The stands at Thunder Mountain High School’s gym were full on Saturday as the Skagway Panthers and Hoonah Braves varsity basketball teams faced off in Juneau’s first annual Elizabeth Peratrovich Women’s High School Basketball Invitational.
The teams were battling to see who would be crowned the tournament’s first champions. Ultimately, it was the Panthers who took home the title with a 29-8 win.
Thunder Mountain girl’s varsity basketball coach and event organizer Andy Lee said the tournament is meant to showcase the deep pool of talented female athletes in Alaska and to honor Alaska Native culture in Juneau.
“I’ve always thought of Elizabeth Peratrovich, hearing the stories about her and her impact on the civil rights movement and the legislation that she’s impacted and the people she’s influenced — what a great role model,” he said.
Peratrovich’s activism was a driving force behind the Alaska legislature’s passage of the Anti-Discrimination Act of 1945. That bill was signed nearly two decades before the federal Civil Rights Act.
Lee said it was only right to choose one of the most influential women in Alaska’s history as the tournament’s namesake. He said it was important to choose someone for the girls who can inspire them.
Keidre Hartman, a senior on the Thunder Mountain girl’s team, said she really enjoyed the tournament and having the teams come play on her home court.
“I really like helping build up the community, and Native culture is definitely a big part of Juneau, and so I like being able to support that,” she said.
The Central Council of Tlingit and Haida Indian Tribes of Alaska was the tournament’s main sponsor. Tlingit and Haida President Chalyee Éesh Richard Peterson was in the stands to watch the championship game.
He said the tournament is special because it lifts up young women in the sport and honors basketball’s deep roots in Alaska Native culture.
“I think it’s just exciting to see young ladies given the center stage and to do it in honor of Elizabeth Peratrovich makes all the more sense makes it a thing to be excited about,” Peterson said.
Lee said he hopes the tournament will become a tradition for the young high school.
“I want things to live on, beyond the people that are here and the message. And I want it to resonate with young women who play — and I hope there’s a 50th-annual,” he said.
Lee said plans are already underway to expand next year’s tournament.
