Nordic Ski

Region VI Nordic Ski Regionals

Courtesy of VHS Coaches

The VHS ski team competed at the Region VI championships. Friday’s solo race was classic technique. A 7.5k for the girls and a 10km for the boys. Saturday’s race was a 4x3km skate relay. Representing Valdez with strong performances this weekend we’re, the girls’ team of: Chloe Miller, Momoka Ishikawa, Cherubim Palomar, Elaina Hanson, and Ginger Keller.

Ginger Keller, Photo Courtesy of Linda Anderson

And the boys: Blake Morrison, Patrick O’Brien, Jason Smilie, and William Benes. Great job to all the skiers for finishing strong this season! All that hard work and cold practices are paying off with great improvements from each skier this year!

Photo Courtesy of Rowena Palomar

Varsity Boys Basketball

[February 7th & 8th]

Courtesy of VHS Coaches

Friday, February 7th: Valdez 49, Monroe Catholic 74

The Buccaneers traveled to Fairbanks this past weekend to take on the Monroe Catholic Rams,

an Aurora Conference rival and currently the top ranked 3A team in the state. As usual, the

gym was near capacity and contained a raucous crowd for the evening game. It should be

noted, however, that there was a heavy Columbia blue and black presence in the crowd. Kudos

to the Valdez faithful for traveling well and supporting the teams.

They were likely pretty pleased with the early results, as the Buc boys established an inside

presence and matched the potent Monroe offense, ending the first quarter knotted at 12-12.

The second quarter was much the same, save for a few costly turnovers in the last 90 seconds

prior to half that allowed Monroe to go on a run and enter the intermission with a 28-21

advantage.

Both teams came out after the half and scored well in the third quarter (Monroe 20, Valdez 15),

establishing a 12 point Ram advantage entering the final stanza. In the fourth quarter, the 3-

point shooting of the Monroe Catholic Rams proved the difference as they outpaced Valdez 26-

13 to secure a lopsided 74-49 victory.

Despite the final tally in the scoring column, many statistics were fairly equal for the contest:

● Both teams shot 45% from the field

● Monroe had 31 total rebounds, Valdez had 27

● Monroe had 18 assists, Valdez had 17

● Valdez had 32 points in the pain, Monroe had 28

The difference in the score can be whittled down to one primary statistical category: 3-point

shooting. The Bucs shot a dismal 7% (1-for-14) while the Rams shot 43% (13-for-30), for a

point differential of 36.

The Bucs were led offensively by Storm Rohrer (12) and Jalen Freeman (11). Douglas

Cummins recorded a double-double by scoring 10 points and grabbing 10 rebounds. Jimmy

Chavez successfully drew an offensive foul.

Saturday, February 8th: Valdez 47, Monroe Catholic 78

Saturday’s match-up was “same time, same place”. Unfortunately for the Bucs, the game also

featured a similar flow….and similar result… from the night before.

The Bucs kept the Rams in sight the first half, trailing 15-13 after one quarter and 36-25 after

two quarters of play. But the Rams continued the offensive onslaught in the second half,

outscoring the Bucs 27-13 during the third quarter en route to a 78-47 victory.

One aspect of the game the Buccaneers did excel in was creating contact near the rim and

getting to the free throw line. The Bucs shot 20 free throws (a season high) compared to only 6

for the Rams. The Bucs also shot better from long range on Saturday, going 2-for-8 (25%).

Remarkably, the Rams also shot better than they had the night before, going 12-for-23 (52%)

from long range – establishing a 30 point differential.

Jalen Freeman led Valdez offensively, with 23 points and 5 rebounds. Allen Watson

successfully drew an offensive foul.

Notes:

The Buccaneers next take the court at home during the 43rd annual Elk's Tournament. Please

review the posted schedule and brackets, as some adjustments had to be made due to the

passing of an Unalaska basketball player.

Varsity Girls Basketball

Valdez Girls Varsity vs. Monroe

Courtesy of VHS Coaches

This past Friday and Saturday the girls varsity basketball team had a double header against Monroe Catholic.

On Friday, after an early morning catching the bus and then traveling all day to get to Fairbanks, the girls came out flat, allowing the Rams to jump up by a score of 10 – 6.  The second quarter, however, was disastrous. Monroe has a fast, relentless style of play and very quick girls that shoot the ball well. They went on an 18-2 run in the second quarter, with the Buccaneers shooting a dismal 12%.  The game ended with a final score of 54- 22. Masen Holmes led the Buccaneers in scoring with 11, and rebounds with 7.

The second day, the girls put together a terrific initial 14 minutes of play, frustrating the Rams quickness with stifling defense and a patient offense.  However, as our energy wained,  Monroe slowly pulled ahead, and again had a big 4th quarter to extend the score. The Buccaneers lost this game by a score of 59-31. Chloe Auble led the Buccaneers in scoring with 15, and rebounds with 7.

J.V. Boys Basketball

JV Boys vs. Monroe

Courtesy of VHS Coaches – This weekend the JV Buccaneers traveled to frigid Fairbanks to hoop against the Monroe Catholic Rams. Friday, the Bucs started off well defensively; a balanced scoring attack by the starting group ended the first quarter down 8-9 to the Rams.  Monroe went on a scoring run and things started to unravel for Valdez as they were held scoreless in the second and third quarters.  In the fourth quarter the Buccaneers managed to pull things together nearly doubling their score in an overall losing effort.  In Saturday’s game, Monroe controlled the game from start to finish and Valdez ended up 0-2 on the weekend. The buccaneers continue to work hard daily in practice and are making tremendous progress.

J.V. Girls Basketball

Valdez Girls JV vs. Monroe

Courtesy of VHS Coaches

This weekend we traveled to Fairbanks for conference games at Monroe catholic high-school. Although both Friday and Saturday’s games resulted in a loss, the girls worked hard, and continue to keep pushing forward. Every game is an opportunity for us to learn, and get better. This weekend has shown us that we have to work harder, faster, and push each other to get to continue to improve.

We are looking forward to working hard this week as we prepare for Elks!