Zachary Williamson’s buzzer-beater shocks East and secures Alaska 4A state basketball title for South

A week ago the South Anchorage boys basketball team lost to the defending 4A state champion Bettye Davis East High Thunderbirds on a buzzer-beater in the final seconds of the Cook Inlet Conference regional title game.

“The buzzer was all I thought about and I was in the gym every day since and just thought about that game-winning shot and how we can capitalize when we saw them again,” senior Zachary Williamson said.

On Saturday night, the Wolverines returned the favor on the biggest stage when Williamson hit a game-winner to push the Wolverines to the 2022 4A state tournament title with a 37-35 win. The shot and ensuing victory snapped the longest in-state winning streak in the process, East’s 52-game winning streak.

“Zach is the best basketball player in the state of Alaska,” South coach Jamaal Siah said. “I knew if we were ever going to win a state championship, it was going to go through his hands. He hit a tough shot, but I knew he could do it.”

Williamson received an inbound pass with 3.5 seconds left on the clock and sunk a fade-away jumper as time expired and pandemonium ensued on the Alaska Airlines Center court Saturday night.

“Coach drew up the play for me and asked if I was ready to take us home, and it was all on me to get this done,” Williamson said. “I took the fader and was thankful it went in.”

The Wolverines had faced the Thunderbirds three times in 2021-2022 season prior to the state title game. While they lost all three bouts, they closed their margin of defeat each time until the fourth time proved to be the charm.

“We were hungry, we wanted this and were determined after last weekend when we lost a tough one to East and we were fortunate enough to ironically beat them at the buzzer,” Siah said.

In a low-scoring affair in which neither team led by more than six points, South emerged victorious by maintaining the same level of composure and focus they showed all week. Each of their games in the tournament went down to the wire and they never wavered.

“I knew I had a special group, and we battled when things weren’t going our way,” Siah said.

Even though the Wolverines entered the week as the No. 6 seed, they knew their ranking didn’t reflect the kind of team they were or the tremendous threat they posed, according to Williamson.

“I knew we weren’t the sixth seed,” Williamson said. “We knew we were one of the top teams in the state, so we capitalized by taking down the three, the two and the one.”

The dramatic win not only snapped a 14-year title drought for South, it marked just its second state title in program history. It was also East’s first loss suffered at the hands of an Alaska opponent in more than two years, one night after it broke the 4A boys record for the most consecutive wins against in-state competition.

Siah credits the incredible contributions from his senior class both on the court and in terms of its leadership as the main catalyst for its run to becoming champion.

“We were able to mesh very well, and it just says a lot about the great guys we have in our locker room,” Siah said.

Unlike East’s five senior starters that played together since elementary school, the 2022 South team came together somewhat on the fly after it had several players transfer over from Service for their final season.

“We all got along from Day 1 and pushed each other every day in practice, and we’re a brotherhood now,” Williamson said. “We created a bond that can’t be broken, and it paid off today.”

Alaska Boys 4A State Basketball Tournament

At Alaska Airlines Center

Wednesday’s results

Quarterfinals

No. 1 Bettye Davis East 59, No. 8 Juneau-Douglas 46

No 5 Colony 52, No. 4 West Valley 42

No. 6 South Anchorage 52, No. 3 Kodiak 33

No. 2 Dimond 67, No. 7 Palmer 53

Friday’s results

Consolation

West Valley 60, Juneau-Douglas 37

Palmer 48, Kodiak 45

Semifinals

Bettye Davis East 45, Colony 43

South Anchorage 57, Dimond 53

Saturday’s results

4th/6th place

West Valley 54, Palmer 48

3rd/5th place

Dimond 57, Colony 52

Championship

South Anchorage 37, Bettye Davis East 35

4A Boys State Basketball All-Tournament Team

Elijah Reed, East Anchorage

Jayce Underwood, Colony

Akuvaaq (Ron) Childress, South Anchorage

Xzavier Baker, Dimond

Christopher Full, South Anchorage

Luke Ivanoff, South Anchorage

Harvey Pullen, Colony

Kyler Johnson, East Anchorage

Maguire Hamey, Dimond

Tyriq Luke, West Valley

4A Girls State Basketball All-Tournament Team

Hallie Clark, Colony

Nyapar Mathot, Anchorage Christian School

Mikayla Johnson, Bartlett

Bella Hays, Wasilla

Sarah Sorrells, Anchorage Christian School

Jenae Rhoads, Ketchikan

Sayvia Sellers, Anchorage Christian School

Layla Hays, Wasilla

Jordan Zackery, West Anchorage

Chloe Auble, Anchorage Christian School

3A Boys Basketball State All-Tournament Team

Hunter Jefferson, Houston

Sasita “Sika” Untutoa

Luke Lentfer, Grace Christian

Dawson Schaeffer, Nome-Beltz

Payton Gage, Valdez

Ryan Armstrong, Mt. Edgecumb

Kellen Jedlicka, Grace Christian

Allen Watson, Valdez

Richard Cross, Nome-Beltz

Finn Gregg, Nome-Beltz

3A Girls Basketball State All-Tournament Team

Lewis (Caitlyn) Brower, Barrow

Kylie Gilbert, Valdez

Ava Brady, Sitka

Ella Berger, Grace Christian

Shannel Kovalsky, Monroe Catholic

Jenilee Donovan, Barrow

Chloe Morrison, Sitka

Sophie Lentfer, Grace Christian

Kiara Burnell, Barrow

Lexi Seymore, Redington