Jakob Kvasnikoff’s heroics on the basketball court earned him Alaska Athlete of the Week honors.
The Kenai Central High School basketball player scored 25 points and nailed a buzzer-beater with .5 seconds remaining to lead the Kardinals to a miraculous 70-69 victory over the Houston Hawks.
The team was motivated by a pre-game text message from teammate Zach Armstrong, who was recently diagnosed with acute leukemia and undergoing chemotherapy. Armstrong was watching the game on live-stream from his hospital bed in Anchorage.
“With everything surrounding Zach and the things he’s battling just to stay alive … his message to the team just really motivated our kids to try to play our best for him,” Kenai head coach Nolan Rose said.
The Kardinals, who lost to Houston by 48 points in an early season game a year ago scored 5 points in the final 5.2 seconds in what Rose described as “a bit of divine intervention.”
Rose said of the 6-foot-2 senior Kvasnikoff: “He’s a big-time scorer for us and we just told him it was time to be great. Go win the game.”
The Alaska Athlete of the Week is selected by a panel each Monday.
Have a candidate in mind? Email us your nomination: info@alaskasportshall.org.
Also receiving votes: Rosie Brennan, Billy Renfrew