Buc Fans,
This next week our Nordic Skiers will be traveling to their State meet and competing at Kincaid Park. See their schedule at the following link: https://asaa.org/wp-content/uploads/2023-nordic-ski-schedule.pdf
We will also be hosting our last home games of the season against the Monroe Rams this next weekend and celebrating our Boys and Girls Basketball and Pep Band Seniors on Saturday night. See the games schedule below:
Friday, February 24
JV Girls Vs. Monroe @ 4:00 p.m.
JV Boys Vs. Monroe @ 5:30 p.m.
Varsity Girls Vs. Monroe @ 7:00 p.m.
Varsity Boys Vs. Monroe @ 8:30 p.m.
Saturday, February 25
JV Boys Vs. Monroe @ 3:00 p.m.
JV Girls Vs. Monroe @ 4:30 p.m.
Varsity Boys Vs. Monroe @ 6:00 p.m.
Senior Recognition @ 7:15 p.m.
Varsity Girls Vs. Monroe @ 7:45 p.m.
For updated schedules and travel planners visit our VHS Activities page @ https://www.valdezcityschools.org/domain/1283
Go Bucs!
VHS Varsity Boys Basketball Wrap-Up [February 17 & 18]
The Buccaneers had a two-game home stint over the weekend, taking on Aurora Conference foe Hutchison High School. The Hawks entered the weekend in third place in the Aurora Conference, with a 3-3 conference record and a 4-9 overall record for the season. The record differential of Valdez and Hutchison, as well as the scores of games throughout the season thus far, squarely placed the Hawks as severe underdogs and suggested they would be overmatched by the Buccaneers. The oddsmakers were correct on both accounts.
Thursday, February 17th: Valdez 66, Hutchison 25
The Bucs took the court Friday night following an (injury free!) Lady Buccaneer Alumni game, and in front of a typical supportive home crowd. Entering the contest, the Bucs were focused on a handful of team goals – two of which were to get all players on the court involved early and to force 10 Hawk turnovers a quarter.
From the onset the Bucs displayed dedication to achieving both goals. All five starting Bucs scored in the first quarter, led by Nick Alfaro with 6 points. And the defensive pressure was intense, resulting in 6 deflections and 4 steals as well as 9 turnovers forced in the first quarter alone. Offensively the Bucs started a bit slow, missing some easy shots, but still took a 15-4 lead into the second quarter.
The second quarter, or what can be termed the “Tucker quarter”, saw the Bucs defensive pressure increase and a slew of easy scoring opportunities coming directly from forced turnovers. The Bucs registered 11 forced turnovers, 8 deflections, and 7 steals in the second quarter alone. Bryce and Tino Tucker combined to score 17 of the 25 Buccaneer points in the second frame, extending the Bucs’ halftime lead to 40-13.
|
|
The third quarter was equally dominated by the Bucs. Despite moving out of their half-court trapping defense, the Bucs were still able to generate 11 turnovers in the frame, including 9 steals. The score at the end of the third quarter was 63-19, with a running clock due to the 40-point spread. Because of that the fourth quarter was an abbreviated quarter. Even so, the Buccaneers finished the game with 33 forced turnovers, 22 steals, and 21 deflections.
Of the 66 points scored by the Bucs, 9 of them came from the free throw line – meaning 57 points were scored in live action. Fifty (50) of them were in the paint. The Bucs converted one three-pointer and a total of 4 points outside of the paint and inside the arc. The dominant defensive effort led to countless easy scoring opportunities.
All eleven Buccaneers entered the contest and contributed a statistic. The Bucs were led in scoring by Bryce Tucker (23) and Payton Gage (16). Payton Gage also set a new VHS Boys record with steals in one game, recording nine (9) of them.
Friday, February 18th: Valdez 79, Hutchison 29
A Saturday noon game (with short rest and a minimal crowd) following a Friday night blowout victory is oftentimes a difficult game to get the same intensity and effort out of the team. This was mentioned prior to the game, as were similar goals as the night before.
To their credit, the effort the Bucs exhibited from tipoff was impressive – slowed only by a number of official timeouts and interactions that led to disjointed game flow initially. Even so, the Bucs once again wreaked havoc defensively – forcing 11 turnovers in the opening frame. Offensively, the Bucs once again spread the scoring in the first quarter, with seven different Buccaneers scoring en route to a 25-8 first quarter advantage.
The defensive pressure continued in the second quarter, forcing the Hawks into another 11 turnovers, while the offensive production persisted – allowing the Bucs to enter the intermission with a 47-20 advantage. Once again, after removing the half-court trapping defense, the Bucs maintained defensive pressure in the third quarter – registering 6 deflections and 10 steals while forcing another 12 Hutchison turnovers. The lopsided score resulted in a running clock mid-way through the third quarter and a subsequent quick and abbreviated quarter and a half as the Bucs cruised to an easy 79-29 win.
The Bucs held the Hawks to single-digit scoring in all four quarters while registering a remarkable 30 steals (making 52 for the weekend), forcing 38 turnovers, and scoring 58 points in the paint. The Buccaneers did not convert a 3-point attempt until the fourth quarter and only made (1) two-point basket that was outside the paint.
All eleven Buccaneers entered the game and registered a positive statistic. Nine of the eleven players recorded at least one steal. Ten of the eleven scored a basket, with four Buccaneers recording double-digit points. Payton Gage led the Bucs with 17 points, followed by Bryce Tucker (11). Tino Tucker and Gavin Morris each poured in 10 points. Barrett McCumby and Jarrett Gage each came off the bench and recorded a set-of-lines reducing charge taken.
Upcoming games:
The Buccaneers will play their final home games of the season on February 24th and 25th, as they take on the Monroe Catholic Rams. The Rams, while not an Aurora Conference matchup for the boys team, present an opportunity and a challenge for the Bucs to improve their state ranking entering the final weeks of the regular season.
Saturday night (February 25) is also Senior Recognition night. The Buccaneer student-athletes on this year’s basketball team that will be recognized are: Hunter Mathews, Allen Watson, Dillon Fowler, Bryce Tucker, and Payton Gage.
Odds are that not every eye in the house that night will be dry (you know who you are).
VHS Esports
We had an exciting first week of our Esports season.
The Smash Ultimate team competed against the Chugiak Mustangs this week. The Bucs started the first series well, winning the first game. However, Chugiak countered and took the next two games.
In the second series of games the Bucs put up a fight, taking both games into the final moments. It was close, but the Mustangs won both games in the second series.
Chugiak won the overall match 2 – 0
Next week we have a tough match against Soldotna.
Editor’s note: If you would like to see your community’s school sports on Sound and Valley News, just send the information to admin@kchu.org
