Ninilchik boys basketball team rallies past Tikigaq to repeat as 2A state champion

The Ninilchik boys basketball team made program history on Saturday night at the the Alaska Airlines Center, digging out of a double-digit first-half deficit to pull away and beat Tikigaq 66-53 and claim a second straight 2A state championship.

“It’s an amazing feeling,” senior Colvin Moore said. “We put in the work to get to where we were. We lost a few very good seniors last year. No one thought we were going to be back and we brought it.”

While it wasn’t the Wolverines’ first time repeating as state champions, it was the first such instance at the 2A level as their last back-to-back title-winning seasons occurred at the 1A level in 2016 and 2017.

Nick Finley was the head coach for those teams as well and believed this year’s team was capable of doing the same.

“Every year is something special and I don’t take any of them for granted,” he said. “Every year, these kids work their tails off in the offseason to get to where we’re at.”

His team got off to strong start in the title game by scoring the first five points of the contest but the Harpooners got hot and went on a 14-2 run. That helped Tikigaq extend to an 11-point lead of 28-17 in the second quarter.

However, the Wolverines were able to get back into a rhythm and went on a 10-0 run to cut Tikigaq’s lead to just a single point at 28-27 and head into halftime on a hot streak.

“This place was rocking, there were a lot of Point Hope fans here and we finally settled down right before halftime,” Finley said.

Ninilchik picked up right where it left off in the first half to open the second half. The Wolverines made another run to regain the lead for what would be for good.

“We went into halftime and made a few adjustments and they came out and did exactly what we teach,” Finley said. “We came back out and played our game, took care of the ball, rebounded, and got out and ran on them and got some easy buckets over the top.”

As he had been for the Wolverines all season and especially for the state tournament, Moore was the catalyst for the team’s success on both ends of the court but especially offensively as they mounted their comeback.

“I still think he’s the best player in 2A for sure because he rebounds, plays defense and he can score,” Finley said. “It’s hard to find that in high school basketball. Everyone wants to score and just put the ball in the hoop and he does it all.”

After only scoring five points in the first half, Moore recorded 16 of his team-leading 21 points in the second and finished with a double-double thanks to a game-high 10 rebounds.

“I got to give credit to my team,” he said. “Without them, I don’t get that.”

The Harpooners were looking to return to the throne of the 2A boys level after a year hiatus. Tikigaq came up short of a repeat at last year’s state tournament after winning in 2019 and 2021.

The Harpooners were coming into this game fresh off pulling off an epic comeback in Friday’s semifinal when they rallied from down 18 points with six minutes left in the fourth quarter to beat 2022 state runner-up Metlakatla.

“We watched the game yesterday and the place was rocking,” Finley said. “Everyone here was going for Point Hope and we knew that was going to be (the same) tonight. We showed up, we blocked it out, and went and played our game.”

Tikigaq leading scorer Joelian Lane was still able to record double figures in points in each half and finish with a game-high 25 points but the Wolverines did a good job of limiting his impact during key stretches when they regained and extended their lead.

“At halftime we had a lot of time to talk about (Lane),” freshman Kade McCorison said. “He’s a great shooter and a great player but after that, we were good to go and locked in.”

Although they are losing quite a bit of senior talent in all-tournament selections Moore, Jaylin Scott, and Peyton Edens, the Ninilchik program is still in good hands with the likes of McCorison, who finished second on the team in scoring with 15 points.

“Our freshman played phenomenal,” Finley said. “He has ice in his veins. He was catching the ball, driving to the hoop and finishing. He was fantastic, especially early on.”

The Wolverines finished the season with a 24-5 overall record but went undefeated against 2A competition as their only losses came against 3A and 4A teams.

Finley believes that the experience they gained against quality competition forged the championship team that prevailed and successfully defended its title in the end.

“Every year we challenge ourselves with our schedule,” Finley said. “Last year we went 26-0 and beat 3A and 4A schools.”

State 2A boys state basketball

Saturday’s games

Championship

Ninilchik 66, Tikigaq 53

3rd/5th

Metlakatla 58, Petersburg 44

4th/6th

Wrangell 60, Unalakleet 31