HHS boys in state tourney for first time since 2000

HOUSTON — Bloodied and bruised, Matt Barron was like a prizefighter last weekend.

After taking an elbow to the face during the first game of the Southcentral Conference Championships, the Houston senior spent the next three days doing everything he could to stay on the floor, and keep his own blood off it. Through stoppages of play because of his bleeding nose — as many as five in one game — and the constant pain, Barron battled through. With the Hawks in the fight of their basketball lives, Barron helped his team go the distance. Following a first-round loss to Homer, the Barron-led Hawks scored three straight victories to record the basketball TKO, and ring the bell to celebrate Houston’s first appearance in the 3A boys state basketball tournament since 2000.

“The way that kid responded, there’s not a tougher kid in the state,” Houston head coach Steve Hederson said.

Barron and the Hawks muscled past Nikiski, Seward and Homer en route to clinching the conference’s third and final spot to the state tourney, which begins Thursday at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. After a Day 1 loss to Homer in the quarterfinals, each game could have marked the end of Houston’s season. The Hawks responded with a consolation win over Nikiski the following morning. On Saturday, Houston needed to score two wins in just about 10 hours to end the program’s 14-year state tourney draught. Houston beat Seward 69-54 in the morning, and held on to beat Homer 39-35 later that day.

Barron collected 42 points, 14 rebounds and four steals in the two Saturday games, all while working with the potentially broken nose. He recorded 22 points and eight rebounds against the Seahawks and 20 points and six boards against Homer.

“The kid was unreal,” Henderson said of Barron. “I’ve never coached anyone like him.”

Barron’s roller coaster weekend all started in the first game of the tournament.

“He ran into an elbow in the first game. There was blood everywhere on the floor,” Henderson said.

After he was seen by trainers, Barron was right back in the game. Henderson said at one point in the game, Barron came to the sideline and said, “Coach, my nose hurts so much, I can’t even stand it.”

But Barron continued to battle through.

In the Saturday morning game against Seward, Henderson said play was stopped at least five times as Barron’s nose bled. But Barron — with his cotton-stuffed, swollen nose — played on.

“It was pretty impressive,” Henderson said.

While Barron might have been the epitome of Houston’s work during the championship weekend, Henderson praised the work of his team collectively, and his seniors in particular.

“It’s pretty exciting for those guys, those nine seniors,” Henderson said. “It’s a pretty good way to go out, pretty cool thing.”

Henderson noted players such as Kruz Kleewein and Jeff Baird. Kleewein scored eight against Seward. Baird averaged six rebounds per game on the final day.

“Kruz was huge for us all weekend. Baird was huge on the boards,” Henderson said. “But it was an all-around team effort. It was fantastic.”

Houston opens its 2014 3A state tourney Thursday at 7 p.m. at the Sullivan Arena against Anchorage Christian, the top seed from the Southcentral Conference. It’s a tough draw for the Hawks. ACS has played in the last two state title games, and won a championship in 2011.

“Why not?” Henderson said of playing the Lions in the first round. “Whatever it is, is what it is. We’ve been preaching all year long, control what you can control.”

Henderson said the Hawks will embrace the role of the underdog.

“Let’s be honest. They’re not focused on us. They’re focused on their next game. They’re not going to spend two seconds looking at our game. They’re focused on their next game,” Henderson said.

Aurora Conference champion and defending state champion Monroe and Western Conference runner-up Nome shares the top of the bracket with ACS and Houston. Monroe and ACS have played for the last two state titles, with each school winning one championship.

ASAA seeds its 4A brackets according to Winning Percentage Index, the formula used to rank 4A teams. The 3A brackets are seeded according to the conference finish assigned to each piece of the bracket. The 3A bracket interconference matchups are rotated annually. This year, the Southcentral and Aurora conference champions are featured on the same side of the bracket. The last two years they have been on opposite sides.