Skagway School’s girls’ basketball team, the Lady Panthers, earned the top spot at the first annual Elizabeth Peratrovich Women’s High School Basketball Invitational. 

Held Jan. 18-20 in Juneau, the all-female tournament honors Peratrovich, the revered Tlingit civil rights activist. The event’s main sponsor is the Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska. 

Six teams participated. The Lady Panthers battled the Hoonah Braves in the final game, winning 29-8. The trophy, large and gleaming silver, now resides at Skagway School. 

Nate Jennings has coached the girls’ team for seven years. He was more than a little proud of the girls’ accomplishment. 

Jennings: “They exceeded my expectations for sure. Especially on the defensive end, our defense was just suffocating at the tournament.” 

There are 12 girls on the Skagway team. A maximum of eight can travel at one time. They practice two hours, five days a week with an occasional Saturday scrimmage. Because Skagway has one gym, the girls rotate the court with the boys’ team, meaning one team must practice at 6. a. m. 

Ava Myers, a senior, said she loves traveling with her basketball team to see other Southeast communities and how they differ. She said being on the team has taught her relationship skills.  

Myers: “But overall, I think basketball has helped me kind of grow as a person just because there is a lot that goes into it, especially with traveling for it. You know, we’re gone for a week, two weeks at a time, every time we leave for conference games. So, kind of bonding with teammates and figuring out how you work with these people. Like, it’s just interesting to kind of watch each individual grow as well. Like, you learn so much from trip to trip and gain to gain. So, it’s just kind of fun to figure things out.” 

Jennings said the tournament was a beautiful opportunity for the girls to be in the spotlight. 

Jennings: “And from the first meeting before the tournament, I could just like, feel that this was going to be something special for years to come. And just with the other towns and villages there, like it really meant a lot. And I was very privileged and humbled to, to be there at all. And we got invited back for next year. And we’re definitely going to go to that.”  

Regionals start at the end of February with the state tournament in March.