Nadire Zhuta and Sully Schulz
Staff Editors
The 6-time defending Region champion Lady Kings and defending state champ Kings will begin their Region V run tonight in Juneau.
The Kings will be going up against the Bears at 8:15 p.m. following the Lady Kings game against the Lady Falcons at 6:30 p.m.
Here’s a look at how the teams got here:
Boys Basketball
The Kayhi boys (12-9, 4-4) are 2-2 against Thunder Mountain and 2-2 against Juneau-Douglas. TM is 4-0 against JD. The Kings haven’t won more than back to back region titles since the 1960s where they won 5 consecutive titles. The Bears have momentum going into their first game against Kayhi after winning both their games last weekend at home.
Varsity head coach Eric Stockhausen says winning regions will come down to doing the little things in a game. Stockhausen believes in his team and believes they have a shot at winning regions.
“We have a chance to do well, we’ve had an up and down year,” said Stockhausen. “We know we can compete with them, we just have to do the little things and find easy baskets. I have faith our kids will do the best they can.”
Know Your Opponent
Juneau Douglas (8-16,2-6)
Last Region Title: 2018
Vs. Kayhi: 2-2
Vs. TM: 0-4
Seed: No. 3
Key Player: Cooper Kriegmont
Watch out for: Brock McCormick
The Kings first two games against Juneau Douglas this season ended in a blow out. Kayhi needs to play both sides of the ball and be less predictable offensively. Kriegmont puts up a lot of points in every game. On the other hand, McCormick can be dangerous. We’ve seen in the games Kayhi has won he seems non-existent but in games they have lost he manages to lead his team and put up 19-25 points.
Thunder Mountain (15-6, 6-2)
Last Region Title: 2014
Vs. Kayhi: 2-2
Vs. JD: 4-0
Seed: No. 1
Key Player: Bryson Echiverri
Watch out for: Brady Carandang
The majority of the Kings games against Thunder Mountain have been close except for their first game where Kayhi won by 25 points. Every game after that has been a 5 point or less loss or win. Staying active is key, the Falcon’s defense is really strong and fast. Finding shots outside and creating inside shots will be important for the Kings. Shutting down Echiverri will slow down the Falcons down as he is strong and fast and has a good shot outside the key.
Girls Basketball
Unlike the Kings the Lady Kings (13-9, 4-4) are the underdogs going 1-3 against Juneau Douglas in the regular season. It isn’t the first time this has happened. Kayhi is just 5-12 against JD in the regular season in their last 19 games, but 6-0 in the postseason dating back to the last time Juneau hosted the Region Championships. This season the Lady Kings got their first win over the Lady Bears on senior night.
Know your Opponent
Juneau Douglas (18-3, 7-1)
Last Region Title: 2012
Vs. Kayhi: 3-1
Vs. TM: 4-0
Seed: No. 1
Key Player: Kendyl Carson
Watch out for: Kiana Potter
Stopping Carson from scoring is unrealistic but playing tough defense on Sadie Tuckwood and Kiana Potter will slow down JD’s game tremendously. Tuckwood and Potter combined for 44 points this past weekend. Keeping other players from scoring double digits is critical for Kayhi. The Lady Kings have to to prevent someone like Trinity Jackson, who scored 10 points on Friday in the Lady Kings 41-38 loss, in order to be successful.
Thunder Mountain (3-11, 1-7)
Last Region Title: None
Vs. Kayhi: 1-3
Vs JD: 0-4
Seed: No. 3
Key Player: Avery Kreischer
Watch out for: Riley Traxler
Kayhi has dominated TM the past four seasons up until this year. Kayhi was on a 24 game winning streak until their 48-44 loss to the Falcons. The average margin of victory this year is only 5.25 PPG compared to last year’s 11.16 PPG. Kayhi has a tendency to get dragged down when playing TM. Keeping their head in the game, and playing all the way through will let them stay ahead all the way through the tournament.
