Unalakleet, Shaktoolik basketball teams take home state championships

Last weekend, Shaktoolik and Unalakleet made the region proud, bringing home two State Championship trophies from a successful weekend at the 1A and 2A Basketball States in Anchorage.

The Shaktoolik Wolverines beat out Cook Inlet Academy 75-55 last Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Center, earning their first ever 1A state championship.

They fought hard, sustaining a lead for the whole game, but really pulled ahead in the last quarter.

This game not only earned them a championship trophy but their 16th win in a row. The Wolverines are closing out the season with a 22-6 record.

Coach Silas Paniptchuk said it’s been a long time coming for the team. They’ve been to the state tournament the past five years in a row and now they’ve finally achieved the state championship. 

“My team loves to hoop,” Paniptchuk wrote. “We practice through the entire season. From opening day to the last. Through Christmas Break and New Years.”

Also on Saturday, the Unalakleet Wolfpack boys basketball team reigned supreme in their game against Cordova, taking the title for the 2A division with a final score of 40-36.

Junior Issac Smith led the charge, according to Athletics Director Thurman Jack, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the game’s fourth quarter, fueling the comeback and sealing the win.

The girls teams earned trophies, too, last weekend, with the Lady Wolverines earning second, just falling short in the 1A championship against Fort Yukon, 37-33.

The Unalakleet girls secured third place at the 2A championships after losing by three points to Seward, who went on to win the championships.