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Kivalina Moves on to State Tournament
Kivalina dominated the 1A tournament in Kotzebue this weekend. Both the girl’s and boy’s high school teams placed first in the district tournament and will be heading to state on March 15.
After Upriver pulled close in the first half, the Kivalina girls kept a 10 point lead throughout the second half to win the district tournament Saturday night, 59-37. The girls celebrated their win by dousing their coach, Charlene Adams, with water bottles. According to Alexis Hawley, the win was “awesome.”
The boys game was much closer with the Kiana Lynx staying with the Kivalina boys throughout the game. In the last few minutes, the Kivalina boys pulled ahead and won 40-35. The team was thrilled with their win, though they faced a tough road to get to the tournament. Oran Barger said, “It was hard with only five players and one sub. We weren’t even sure we would make it to the tournament, but now look at us: we’re going to state.”
In the middle school tournament, Kotzebue led the way with wins for both the boys and girls teams. The girls beat Selawik 43-25 to win the tournament, while the boys stayed just ahead of Noatak to get their win, 39-24.
The Up River schools, Shungnak, Kobuk, and Ambler, had a high school team for the first time in several years. Their hard work, determination, and positive attitude was recognized when both the boys and girls teams won the Sportsmanship Award.
For full results, click Tournament Results.