On a cold winter day, eight teams gathered in Dimond High’s main gym. Those teams were Kodiak, Ketchikan, Soldotna High, North Pole, Grace, Colony, Nome and the Dimond Lynx. Dimond was the last game on the schedule that day against 15-ranked Kodiak. Coming into the game after beating third-ranked Service, if Dimond won the tournament, there was a great chance that they would make the number two spot in the rankings. They took Kodiak out of the water, winning by 37-70. Dimond’s next game was against a southern Alaska team, Ketchikan. That game would be a memorable one for Senior captain Travis Thompson. Thompson went out and exploded with 17 points in the first three minutes, bringing Dimond to a 20-5 lead in the first quarter. Ketchikan shot well in the game, but Dimond held their late surge off, winning 87- 74. Four Dimond players finished the game with double digits, but the story of the night was Thompson, who finished the game with 37 points, nine rebounds and five assists. In the championship game were the 3A powerhouse Nome and the surging 4A Dimond. Nome, coming into the game, was clearly the underdog. Thompson had another big night, corralling in 12 boards to finish the Shootout with a double-double, 22 points and 12 rebounds. But it wasn’t Thompson who was the only one with a double-double. Sophomore star Ryden Hines also had 18 points and 10 rebounds. In the All-Tournament team, Dylan Lauwers and Hines were included from Dimond. There was only one thing to cap off the tournament for Thompson, and that was winning the MVP award for the Prep Shootout. Winning the Prep Shootout really solidified the number two spot in state for Dimond.