The Kake Thunderbirds are the winners of the Region V 1A Boys Basketball tournament, held last weekend at Mt. Edgecumbe High School.
The Thunderbirds defeated the Klawock Chieftans in the tournament final last Friday evening.
The Chieftans then dropped into the consolation bracket, and defeated the Skagway Panthers to claim second place, and a berth at the state tournament.
On the girls’ side, the Klawock Lady Chieftans took the regional crown, defeating the Angoon Lady Eagles in the Friday evening championship. The Lady Eagles then lost to the Kake Lady Thunderbirds on Saturday in the consolation bracket, giving the runners up trophy to Kake, who will now head to the state tournament.
For individuals, Cheyanne Kookesh, Taryn Kookesh, and Zara Fayer were named to the girls all-conference team, along with Marnie Crooks from Kake.
Ethan Kadake and Dominic Ross from Kake, George Valle and Magnus Endicott from Yakutat, and Kyle Johnson Jr. and Julian Duncan from Angoon were all named to the boys all-conference team.
George Valle, of Yakutat, won the boys free-throw contest, sinking 21 of 25 from the line.
The 1A state basketball tournament opens March 15-18 in Anchorage at the Alaska Airlines Center.
