Tikigaq, Ninilchik claim 2A basketball State Championships

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) - The Tikigaq Harpoonerettes came into the state championship game as the second seed, going up against the top seeded Wrangell Wolves. However, the game did not reflect prior seeding as the Tikigaq Harpoonerettes started scoring early from both behind the arc and in the paint to get the job done, winning 56-42.

From the first jump ball, Tikigaq showed they were hungry for a state title. Junior guard Jayden Lane hit a couple of big 3-pointers to help Tikigaq start with a 10-1 lead early in the game. When the game started to get a little closer, freshman Jennifer Nash stepped up, hitting big shot after big shot in the fourth quarter.

“Feels amazing. Its like I finally got it. I’ve been trying — last year, and my freshman year we couldn’t play at state because of COVID and last year we blew our first game — but it just feels awesome to finally win and this season was amazing with my girls,” Lane said.

Tikigaq is also known for having a great crowd, which did not disappoint. Fans filled up the Alaska Airlines Center with their voices.

“It’s super cool because they come from all around and from Point Hope it takes like two flights to get here, just to go watch,” Nash said.

Tikigaq benefitted from having a deep bench, while Wrangell had just three substitutes suited up. The two schools come from nearly opposite sides of the state, separated by over 1,300 miles.

“It feels so awesome like it’s just like a warm feeling in your heart to know that all these people are watching me and they are here for me and they are cheering me on,” Lane said.

The Ninilchik the Wolverines capped their undefeated season with a dominated performance over Metlakatla, winning 78-52 and finishing 26-0 for the year. Despite being bumped from the 1A classification up to 2A this year, the Wolverines cruised to victory after a close first half against Metlakatla.

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