Lady huskies practice recently in the Kotzebue gym before their season- opener game against nome. - Photo by Carey Restino / for Alaska Newspapers

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Kotzebue girls lose twice in Nome: Lady Huskies battle valiantly on the road

December 23rd 2:48 pm | Van Williams

Facing one of the state's top Class 3A girls basketball teams is one thing. Doing it on the road to open the season is another.

Welcome to Kotzebue's world.

Nome lived up to the bill by sweeping the Lady Huskies by scores of 58-51 Friday and 43-41 Saturday.

Even in defeat, though, Kotzebue coach Jake Stoops liked what he saw from his new-look squad.

"We never stopped fighting," he said.

Kotzebue played two starters nursing injuries in Mary Sue Hyatt [foot] and Stephanie Sampson [patellar tendinitis] and another missed the road trip with a broken foot the day before departure.

"She's our only player taller than 5'6," Stoops said.

Facing the tallest team in the region was a tall task for the Lady Huskies. But they came up big.

"The girls responded well to the challenge and played really hard," Stoops said. "It was the ultimate contrast in styles - we were short and pressed the entire game; they were a head taller at every position - yet we were able to swing momentum both nights to almost close-out comebacks.'

"I'm real proud of their effort and character."

In the first game, Nome built a 48-35 lead before Kotzebue roared back with a 20-point fourth-quarter effort to make it interesting at the end.

Colleen Snyder pumped in a game-high 21 points while Dessirea Kenworthy [12] and Hyatt [10] also reached double figures.

Snyder was consistent all night - 9 points in the first half, 12 in the second half.

"Colleen is a terrific player and had a big coming-out party," Stoops said. "Just a sophomore, she is a gifted offensive player."

In Saturday's game, the Lady Huskies fell into a 25-10 halftime hole before slowing crawling back and eventually taking the lead in the fourth quarter.

Nome rallied down the stretch to pull out a tight win, but Kotzebue had its chances. The Lady Huskies missed several free throws that could have turned the tables.

"We just couldn't get anything to go," Stoops said.

Next up is the Husky Shootout Dec 29-31 in Kotzebue. Other teams in the three-day tournament include Buckland, Noorvik, Kivalina, Selawik, Kiana and a co-op squad from Shungnak/Ambler/Kobuk.