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Weather delays. Canceled flights. Sunsets at 3 p.m. and plenty of rain.
While the girls and boys basketball programs at Toledo High School didn’t get to see much outside of the square footage of Ketchikan High School over the last four days, they bonded over watching basketball and spending time together in a new state and environment.
Grady Fallon kept it simple afterwards on Tuesday, hours after his flight landed.
“It’ll make some memories whether we go 3-0 or 0-3 or someone loses a toe to frostbite,” the Riverhawks head boys coach said.
The Toledo girls reached the title game by beating Soldotna by 11 on Saturday and the hosts Ketchikan 61-32 on Sunday. Service, one of the top teams in its classification in Alaska, beat the Riverhawks 53-37 on Monday night.
“Watching the film and seeing the bracket, we had a chance to get to the title game,” head girls coach Brian Layton said. “Our girls responded well and it was a good test for them.”
This whole trip started back in the fall when Toledo put on a haunted forest as a fundraising effort to make the trip possible. Fallon recalled seeing upwards of 60 people – from players to other students to parents – all making the trail run smoothly.
Once the time period was over, they raised enough money to play three games against programs they’ll rarely get the chance to face again.
“I couldn’t have been more proud,” Fallon stated.
There is a local connection between Toledo and the host school. Ketchikan’s Activities Director, Kelly Smith, has roots in the Toledo and Winlock area. He was almost teammates with Fallon back in the 90s at Toledo.
Getting to the tournament was another piece of the puzzle. Before Toledo landed in Alaska, there was already a pile stacked high with challenges.
The flight going to Ketchikan that was scheduled for last Friday was canceled due to a mechanical issue. Then on the next available flight, the plane was sitting on the tarmac for what Fallon said was three hours.
“Oh my god I don’t know what I got myself into,” Fallon stated.
After multiple calls trying to get out of Juno, there was a plan where the boys and girls would get on two separate flights. While this was happening, the tournament moved the day one schedule to accommodate the Riverhawks.
By sheer fortune, there was a bigger plane available that got both teams to Ketchikan. There was travel ready from the airport to the high school. Toledo’s boys team lost to Alaska 4A Dimond 51-47, then the girls mustered out a 42-31 victory over Soldotna.
“We found a way and you’re gonna win ugly sometimes,” Layton said.
Ryah Stanley, Ellie Fallon and Taysia Miller all scored in double figures for the Riverhawks in the first game. Stanley, Peyton Holter and Kailea Lairson all registered five steals.
In the second game versus Ketchikan, the Riverhawks jumped all over the Kings from the opening tip and led 40-12 at the half. Fallon and Stanley led with 13 points apiece and Sidney Kruger added 12.
Layton called the environment a “playoff atmosphere” and compared it to the Class 2B District 4 tournament.
“The first half was the best they played all year,” Layton said. “Our goal was to quiet the crowd.”
In the title game, Service broke out in the second quarter with 25 points and coasted from then on. Fallon and Stanley, named to the all-tournament team, both were in double digits once again.
“We felt like we grew up a lot in the last four days,” Layton said. “We know our league is going to be a grind. We feel like, not only with basketball, the chemistry of the team, when you stay with your team for four days, it builds those relationships that go beyond basketball.
“Twenty years from now, they can talk about (the trip). Hopefully they grew closer as teammates and friends.”
For the boys, they dropped their second contest to Sitka 70-50. Their first two contests were versus schools that may go far in Alaska’s state tournament. Eli Weeks led the scoring with 16 points versus Sitka and Cooper Fallon added 14 and 12 rebounds.
Toledo’s last game was a dominating 79-32 win over Craig. Only up four after the first stanza, the Riverhawks lit up the scoreboard with 25 in the second and 21 in the third. They allowed Craig to score just 17 points the rest of the way.
Four were in double figures, led by Conner Hill’s 18 points.
“We came up here to get better,” coach Fallon said. “We got work to do.”
Both Layton and coach Fallon constantly praised the hospitality bestowed upon them. They are hopeful this can be a yearly occurrence to go to different places and get tested against unfamiliar competition.
“Unique and cool experience,” Layton stated.
