Wrangell team scores second place at Juneau gold medal tourney

A ten-man Wrangell basketball team grabbed second place at a competitive regional basketball tournament held every spring in Juneau.

The Wrangell Thunderbirds fought their way to Saturday's B-Bracket (for ages 32 and under) Championship game at the Lions Club Gold Medal Basketball tournament undefeated, but succumbed to returning champions Angoon despite beating them in the semifinals, said Cody Angerman, a member of the team.

The championship was close, Angerman said.

"We went back and forth all through the first half," he said. "They might have snuck about seven points on us right at the end of the half, but we kept up with them in the second half."

The tournament draws teams and their supporters from all over Southeast, Angerman said.

"I talked to somebody from Angoon and he told me 'Yeah, our town, if you went there, nobody's even there. They're all here.'," he said.

The Thunderbirds – who placed in the top half of the eight-team bracket last year – have honed a team spirit from years of competitive play together, Angerman said.

"Everybody else all played here, and I think everybody played for Coach Stokes," he said. "Getting all the community support from here is nice."

A combination of community fundraising and individual contributions paved the way for the Thunderbirds' tournament appearance, Angerman said. They've received financial support from SEALASKA corporation, the Elks, and other community groups, while at the same time pitching in some of their own money.

"Some people donated miles," he said. "I know Breakaway Adventures donated some miles."

The Thunderbirds have kept in touch over the years, and all showed up for game day, despite having to come in from places as far away as Colorado and Anchorage, Angerman said.

"Most of us are really good friends anyway, just having grown up here and basketball being a part of our lives, we all have that mutual respect anyway," he said. "It's nice to see people you haven't seen in quite a while."

Another thing afforded by their undefeated – though at times tense – cruise to the championship, was time to watch the other teams play, as well as traditional dancing and other inter-game activities, Angerman said.

In addition to giving the tight-knit Wrangell team time together, the tournament represents an opportunity to catch up on old acquaintances, whether in the form of rivals from the days of high school yore or Wrangell expatriates now playing for other teams. For example, Thunderbird Keith Appleman is also the assistant basketball coach at Mt. Edgecumbe High School.

"It's nice to see all the communities come together and be good sports about stuff," he added.

The Thunderbirds are: Cody Angerman, Tony Harding, Dustin Johnson, Cole Appleman, Kurt Young, Archie Young, Ryan Howell, Mitch Mork, Graham Gablehouse, and Keith Appleman.