Monroe girls come from behind, beat Ketchikan in day one of Holiday Classic
By Laura Stickells | January 3, 2020
Spectators could feel the energy in Monroe Catholic High School’s Boileau Hall through the bleachers when Rams sophomore Katie Bast drew a foul, sending her to the free throw line with 27 seconds left in Monroe’s Thursday game against Ketchikan.
After trailing the Kings by 13 points at halftime, Monroe outscored Ketchikan 26-12 in a second-half rally to take a 40-39 lead with just under a minute to play in the day one Mt. McKinley Bank Holiday Classic matchup.
But just as Bast was heading to the line, looking to make it a three point game, she was pulled off the court. Someone’s fingernail had collided with her nose, drawing blood and leaving Monroe in a bind.
Rules state that athletes who are bleeding must immediately leave the playing area.
Bast had been an integral part of the Rams comeback. After struggling with her jump shot in the first half, the sophomore guard contributed five layups after the break, including the go-ahead basket. Keeping her in the game for the final seconds felt imperative.
A quick discussion between the referees and Monroe head coach Bob Burcell ended with a Monroe timeout, allowing Bast to get a Band Aid and head back out to the free throw line.
“Maggie (Zaverl) ran out and put a BandAid on my face and I felt pretty good that it wouldn’t fall off,” she said. “I just did my routine and I felt confident knowing my coach believed in me.”
Bast, who was 2-for-4 from the free throw line through three quarters, made both baskets, extending the Rams lead to 42-39 and sending the gymnasium into renewed frenzy.
Six seconds later, Rams senior Grace Hodges followed up Bast’s performance at the charity stripe, making the final two baskets in the 44-39 win.
“Actually this season I haven’t been shooting that well so that felt really good for me,” Hodges said about securing the win for her team.
The 5-foot-6 guard finished the night with 12 points — behind only Bast who contributed 18 — and made two key turnovers for points in the third quarter to make it a three-point game.
“One of the big thrills about winning that game is that we beat a 4A school from a very tough Southeast Conference and they’re a good team. We didn’t beat the grammar school in Ketchikan,” Burcell said about the Kings, who came into the matchup with 4-1 record.
Burcell’s Rams squad belongs to the Class 3A Aurora Conference, a division for smaller schools. Alaska’s biggest high schools compete for a state championship in the 4A division.
After halftime Monroe played noticeably more aggressive defense and Burcell encouraged his guards, Bast in particular as she was struggling with her three-point shot, to focus on driving to the basket.
“I said to her, ‘Next time you catch the ball with a clear path, rather than taking the wide open three why don’t you try and get to the basket?’
“The very next time she caught the ball, she went to the basket, she got fouled and she hit free throws,” Burcell said. Although he did admit that the sophomore can normally “light you up” from behind the arch.
Sophomore guard Shelby Eidenmiller was the other Ram to break double-digits with 10 points.
Monroe’s Matteah Felix and Sophia Stepovich also made significant plays.
Felix hit the Rams only three-point shot of the night in the third period, shrinking Ketchikan’s lead to five points. Stepovich blocked Nadire Zhuta’s layup to keep the Kings from regaining a lead late in the fourth period.
Jenae Rhoads led the Kings with 12 points, followed by Zhuta with 11.
Monroe next plays 1-0 Valdez at 6:10 p.m. today. Burcell says how his team responds from Thursday’s win will be key in its game against the Aurora Conference rival.
“We came from behind tonight to beat a good team. So are you going to come out and lay an egg tomorrow or are you going to come out and give me the same effort and work the same way?” he said.
Although today’s Rams-Buccaneers game is between conference competitors, it will not count toward the season’s conference record.
Ketchikan opens day two of the tournament with a matchup against Grace Christian at 3 p.m. today.