With continuity and familiarity, Dimond seeks supremacy in Alaska basketball’s 4A division

The 2023 Alaska Prep Shootout tipped off with a show of force from host Dimond as the Lynx boys basketball team continued their strong start to the 2023 season by blowing out Anchorage Christian School 70-28 on Thursday afternoon to improve its overall record to 5-1.

It marked the team’s fifth-straight victory but just their third-largest margin of victory and point total of the young season so far.

“We came out here working hard because we just had a close game with Service, so we had to come out even stronger,” senior Xzavier Baker said. “We weren’t locked in last game, so we came in focused today.”

Even though they were coming off a fourth-straight win heading into the tournament, the Lynx still wanted to rebound from what they felt was an uncharacteristic performance against the Cougars when they notched their first conference win, a 66-56 victory over Service on Tuesday.

“We were down at halftime, talked in the lockerroom and came back even stronger with defense,” Baker said. “We’re a zone team. We usually don’t play man, and we played man against Service.”

He is one of nine seniors that the Lynx are bringing back from last year’s team that came up just short of punching their first trip back to the state title game since 2019. Dimond fell in the semis to eventual 4A state champion South Anchorage.

Most of them played on the same youth league teams growing up, and their bond on and off the court has strengthened over time.

“I’ve known Maguire (Hamey) since kindergarten, so we’ve grown up together, and I’ve known Xzavier since sixth grade,” senior Luke Johnston said. “Playing against them and with them my entire career has just built that brotherhood. We’re brothers on the court and off the court, and that’s a huge part of our success.”

The Lynx were clicking on all cylinders against the Lions so much that they were able to sub their entire starting lineup for stretches and didn’t miss a beat.

Dimond head coach Brad Lauwers said his team was especially sharp early in the game as it used a full-court press to set a strong tone, overwhelm and build up a sizable lead over the visiting Lions. It’s a strategy that his team likes to use to establish early leads in games.

“There’s been two or three of our games where we’ve been pretty alert on the press, and that can really give us a lot of momentum at the beginning of games,” Lauwers said.

Since they have so much continuity and familiarity with one another, picking up new wrinkles to the game plan doesn’t take long for them to learn.

“If you had a new team, you’d have to teach that and you wouldn’t be able to do that many things,” Lauwers said.

While many teams around the league and state are still getting a feel for one another and trying to establish chemistry, Lauwers said his group already looks and feels like they’re in “midseason form.”

“I like our experience and leadership,” he said. “Luke at the point has been a three-year varsity starter. He’s a captain and sets a great tone. Xzavier is the enthusiastic captain and fires people up emotionally. Maguire Hamey has played really well over the years but is really showing his best stuff now.”

An unheralded member of the senior group is Dimond football star Malachi Casey, who dominated defensive backs on the gridiron as the focal point of the Lynx offense from his wide receiver sport and terrorized their quarterbacks as a defensive back himself.

“He’s one of the best athletes and was MVP of the Shriners (Senior All-Star) game,” Lauwers said. “He’d be the star on another team, and he’s a star on our team, but he’s also surrounded by other stars.”

Capitalizing on continuity

With so much turnover across conference and state overall, the Lynx are trying establish themselves as the team to beat in the state.

“We have a lot of seniors returning this year so we’re hoping to take that top spot and prove that we’re the top dog this year,” Johnston said. “We still have a lot to prove and there are still a lot of good teams out there.”

He and Baker view East as their top competition in the CIC. Statewide, they view West Valley as the top threat. The Wolfpack have 2021-2022 Gatorade Player of the Year Stewart Erhart leading the team, which is currently undefeated with a 6-0 record and have only faced Alaska competition.

“There’s a lot of talent spread out throughout the state this year, not just the CIC,” Johnston said.

Johnston said last year’s loss at state was especially painful for the Lynx since they had a lead late in their semifinal matchup with the Wolverines and the hopes of having a chance to win back-to-back state titles.

“That’s kind of been the fuel to the fire this year,” Johnston said. “We feel like we have something to prove now and we have that chip on our shoulder.”

The tight-knit group that has been playing together since middle school prides themselves on playing unselfishly at the cost of their pumping up their own respective stat lines.

“(We) just buy into the team, get other people shots, and don’t be selfish players,” Baker said.

One of their team goals is to go undefeated against Alaska competition this season and their off to a great start with four of their first five victories coming against Last Frontier teams.

“We’ll have to work very hard to achieve that goal,” Baker said. “There’s no reason we should be getting beat this year.”

While they aren’t looking too far ahead or underestimating any opponent, they’re singularly focused on finishing what they came so close to being able to play for last year and capture the program’s first state title since 2017.

“We’re taking it one game at a time but in March if we’re standing on top of the basketball world in Alaska, I think that’d just be a great way to end it off,” Johnston said.

He said he wants to be able to come back home for his 10-year reunion and see a state championship banner hanging up in the main gymnasium and say “that’s mine.”