Cordova’s girls and boys are in Yakutat this weekend for a rematch of the series they played here two weeks ago.
Yakutat, a long-time 2A basketball power, has dropped to a K-12 enrollment of 35, but they fielded both a boys and girls squad by dipping into their elementary school.
What they lacked in numbers they made up for with hustle in the games here. The taller Cordova boys won both games versus the Eagles. The Yakutat girls, including two 4th graders, displayed excellent long-range shooting and dramatic finishes to win both games.
It had to be quite a thrill for Yakutat to be playing at the big Cordova High School (CHS) court, with nice crowds cheering them on – as their gym is about the size of Bidarki Rec Center’s floor and has a smaller set of bleachers on one side only.
The size difference was no illusion. The CHS court is actually 10 feet longer than the regulation National Federation High School length of 84 feet.
So here they were, with only one sub available for each team, having to cover more distance up and down the floor.
Anyone who watches junior high basketball knows how many turnovers there are, so that adds significantly to the number of trips back and forth.
Also added was something CHS fans have never seen before.
Late in the Saturday boys game, Yakutat’s biggest and most talented player went to the floor in severe pain under the basket. The coach came out and helped him off the court. The issue was leg cramps, caused most often by dehydration from all those trips up and down the floor.
Suddenly all the Yakutat boys, and several of the Yakutat girls sitting behind their bench, were fishing large dill pickles out of a big jar being passed around. When it reached the player with cramps, all that was left was juice, which he chugged down. And he was ready to play in short order.
Oh. Speaking of “short,” I had a chance to visit with Rose Fraker, the Yakutat girls coach, after the game. Rose was an 2A All- State player for the Eagles, and I had officiated some of her games at state. She mentioned appreciating the cheers and hospitality, and had one minor concern:
“The nice cushioned folding chairs were great for our bench, but a bit uncomfortable.”
“Really?”
“Yes. Several of my players’ legs were too short to reach the floor when they sat in them.”
No wonder she kept running her girls in and out so often.
