February 5, 2026, by Sean Ulman for the Seward Folly
Kicking off the Seahawk Classic, fans in the packed gym experienced something unfamiliar. The defending state champion Seward Girls team fell behind the Unalaska Raiders, 2-0. Attendees stayed standing into the third minute, awaiting their beloved hometown team’s first points.
Photos by Erik Slater, January 29-31, 2026
Buckets proceeded to pour in per usual. Seward’s 1-3-1 pressure defense, a menacing scheme that they execute with precision, led to a stream of fastbreak layups and another runaway win, 58-21.
“To play the 1-3-1 you have to play good team defense,” Seward Coach Curtis Berry said. “Otherwise it’s garbage. You can’t do it individually.”
Surgical with their suffocating D, Seward players worked smarter and harder, as if on a string. As one.
“Most teams aren’t practicing against the 1-3-1,” Berry said. “Maybe now they are. But they can’t duplicate a practice against that pressure, at that level. And these girls are really good at it.”
When Unalaska was able to cross the midline, the Seahawks’ hawking defenders had already disrupted any rhythm. They bothered passers into turnovers. When the Raiders succeeded in launching shots, they were rushed. Seahawks’ textbook box-outs led to rebounds being gathered as easily as blueberries in a boom crop season.
The Raiders didn’t score again until the final seconds of the first half. After two quarters of Seward’s clamping pressure, the scoreboard read 39-4.
“Defense leads to offense,” Barry said. “If you push the pace with defense, you don’t need to be as good at offense.”
Just ahead of Super Bowl week, these Seahawk defenders, with their tenacious instincts, resembled Seattle’s linebackers and defensive backs. Grace Fleming at the nose of the press, piled up strip-sack-like scoop and scores; Ava Jagielski at free safety, eagle-eyeing her teammates’ backcourt pressure, made All-Pro breaks on the ball at half court.
Photos by Erik Slater, January 29-31, 2026
The synergy this special Seahawks team has built over a couple of seasons is a sight to behold. So well coached. As in life, listening is an underrated skill in hoops, too. Obviously, they pay attention.
“We challenge,” Berry pointed out, regarding his program’s defensive culture. “You need to buy into this concept. And they love it. I give all the credit to these kids. They are willing to buy in and that’s what shows on the court.”
Synchronized swimming came to mind in the 2nd quarter when Berry called a play in a half-court set. All five players slid to their spots. Two zipped passes and a back-door cut led to an open layup, and the coach celebrated with a youthful skip and audible yip.
Clearly all the hard work put in by the coaches and players is leading to a lot of fun. During the opening announcement of starting lineups, when the lights went out and the gym was lit by the pom poms of another impressive team, the Seahawk cheerleaders, Coach Berry leapt as high as his star center, senior co-captain Mikinley Williams. Their midair bump was one of many examples of the team’s precise rehearsal.
“Mikinley kind of promoted that last year,” Berry said. “I try to do what I can. I always worry about crumbling to the ground. But I want to be part of what they want me to be.”
The impression of the captains is constantly evident.
The game seems to come naturally to senior Ava Jagielski, who starred as a freshman. Seeing everything, often before it happens, she floats, dribbles direct lines, drops dimes, stuffs stat sheets. But watch her track and secure rebounds or hit the floor and fight for every loose ball like it’s a precious fumble and it’s clear that her intensity helps make it look easy.
Williams, the anchor of the 1-3-1, is a powerhouse in post defense. And on the other side of the ball, she owns the foul line. The offense starts there with a pass to her. She pivots, analyzes options, and often dishes an over-the-top pass to a timely cutter. She makes good decisions, like when she was left open on the arc and shot, swishing the only three-pointer Seward attempted in the game.
Photos by Erik Slater, January 29-31, 2026
Like her fellow co-captain, Mikinley’s grit is obvious. Late in the first half, she absorbed an inadvertent hit to the face. It looked like it hurt. But by the time she had sprinted down court, she was over it. Like it didn’t even happen.
What serendipity to have tough classmates with such high IQ, instincts, skills and a team-first (and second) mentality.
And from there, the riches of such a rarity can be tapped.
“That’s how you build a program,” Berry said. “The younger ones watch those who are successful. And they feel their energy.”
Williams and Jagielski’s signature traits have clearly made an impression on their teammates.
Throughout the first game of the Classic, Seward players seemed interchangeable.
“We work on guard skills and post skills all together,” Berry pointed out. “The guards do post stuff, and the posts do guard stuff.”
Pinball passes flicked, rebounders crashed the glass, pink sneakers shuffled and squeaked.
Treated with such basketball poetry, the players can get a little invisible. And one can just see the game for all its old-school artistry. Pure. Geometric. Electric.
When Regan Seibert took a rotation at the front of the press, it often led to the same result as when Fleming was there. Steals, deflections, run-outs, lay-ups. The energy expended at this position is astounding. Grace and Regan slide-hustle relentlessly in the half-court as well. The same high-revving motor was showcased a few seasons ago by former player Hailey Ingalls, a cross-country state champion.
Seibert’s and other teammates’ skip passes upcourt resembled Jagielski’s perfect pitches. When Mt. Marathon champion Olive Jordan was on the wing of the press, she cheated up to snag interceptions, just like Ava. On offense, Jordan and Lia Shank timed their decisive slips to the rim identically. Shank’s extra strength was obvious in loose ball scrums.
Photos by Erik Slater, January 29-31, 2026
When Williams rests, Sevin Phillips takes her spot as offense engine, ready to snap-calculate options upon an elbow reception. Pamela Hillestad keeps both O and D systems operating, always in position, talking to teammates, making the right play.
The disruption caused by Seward’s full-court press was also apparent in the second half versus Unalaska. With the big lead, Seahawks’ defenders started to pull back and pick up at the half-court line. Finally, with some room to breathe, Unalaska hit a graceful stride. And, especially with their shot-making, showed they are a formidable team. They played the defending state champs close in the second half, 17-19. That momentum likely carried into the next day when the Raiders defeated the Bethel Warriors, 44-25.
Might the Seahawks have used that contested second half to find some extra motivation to bring to their next two games, wins vs. Kenai, 57-15, and Bethel, 64-20?
Possibly. Probably not though. The plain old fun of playing the game seems to be driving their remarkable ride.
“The joy of wanting to play well comes first,” Berry said. “And the joy of winning, and playing well, is the fruition of that.”
Next weekend, the Seahawks return to their home court to play Cordova, Friday and Saturday. Senior basketball and cheerleaders will be recognized, and at halftime, there will be a performance by the mini cheerleaders.
Seahawk Classic Scores
| Boys Games | Score | Girls Games | Score |
| Kenai vs. Bethel | Bethel 71-62 | Kenai vs. Bethel | Kenai 58-40 |
| Seward vs. Unalaska | Seward 62-55 | Seward vs. Unalaska | Seward 58-21 |
| Bethel vs. Unalaska | Bethel 62-59 | Bethel vs. Unalaska | Bethel 44-25 |
| Seward vs. Kenai | Seward 49-40 | Seward vs. Kenai | Seward 57-15 |
| Unalaska vs. Kenai | Kenai 67-50 | Unalaska vs. Kenai | Kenai 63-32 |
| Seward vs. Bethel | Bethel 64-39 | Seward vs. Bethel | Seward 64-20 |
Boys Champions: Bethel
Girls Champions: Seward
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