January 12, 13, &14, 2023
Courtesy of VHS Coaches – The Bucs, and a number of Buccaneer faithful, traveled to Nikiski last week, where the Bucs partook in the 34th annual Rus Hitchcock Tip-Off Tournament. The four-team round-robin style tournament featured the Bucs, the hometown Bulldogs, the Homer Mariners, and the Kotzebue Huskies.
Other tournament festivities included a Friday night Hawaiian Dance, which heavily featured Vanilla Ice’s “Ice, Ice, Baby” and a variety of shooting contests on Saturday morning.
Thursday, January 12th: Valdez 90, Nikiski 48
“Fresh” off the bus after a grueling 9+ hour bus ride stretched over two days, the Bucs got off to a bit of a shaky start against the hometeam Nikiski Bulldogs. While the Bucs scored first, and never trailed in the game, they appeared sloppy offensively and a bit sluggish on defense – allowing a season high 13 points in the first quarter. Two successive turnovers and points in transition allowed the Bucs to end the first quarter with a 21-13 lead.
From there, not even the arctic-like climate control in the gym could cool the Bucs’ hot shooting hand. They nearly tripled the Bulldog efforts in the second quarter, outsourcing them 26-9, to enter intermission with a 47-22 lead. The trend and hot shooting continued throughout the second half, in which the Bucs netted 43 points while holding the Bulldogs to 26, as they cruised to a 90-48 victory. The wide margin of advantage marked the 5th consecutive game in which the Bucs enacted the “running clock” rule this season.
The Bucs led in every positive statistical category, leading turnovers forced by a 29-10 margin and dominating in transition points scored (32-0).
Bryce Tucker led the Bucs in scoring with 24 points, while Payton Gage contributed 17 and Tino Tucker and Dillon Fowler netted 12 and 11, respectively. All 12 rostered Buccaneers entered the game and registered a statistic.
Friday, January 13th: Valdez 74, Kotzebue 49
The second game of Friday afternoon featured the Buccaneers as the home team, taking on the Kotzebue Huskies. As has been the case throughout much of the year, the Bucs never trailed in the contest, jumping out to an early 23-8 first quarter lead. From that point on, however, the Huskies played the Bucs closer than anyone else all year has. The Bucs entered halftime with a 19-point advantage (42-23) and ultimately emerged victorious by a 25-point margin (74-49). The “narrow” margin of victory represents the first time in the 2022-2023 season that the Buccaneers did not activate the “up by at least 40” running clock rule.
The Bucs led in all statistical categories, sans points-in-the-paint (26-24 Kotzebue advantage), and once again displayed excellent marksmanship from behind the arc – shooting a scintillating 41% (7 for 17). The high shooting percentage extended to the free throw line as well, as the Bucs shot 20 of 24 (83%) from the charity stripe.
Payton Gage led the Buccaneers with 25 points, followed by Bryce Tucker (15) and Nick Alfaro (11). All rostered and eligible Bucs entered the game and registered a stat.
Saturday, January 14th: Valdez 62, Homer 37
Saturday’s early afternoon tilt against the Homer Mariners was effectively a championship game for the Bucs. Win and they secured a 3-0 tournament record and championship; a loss coupled with a Kotzebue win would result in a series of tie-breaking methods being applied to determine an eventual champion.
The Bucs, donned in championship Columbia-blue uniforms, entered the game short-handed having suffered injuries to two of their normal starters. They began the game with their third different starting lineup of the tournament. Regardless, expectations remained the same as the high standard the Bucs have set throughout the year.
The Bucs once again led in most positive statistical categories, but yielded a point total well above their season average; offensively, the Bucs scored the fewest points of the year. Even so, the Bucs held a 20-point halftime advantage (34-14) and built that lead up in the second half for an eventual 25-point victory (62-37).
Payton Gage led the Bucs in scoring, with 26, while Bryce Tucker netted 18 points and Dillon Fowler chipped in 11. All ten Buccaneers that were suited up and available to play contributed a statistic.
Notes:
On Saturday morning there were several individual and team shooting competitions, to include:
3-point contest, free throw contest, a low-post move sequence, and a “hot shot” competition.
Three-point contest: The Buccaneer representative for the contest was Payton Gage, who delivered a solid performance but was unable to eclipse the stellar shooting of the Nikiski participant.
Free-throw contest: The free throw contest is a simple format – everybody gets in a line and shoots a free throw. Those that make it advance, those that miss are eliminated. Bryce and Tino Tucker were the final Buccaneers remaining, each finishing in the top 5. Perhaps the most disappointing moment of the tournament came when manager-turned-parttime-player Joshua Duong was eliminated early on after missing his first free throw attempt.
Low-Post Shooting Sequence: This competition consisted of multiple post-up shots, alternating from the low-block of each side of the lane. Dillon Fowler was the Buccaneer representative, and he absolutely dominated the competition.
“Hot-Shot” Competition: A competition involving 3 shooters that are required to shoot from 5 pre-determined spots on the perimeter, with different point totals assigned to the shots. The Bucs squad included Payton Gage, Tino Tucker, and Gavin Morris. Gavin Morris may have sustained a back injury during the contest, having to carry his teammates to a victory. He scored an astounding 28 of the 40 overall points for the team.
In addition to the aforementioned games, the tournament also recognized players chosen for the All-Tournament Team, Most Valuable Player, and a player determined to be the most “scrappy” in the tournament – somebody who does all the little things on the court, with the utmost effort and determination, and oftentimes with little or no recognition.
Awards Received:
Low-Post Shooting: Dillon Fowler
“Hot Shot” Shooting: Gavin Morris, Tino Tucker, Payton Gage
Rus Hitchcock “Scrappy Award”: Allen Watson
All-Tournament Team: Bryce Tucker, Tino Tucker
Tournament MVP: Payton Gage
Upcoming games:
The Bucs next travel to Galena to take on the Hawks in Aurora Conference action.