3A Boys Quarterfinals | Bracket Delivers Two Rivalry Semifinals | March Madness Alaska 2026
Wednesday, March 18, 2026 | UAA Alaska Airlines Center
Day one of the 3A boys bracket delivered exactly what the tournament promised. The top seed erupted for 79. The #3 seed needed every second of the fourth quarter just to survive. The two-time defending champions looked every bit like two-time defending champions. And Thursday is going to be even better.
Here is how Wednesday played out.
Mt. Edgecumbe 79, Houston 35
The first half was a game. The third quarter was not.
Guy Goldsberry went off. All 18 of his points came in one eight-minute stretch, and Mt. Edgecumbe outscored Houston 42-6 in the third quarter alone. Xavier Gundersen added 16, Kaden Herrman chipped in 14, and Royle Alstrom contributed 10 off the bench. The Wolverines never looked back once Goldsberry caught fire.
Blake Baskett led Houston with 11, William Rusher added 9. They competed for a half. The third quarter just was not survivable.
Mt. Edgecumbe is through.
Final: Mt. Edgecumbe 79, Houston 35 (3A Boys Quarterfinal)
Sitka 53, Delta 42
Three quarters of back-and-forth, then Sitka found another gear.
The #4 Wolves and #5 Huskies stayed locked through most of the night before Sitka outscored Delta 33-22 in the second half to pull away. Colton McGraw led the way with 16, hitting four threes. Trey Johnson and Shane Tincher each added 10, and Josh Partido chipped in 6.
Noriel Lugo led Delta with 12. They kept it within one heading into the fourth quarter. Sitka had more answers.
See you Thursday.
Final: Sitka 53, Delta 42 (3A Boys Quarterfinal)
Nome-Beltz 73, Valdez 29
The two-time defending champions did not ease into it.
Nome-Beltz jumped out 24-6 after one quarter and never let Valdez breathe. The Nanooks held the Buccaneers scoreless in the fourth quarter and had four players reach double figures. Lane Schuerch led with 14, and Levi Pederson, Kendall Ulroan, and Cohen Booth each added 11.
They’re in.
Final: Nome-Beltz 73, Valdez 29 (3A Boys Quarterfinal)
Barrow 59, Kenai Central 50
Kenai had them. And they kept fighting to hold it.
The Kardinals led most of the night, which was not what anyone predicted. With 5:30 left and Barrow down eight, junior Alex Fruean started the run with two free throws. Senior Lennox Fruean kept it going with a corner three to pull it within 47-45. Reid Titus answered with a three of his own to push it back to 50-45.
Nobody knew it then, but that was the last time Kenai scored.
Freshman Leoni Fruean took over from there. He converted an offensive rebound putback to give Barrow the lead for good at 52-50, then buried a corner three with 97 seconds left to make it a two-possession game. Five threes on the night, 17 points in the fourth quarter, and a comeback nobody in that gym saw coming. Jaziah Tivao had 19, with 10 in the first quarter. Alex Fruean added 18.
Reid Titus led Kenai with 14, Carter Eiter added 10. They came to Anchorage and made Barrow earn every single point.
Final: Barrow 59, Kenai Central 50 (3A Boys Quarterfinal)
Semifinal Matchups — Thursday, March 19
Thursday delivers two matchups that Alaska hoops fans have been circling since the bracket dropped.
Mt. Edgecumbe vs Sitka. 6:15 PM, Main Gym. These two schools sit on opposite sides of the O’Connell Bridge in Sitka, Mt. Edgecumbe on Japonski Island and Sitka High on the mainland, and their rivalry carries the Battle of the Bridge name for a reason. They have already met six times this season. Edgecumbe holds a 5-1 edge in those games, but Sitka’s only win came on a neutral floor. Thursday is a neutral floor. Every Battle of the Bridge game this year was decided by single digits except one. Expect more of the same.
Nome-Beltz vs Barrow. 7:45 PM, Main Gym. These two programs have met three times this season. Barrow won the opener 74-46, Nome answered and took the series 2-1 heading into Thursday. Nome has beaten Barrow at state the last two years running. Alex Fruean put up 31 points against them in last year’s state semifinal and still walked off with a loss. He is back. So is Leoni, who scored 17 in the fourth quarter of Wednesday’s quarterfinal against Kenai Central. Nome brings a two-time title pedigree and a press that does not quit. Barrow brings the Fruean brothers and a fourth-quarter engine that just proved it can flip any game in five minutes.
This is what March looks like in Alaska. Both games Thursday evening at the UAA Alaska Airlines Center.