KMXT 100.1 FM Public Radio in Kodiak, Alaska
Kodiak will host the Northern Lights Conference Basketball Championships Thursday through Saturday this week, featuring eight teams in each of the boys’ and girls’ divisions, including the Bears. On Monday, both head coaches spoke about the season and what they expect from the tournament.
The official bracket is available in this PDF file: 
090303.nlcbracket 968.49 Kb
The Kodiak boys’ team went a disappointing 7-and-14 overall and 2-and-9 in the conference this season. Head coach Amy Fogle said the competition in the three-day tournament should prove to be fierce, with at least four teams in the running to take the title. She also said there’s always the possibility of upsets.
— (Basketball 1 26 sec. "Our record isn’t that … that’s what we’re hoping for.")
Fogle said injuries and inexperience combined to produce a disappointing season for the Bears but that the team has learned a lot in the latter part of the season.
— (Basketball 2 35 sec. "We struggled with injuries … gotten better over the weeks.")
The girls’ team went 8-and-12 overall and 2-and-8 in conference play, but struggled down the home-stretch. Head coach Brett Larsen said inconsistency was a major factor.
— (Basketball 3 24 sec. "The season had it’s ups and … anybody’s life real hard.")
In spite of the disappointing regular season, Larsen is not ruling out the possibility of the Kodiak girls making some noise in the tournament.
— (Basketball 4 16 sec. "Hopefully, going into … to get out there and play.")
The Northern Lights Conference Basketball Championship tournament takes place Thursday through Saturday at Kodiak High School. The Kodiak boys open the tournament with a game against Soldotna on Thursday at 8:15 p.m., while the girls open up against Kenai at 6:30 p.m. the same evening. The girls’ championship game will be held Saturday at 6:15 p.m., and boys will compete for the title at 8 p.m.
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