Small-Town Teams Battle for State Title

0:00It's March 20th. Here's your Anchorage news in two minutes. Top-ceded MenEdgecom, edged out fourth-seated Sitka, 56-50 in the semi-finals of the Alaska State 3A, A-Boys Basketball Tournament. Third-seated barrel pulled the way late to beat second-seated Nomebelts, 63-50. Both wins send the small-town teams to Saturday's championship game at the Alaska Airlines Center. MenEdgecom and Sitka, just 2.1 miles apart in southeast Alaska, met for the seventh time this season. The Braves had won five of the first six, but trailed at halftime and into the fourth quarter before a strong run sealed the Gritty comeback victory. Players and coaches called it a total team effort, with adjustments on defense sparking the offense. Junior Guard Caden Herman led with 26 points and earned player of the game honors, avenging last year's semi-final loss to the same opponent, and putting their region in the spotlight. Meanwhile, Barrow snapped Nome's three-peat hopes and reached their first title game since 2018.

1:02They split regular season meetings, but dominated the semis, overcoming early doubts with hot shooting and tough defense all game long. Junior Alex Frouin exploded for a game-high 37 points, including four threes, and locked down on defense the claim player of the game. Both communities are buzzing now, as Barrow faces MountEdgecom at 3 p.m., Saturday for the State Crown.