mid-January. Jack said she doesn’t think about the stats, and instead focuses on the team’s young freshman.
“I know they're going to do amazing things as they get older, and helping them to develop is really fun,” Jack said.
The season was up-and-down from there. Following the two home-wins against Alakanuk, the team picked up losses against Bethel, Dillingham, Nenana and Metlakatla. They went home without a win in three matches against 3A Kotzebue and suffered a 22-point loss to conference foe Hooper Bay.
Ourea Busk’s eventual return to the lineup infused the Lady Wolfpack with a new energy.
“Every single game that I couldn't play, I was like, ‘Man, I wish I could be out there playing.’ It just, it means so much,” Ourea Busk said.
Wilson said having both of her captains out on the court transformed the team’s game.
“Although she's not one for many words, her actions speak loud. She’s the energy, she's the hustle, she's the aggression, she's everything. And the whole team follows that,” Wilson said. “And she, along with Violet, helps lead this team.”
Ourea Busk’s 6-foot-frame drew defenders’ eyes, opening up space for fellow senior Ayyu Roesch and freshman Alex Ivanoff to step up on the scoresheet. The weekend before the 2A Northwest Conference Tournament, the team picked up a pair of wins over Chevak. It was a final confidence booster before the penultimate tournament of the season, where a return to the state championships was on the line.
With an average distance of 470 miles between conference members, the Northwest Conference is the most dispersed in the state. The teams met at Dimond High School in Anchorage for a three-day tournament the first weekend of March.
The Lady Wolfpack opened against Alakanuk with a 49-37 win, then trounced Hooper Bay by 18 points to set up a revenge game against Dillingham for the conference title. Back in January, the Lady Wolverines squeaked in a two point victory over the Lady Wolfpack.
With a strong contingent of Unalakleet fans in the bleachers, the Lady Wolfpack got out to a double-digit lead in the first, which was cut down to just four points at halftime. In the third quarter, Dillingham managed to draw the game level at 31-31. Dillingham, short two of its starters, ran out of steam as Unalakleet put up a game-high 16 points in the fourth quarter en route to a 51-35 win.
Jack led the team with 22 points, followed by Ourea Busk with 13 points. Ivanoff added nine points and Roesch tallied seven.
After the buzzer, the Unalakleet girls jumped and screamed together by the bench. The celebrations continued into the locker room.
“Felt really good to celebrate this win. We're a young team, and it just felt good too,” Ourea Busk said of the locker room vibes after the win.
“It's just so good because we're the only two returning players, so everyone is new to high school basketball. It's so great. It's a great experience,” Jack added.
The team will remain in Anchorage to prepare for the ASAA 2A State Basketball Championships, which kicks off March 11 at the Alaska Airlines Center. Seeding for the tournament will be released by ASAA Sunday at 7:30 p.m.
Wilson said the message to the team is the same for the state tournament as it has been all year.
“I just kept telling them keep going. We're not done yet. This is the season, that's what happens during basketball,” Wilson said. “You just got to keep playing, keep our heads held high.”
