Nikiski boys earn WPI berth for first state appearance since 2002; Other peninsula qualifers learn opponents

Head coach Reid Kornstad and the Nikiski boys basketball program had waited since 2002 for a state berth, so what difference did a few extra days make?

After the Bulldogs did not sew up an automatic berth due to a 67-43 loss to Grace Christian at the Southcentral Conference tournament Friday, Nikiski earned a Winning Percentage Index berth to the Class 3A state tournament Sunday.

“Anytime that news came, it would have been great,” Kornstad said.

There are eight berths available to the Class 3A boys state tournament. Seven are automatic bids, while the eighth is decided by the WPI, a formula that is not made public.

ADVERTISEMENT
0 seconds of 0 secondsVolume 0%
Press shift question mark to access a list of keyboard shortcuts
00:00
00:00
00:00
 

Nikiski had the top WPI of all the teams that did not earn automatic bids heading into the conference tournaments, but the mystery of the WPI did not have the Bulldogs resting easy Saturday night.

“When you look at the math, it penciled out for us, but when it came down to it, we were still pretty nervous,” Kornstad said.

Kornstad, who has been coach since the 1999-2000 season except for when he took one year off, had his squad over to his house to watch the March Madness Alaska Selection Show.

When Kornstad’s second state berth as a coach was announced, the house erupted.

“We all had a pretty big reaction,” Kornstad said. “It was pretty special.”

The team has six seniors — Cade Anderson, Luke Johnson, Hunter Holloway, Sam Tauriainen, Nathan Carstens and Javon Pamplin — who will now live to fight another day.

The day will be March 24 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, when the Bulldogs take on top seed Barrow at 7:15 p.m. All state tourney games will be played at the Alaska Airlines Center this season.

Nikiski actually is the No. 7 seed by the WPI, but the Bulldogs don’t get a first-round rematch with No. 2 seed Monroe Catholic, which fell to Nikiski 58-57 on Jan. 29.

On the selection show, Isaiah Vreeman of the Alaska School Activities Association said the Bulldogs and No. 8 seed Bethel finished within .01 of each other in the WPI.

When teams are that close, the selection committee has the discretion to switch a matchup in order to avoid a conference matchup.

Since Barrow and Bethel are both in the Western Conference, the committee elected to match the Bulldogs with the Whalers, who have not lost to a Class 3A team all season.

The other Kenai Peninsula schools to qualify — Homer girls, Ninilchik girls and boys, and Nikolaevsk girls and boys — had automatic bids heading into Sunday.

Homer drew the No. 2 seed and plays No. 7 seed Grace Christian at 3:30 p.m. March 24.

The squads have met three times this season, with Homer winning 46-35 on Feb. 19, 35-34 on March 3, and Grace winning 41-38 in the Southcentral title game Saturday.

Grace coach Ward Romans, appearing on the selection show, said when teams are that familiar, it tends to lead to low-scoring, defensive battles.

The Peninsula Conference flexed its muscles on the boys side when conference champ Ninilchik earned the No. 1 seed and runner-up Nikolaevsk, which beat defending Class 1A champ Seldovia at the second-place game at the conference tourney to deny the Sea Otters a state berth, was No. 3.

Vreeman said a seeding committee determines the top four seeds in the Class 1A tournament, and the rest are randomly drawn in, with the exception coming in the case of conference rematches.

Ninilchik plays St. Mary’s at 5:15 p.m. Wednesday in the first round, while Nikolaevsk plays Akiachak at 3:30 p.m.

The Peninsula Conference girls champion Wolverines earned the No. 3 seed and play Aniak at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday. Peninsula runner-up Nikolaevsk is not seeded, and faces Newhalen at 5:15 p.m.

More in Sports

Runners take off from the start of the 36th annual Violence Free Community Run on Saturday, Aug. 9, 2025, in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Participation at Violence Free Community Run jumps to 73

The 36th annual Violence Free Community Run jumped to 73 participants Saturday… Continue reading

tease
Aldridge takes overall win at 5th Soldotna Cycle Series race of season

Morgan Aldridge took the overall win at the fifth race of the… Continue reading

Kenai River's Luke Hause moves with the puck during a hockey game at the Soldotna Regional Sports Complex in Soldotna, Alaska, on Friday, Feb. 16, 2024. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Former Brown Bears player Hause commits to DI Long Island University

Luke Hause, a former defenseman for the Kenai River Brown Bears, announced… Continue reading

Seward's Chaz DiMarzio dismounts his bike after winning the Soggy Bottom 100 on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025, in Hope, Alaska. (Photo provided)
Seward’s DiMarzio wins Soggy Bottom 100 for 4th time

Mountain biker overcomes constant rain, broken handlebar

Allie Ostrander is presented her award by Stacia Rustad at the Alaska High School Hall of Fame's Class of 2023 induction ceremony on Sunday, May 7, 2023, at The Lakefront Hotel in Anchorage, Alaska. (Screenshot)
Ostrander scratches from steeplechase final at US Nationals

Allie Ostrander, a 2015 graduate of Kenai Central now a pro runner… Continue reading

Hikers climb a steep portion of Gtace Ridge during the 2025 Kachemak Bay Mountain Classic on Saturday. The race was 9.2 miles and racers faced a 3200’ elevation gain. (Photo courtesy of Amy Holman)
37 compete in annual Kachemak Bay Mountain Classic

This year’s race was held at Grace Ridge Trail

Homer junior Johannes Bynagle expands his lead midway through the Colony Invitational on Saturday, Aug. 31. 2024, at Colony High in Palmer, Alaska. (Photo by Jeremiah Bartz/Frontiersman)
Fishburn, Bynagle net The Great Salmon Run victories

Tori Fishburn and Johannes Bynagle won the third edition of The Great… Continue reading

Morgan Aldridge leads riders down a hill at the start of Week 3 of the Soldotna Cycle Series on Thursday, July 18, 2019, at Tsalteshi Trails. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Aldridge rolls to victory in 4th race of Soldotna Cycle Series

Morgan Aldridge took the women’s and the overall win Thursday, July 31,… Continue reading

Soldotna's Ollie Dahl leads Seward's Ridge Conant at the start of the freshmen-sophomore boys race Monday, Aug. 19, 2024, at the Peninsula Class Races at Nikiski Middle-High School in Nikiski, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Dahl captures Salmon Run Series 4

Ollie Dahl won the fourth race of the Salmon Run Series on… Continue reading

Most Read

You're browsing in private mode.
Please sign in or subscribe to continue reading articles in this mode.

Peninsula Clarion relies on subscription revenue to provide local content for our readers.

Subscribe

Already a subscriber? Please sign in