It’s time to shine for Alaska’s 4A, 3A basketball teams

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From left, Monroe senior guard Divon Davis, Bethel senior guard Darrell Garrison Jr, and Monroe junior guard Isaac Garcia battle for a rebound during the Rams’ 60-28 victory over the Warriors at the 3A state basketball tournament at the Alaska Airlines Center on Thursday, March 22, 2018. (Bill Roth / ADN)

One nationally ranked team. Two coaches who later this month will serve as head coaches at the McDonald's All-American game. Both of Alaska's Gatorade Players of the Year. All four Class 4A and 3A defending state champions — and the teams they beat in last year's title games.

All of that and more will be on display this week at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Class 4A and Class 3A state tournaments, which tip off at 8 a.m. Thursday and wrap up Saturday with four straight championship games, will showcase the best in Alaska high school basketball:

— The state's Gatorade Players of the Year — Dimond junior Alissa Pili, a two-time winner of the award, and Grace Christian senior Tobin Karlberg.

— The two coaches selected to be head coaches at the McDonald's All-American all-star game March 28 in Atlanta — Dimond's Brad Lauwers and Wasilla's Jeannie Hebert-Truax.

— The nationally ranked Dimond girls, who are 24th in this week's Max Preps national rankings.

Dimond will try to dethrone the two-time champion Wasilla Warriors, who beat the Lynx in each of the last two Class 4A girls title games — 51-34 last year and 44-40 in 2016.

Dimond and Wasilla also battled in last year's Class 4A boys title game, with Dimond winning a tense 50-46 thriller. This year, Dimond is the No. 1 seed, Wasilla is the No. 2 seed and the teams are on opposite sides of the bracket, meaning there could be a rematch Saturday night.

In Class 3A boys, the top seed is Monroe, the winner of three straight titles from 2012-14 and the runner-up in 2015 and 2017. The Rams lost to the Karlberg-led Grace Christian Grizzlies in last year's championship game, 34-33.

In Class 3A girls, both of last year's finalists return with big expectations — defending champion Anchorage Christian, which is the No. 1 seed, and Sitka, the No. 2 seed. ACS beat Sitka 52-40 to win last year's crown.

March Madness Alaska

Thursday's schedule
(All games at Alaska Airlines Center)

3A Girls
8 a.m. — Galena vs. Sitka
9:30 a.m. — Valdez vs. Bethel
3:30 p.m. — ACS vs. Kotzebue
5 p.m. — Nikiski vs. Barrow

3A Boys
11 a.m. — Monroe vs. Bethel
12:30 p.m. — Grace vs. Eielson
6:30 p.m. — Barrow vs. Valdez
8 p.m. — ACS vs. Mt. Edgecumbe

4A Girls
11 a.m. — Colony vs. West Valley
12:30 p.m. — East vs. Ketchikan
6:30 p.m. — Dimond vs. West
8 p.m. — Wasilla vs. Chugiak

4A Boys
8 a.m. — East vs. Wasilla
9:30 a.m. — Colony vs. West
3:30 p.m. — Chugiak vs. West Valley
5 p.m. — Dimond vs. Juneau

All-State teams

4A Girls

Player of the Year — Alissa Pili, Dimond.
Coach of the Year — Laura Ingham, East.

First team — Alissa Pili, Dimond; Azlynn Brandenburrg, Wasilla; Olivia Davies, Wasilla; Jahnna Hajdukovich, Dimond; Azaria Robinson, East.

Second team — Alex Carlton, Colony; Chasity Horn, Chugiak; Skye Miller, East; Angeline Nageak, Dimond; Sierra Tate, West Valley.

Third team — Tyra Do, Lathrop; Daisy Page, East; Ellen Silva, West Valley; Brittany Slick, Ketchikan; Amanda Smith, Colony.

4A Boys

Player of the Year — Erik Kelly, Juneau-Douglas.
Coach of the Year — Brad Lauwers, Dimond.

First team — Erik Kelly, Juneau; Reilly Devine, Wasilla; Nicolas Horning, Dimond; Marcus Lee, Ketchikan; Clayton Southwick, Palmer.

Second team — Will Freeman, Colony; Daniel Headdings, Wasilla; Sullivan Menard, Colony; Devon Mong, West; Luka Wal, West.

Third team — Joey Barranco, East; Chris Lee, Ketchikan; Cornelius Mingo Jr, West Valley; Carter Moore, Dimond; Derryk Snell, Chugiak.

3A Girls

Player of the Year — Bethany Carstens, Nikiski.
Coach of the Year — Scott Anderson, Nikiski.

First team — Bethany Carstens, Nikiski; Tatum Bayne, Sitka; Kuutuuq Danner, Barrow; Bobbi Mott, Valdez; Destiny Reimers, ACS.

Second team — Alanna Conwell, Kotzebue; Pearl Green, Galena; Jordan Todd, ACS; Courtney Williams, Bethel; Milya Wright, Barrow.

Third team — Chaunice Carr, ACS; Katie Crow, Bethel; Abby Forrester, Sitka; Sydney Johnson, Valdez; Mary Kate Parks, ACS.

3A Boys

Player of the Year — Tobin Karlberg, Grace Christian.
Coach of the Year — Todd Wegner, Valdez.

First team — Tobin Karlberg, Grace Christian; Travis Adams, Barrow; Micah Helkenn, Delta; Bennett Hinkle, Valdez; Gavin Jackson, Monroe.

Second team — Jamal Alstrom, Mt. Edgecumbe; Clevon Constantine, Bethel; Devin Davis, Monroe; Izak Lohrke, Monroe; Orlando Lozano, Anchorage Christian.

Third team — Jeremiah Brown, Eielson; Danilo Guzman, Anchorage Christian; Logan Heckathorn, Valdez; Jace Kornstad, Nikiski; Jimmy McGovern, Grace Christian.

2A Girls

Player of the Year — Sharon Hansen, Bristol Bay.
Coach of the Year — Collin Stone, Nenana.

First team — Sharon Hansen, Bristol Bay; Drena Hayward, Metlakatla; Gloria Jacobsen, Glennallen; Jordyn Lane, Point Hope; Melissa Nickoli, Nenana

Second team — Abby Bourgeois, Cordova; Kaylyn Easterly, Wrangell; Alexis Russell, Metlakatla; Aquinnah Tremblay, Nenana; Kayla Villamor, Unalaska.

Third team — Denali Moorcraft, Bristol Bay; Kendra Kapotak, Dillingham; Hailey Wilson, Unalaska; Jewel Wilson, Unalakleet; Sarah Yates, Craig.

2A Boys

Player of the Year — Trevor Wilson, Unalaska.
Coach of the Year — Jonathan Alsup, Tok.

First team — Trevor Wilson, Unalaska; Aidan Fields, Glennallen; Danny Marsden, Metlakatla; Dennis Mitchell, Tok; Arctic Ivanoff, Unalakleet.

Second team — Aiden Ivanoff, Unalakleet; Andrew Marker, Craig; Cody Morgan, Susitna Valley; Cody Sjostedt, Cordova; Dylan Swinton, Haines.

Third team — Christian Adams, Cordova; Revyn Almquist, Tok; Matt Fasau, Unalaska; Shawn Frank, Tok; Christian Hayward, Metlakatla.

1A Girls

Player of the Year — DeeAnn White, Ninilchik.
Coach of the Year — Herschel Sundown, Scammon Bay.

First team — DeeAnn White, Ninilchik; Jenysa Ahmaogak, Alak; Shauna Koonuk, Aniak; Lindsay Weyanna, Teller; Almira Kaganak, Scammon Bay.

Second team — MacKenzie Andrew, Napakiak; Olivia Juhl, Tri Valley; Shea Matthies, Stebbins; Anikan Paniptchuk, Shaktoolik; Nyadeng Puoy, Lumen Christi.

Third team — Hayley Akerelrea, Scammon Bay; Olivia Delgado, Ninilchik; Miranda Demientieff, Akiak; Kristin Klaich, Nikolaevsk; Jada Peterson, St. Mary's.

1A Boys

Player of Year — Lance Folger, Tanana.
Coach of the Year — Raymond Hyslop, Tanana.

First team — Lance Folger, Tanana; Michael Balos, Birchwood; Jeremy Brink, Scammon Bay; Edward Kokeok, Shishmaref; Jared Topkok, Teller.

Second team — Michael Alyunerak, Alakanuk; Eric Daniels Jr., Elim; Elijah Kulowiyi, Savoonga; Kalenik Molodih, Nikolaevsk; Robert Sheldon, Noatak.

Third team — Jacob Ahgook, Nunamiut; Braden Dallman, Aniak; Gary Gould, King Cove; Jeremiah Iyatunguk, Shishmaref; Mykell White, Nelson Island.

(All-state selections are based on ballots cast by coaches and collected by the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches. )