Nanooks win Subway Showdown, Lady Nanooks place second

From Thursday to Saturday last week, the den of the Nanooks was packed with spectators cheering on the boys and girls high school basketball teams in the annual Subway Showdown.

Several of the 12 games played during the round-robin tournament had close scores. With three wins against the visiting teams, the Nanooks won the tournament overall, while the Lady Nanooks placed second after two wins and a loss to Kenai Central High School, who won the girls tournament.

“We all kind of forgot what a big crowd looked like in our gym,” said Pat Callahan, the Nanooks head coach and Nome-Beltz activities director. “It just seemed like there was lots of excitement in the air.”

The cheerleading squad from Nome-Beltz kept the crowd’s energy up from the sidelines. Angela Hansen also led a pep band of at least dozen students and community members who played music during breaks.

“It’s been a couple of years since we saw something like that, and I think everybody was pretty excited,” Callahan said.

In addition to Nome and Kenai, the tournament featured teams from Kotzebue and Unalakleet.

Jade Greene of Nome-Beltz was named the boys MVP of the tournament. Emma Beck of Kenai was named MVP for the girls. (Beck had also led the Kenai girls volleyball team to their first state championship in November.)

The Nanooks won the 3A state championship in 2022. Though several of the team’s top players have now graduated, the boys were still playing well, with a 7-1 record so far this season, Callahan said. The only team they lost to was Dimond High School in Anchorage.

“We aren’t last year’s team,” Callahan said. “We’re a new team, and we’re a really young team. I think because we’re so young I think we can improve a lot.” On Monday he said they were going to go watch about an hour of video footage of the games to go over their plays.

Subway Showdown results:

Kenai Girls 45 — Kotzebue 10 KCHS - Beck 33, Yragui 6, Goldsby 2, Nunn 4

KHS - Z. McConnell 2, Barr 2, Thomas 2, Hoffman 4

Nome Girls 52 — Unalakleet 23 NBHS - Tobuk 7, Miller 15, Johnson 4, Knodel 6, Nichols 2, Lie 11, Crowe 3, Hukill 4

UHS - E. Ivanoff 3, Johnson 2, L. Ivanoff 11, Bradley 5, Jack 2

Kenai Boys 60 — Kotzebue 53 KCHS - Armstrong 4, McRorie 10, Kvasnikoff 25, Beck 8, James 10, Gump 3

KHS - Roetman 5, Lane 9, Baldwin 6, Wesley 7, Sheldon 11, Swanson 9, Gamut 6

Nome Boys 78 — Unalakleet 61 NBHS - Gregg 10, Callahan 2, Hoogendorn 7, Lewis 9, Martinson 4, Weyiouanna 8, Greene 5, Contreras 5, Omedelina 4, Cross 24

UHS - Soderstrom 24, Doty 0, Commack 10, Ivanoff 3, Soderstrom 2, Katchatag 20, Eakon 2

Nome Boys 64 — Kotzebue 59 NBHS - Gregg 24, Hoogendorn 3, Weyiouanna 2, Greene 19, Cross 16

KHS - Roetman 7, Lane 2, Baldwin 2, Wesley 6, Sheldon 22, Schaeffer 16, Gamut 4

Kenai Boys 61 — Unalakleet 51 KHS - Armstrong 7, Swain 0, Whicker 0, Riggle 4, McRorie 4, Kvasnikoff 25, Beck 4, James 17

UHS - J. Soderstrom 24, Commack 4, T. Soderstrom 2, Katchatag 21

Nome Girls 50 — Kotzebue 34 NBHS - Tobuk 5, Miller 8, Knodel 6, Walters 5, Lie 8, Crowe 4, Hukill 14

KHS - Barr 5, Swanson 6, Thomas 10, Nelson 8, Hoffman 5

Kenai Girls 50 — Unalakleet 33 29KHS - Goldsby 4, Sparks 4, Nunn 5, Yragui 4, Phillips 4, Beck

UHS - B. Ivanoff 8, K. Johnson 9, L. Ivanoff 7, Bradley 7, Jack 2

Nome Boys 53 — Kenai 44

NBHS - Gregg 14, Greene 28, Cross 11

KCHS - Armstrong 2, Riggle 6, McRorie 2, Kvasnikoff 19, Beck 3, James 10, Gump 2

Kenai Girls 38 — Nome-Beltz 26

NBHS - Natallie Tobuk 3, Knodel 6, Walters 4, Lie 2, Hukill 11

KCHS - Goldsby 9, Sparks 3, Yragui 2, Beck 24

Kotzebue Boys 87 — Unalakleet 61

KHS - Roetman 4, Lane 11, Baldwin 4, Wesley 8, Sheldon 44, Schaeffer 6, Gamut 6

UHS - J. Soderstrom 6, Commack 15, Ivanoff 6, T. Soderstrom 6, J. Katchatag 26, Johnson 2

Unalakleet Girls 52 — Kotzebue 25

UHS - B. Ivanoff 9, Johnson 9, Busk 6, L. Ivanoff 13, Bradley 15

KHS - Gregg 4, Barr 3, Swanson 2, Thomas 6, Nelson 4, Hoffman 2, McConnell 4

1st Place Boys - Nome-Beltz 2nd Place Boys - Kenai Boys 1st Place Girls - Kenai Girls 2nd Place Girls - Nome-Beltz

Girls “Score-Table” Sportsmanship - Kenai

Boys “Score-Table” Sportsmanship - Unalakleet

Boys Hot-Shot - Ayden Wesley - KHS

Girls Hot-Shot Mallory Nunn - KCHS

Boys Free-Throw Orson Hoogendorn - NBHS

Girls Free-Throw Asa Hukill - NBHS

Boys 3PT Richard Cross - NBHS

Girls 3PT

Beth Ivanoff – UHS

Boys All-Tourney

Charles “Jade” Greene NBHS MVP

Jacob Kvasnikoff - KCHS

Finn Gregg - NBHS

Richard Cross - NBHS

Johnny Soderstrom - UHS Devin Sheldon – KHS

Girls All-Tourney

Emma Beck - KCHS - MVP Lena Ivanoff - UHS

Asa Hukill - NBHS

Chloe Goldsby - KCHS Swanson - KHS

Natallie Tobuk NBHS

Photo by Megan Gannon MVP — The Nanooks’ Jade Green, No. 13, blocks a shot in a game against the Kotzebue Huskies. He was named MVP of the Subway Showdown Tournament held in Nome last weekend.

Photo by Angela Hansen PEP BAND (top)—Alumni and community members rounded out the NBHS Pep Band to rock the Nanook Den all three nights during the Subway Showdown.

Photo by Megan Gannon WARM WELCOME (left)— Nome’s cheerleaders greet freshman Benny Lie and the other Lady Nanooks on Friday night.