Alaska state basketball: West and ACS girls on a collision course in 4A; East and West Valley winning streaks on the line

Three of the top storylines heading into this week’s 4A Alaska State Basketball Tournament involve three of the best teams and three of the best players in the state.

The only two girls teams at the 4A level that haven’t lost to Alaska competition all season are the top seeded Anchorage Christian School Lions and the No. 3 seeded West Eagles. Both are heavy favorites to go far into the tournament. The two teams are on opposite sides of the bracket and wouldn’t have the chance to face off at the Alaska Airlines Center until Saturday’s championship game.

After winning four straight 3A state titles, the Lions have made light work out of every 49th state opponent by 20 or more points in their first year at the 4A level. The Eagles haven’t been nearly as dominant and even had to grind and sweat out a couple matchups against conference opponents.

ACS has rattled off 14 straight wins since suffering their last loss at the hands of California’s Sierra Canyon on Jan. 17 and West has won 22 consecutive games since dropping their fourth game of the season to Nevada’s Shadow Ridge in Las Vegas tournament on Dec. 30, 2021.

The Lions are three wins away from breaking the longest winning streak against Alaska competition that was set by the Ninilchik girls in the early 2000s and are led by 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year, Sayvia Sellers. The junior guard is one of the best players in the nation and already has multiple Division I college offers lined up. Sellers was ranked 30th on the ESPN 2023 HoopGurlz Recruiting Rankings.

The Eagles don’t have a superstar on their roster but are well rounded team that relies on comprehensive teamwork to get the job done. They had four players named to CIC All Conference team and one receive honorable mention recognition.

In the 4A boys tournament, if the Bettye Davis East High Thunderbirds and the West Valley Wolf Pack advance to the semifinal round, two of the best players in the state would square off.

West Valley’s Stewart Erhart was named the 2022 Gatorade Player of the Year and East’s Damarion Delaney, who was named CIC Player of the Year. The two upper classmen will have the opportunity to prove who is the best this week as they look to help their respective teams extend impressive winning streaks.

The defending 4A state champion Thunderbirds are chasing history as they look to set a new state boys basketball record for the most consecutive wins against Alaska competition. They have posted 50 straight wins and are two victories away from the total they need to break the record that was set by the West boys program from 2004 to 2007.

[From childhood friends to champions: These East High seniors are chasing Alaska basketball history as ‘a brotherhood’]

The only hardware that West Valley came away with at last year’s state tournament was the ANTHC Sportsmanship Award. This time around, they are coming into it boasting a undefeated 24-0 record and are looking to complete a perfect season with their first state title in over three decades for just the second time in program history.

Alaska Girls 4A State Basketball Tournament

At Alaska Airlines Center

Wednesday

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Anchorage Christian vs. No. 8 Lathrop, 8 a.m. Main Gym

No. 4 Colony vs. No. 5 Ketchikan, 4:45 p.m. Auxiliary Gym

No. 3 West Anchorage vs. No. 6 Dimond, 3:15 p.m. Auxiliary Gym

No. 2 Wasilla vs. No. 7 Bartlett, 6:15 p.m. Main Gym

Friday

Consolation

Loser Anchorage Christian/Lathrop vs. Loser Colony/Ketchikan, 11 a.m. Main Gym

Loser West Anchorage/Dimond vs. Loser Wasilla/Bartlett, 9:30 a.m. Auxiliary Gym

Semifinals

Winner Anchorage Christian/Lathrop vs. Winner Colony/Ketchikan, 3:15 p.m. Main Gym

Winner West Anchorage/Dimond vs. Winner Wasilla/Bartlett, 4:45 p.m. Main Gym

Saturday

4th/6th Place, 9 a.m. Seawolf Sports Complex

3rd/5th Place, noon, Seawolf Sports Complex

Championship, 5:30 p.m. Main Gym

Alaska Boys 4A State Basketball Tournament

At Alaska Airlines Center

Wednesday

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Bettye Davis East vs. No. 8 Juneau-Douglas, 11 a.m. Auxiliary Gym

No. 4 West Valley vs. No 5 Colony, 6:15 p.m. Auxiliary Gym

No. 3 Kodiak vs. No. No. 6 South Anchorage, 9:30 a.m. Main Gym

No. 2 Dimond vs. No. 7 Palmer, 7:45 p.m. Main Gym

Friday

Consolation

Loser Bettye Davis East/Juneau-Douglas vs. Loser West Valley/Colony, 12:30 p.m. Main Gym

Loser Kodiak/South Anchorage vs. Loser Dimond/Palmer, 12:30 p.m. Auxiliary Gym

Semifinals

Winner Bettye Davis East/Juneau-Douglas vs. Winner West Valley/Colony, 6:15 p.m. Main Gym

Winner Kodiak/South Anchorage vs. Winner Dimond/Palmer, 7:45 p.m. Main Gym

Saturday

4th/6th Place, 10:30 a.m., Seawolf Sports Complex

3rd/5th Place, 1:30 p.m., Seawolf Sports Complex

Championship, 7:30 p.m., Main Gym