Wolves improve, but lose 3 at Cochrane tourney

The Wrangell High team brought three straight losses home from the Clarke Cochrane Invitational this weekend.

Wolves fans can take solace in the fact that the team has shown improvement in critical areas, even if the scoreboard lists the smaller number on the Wolves' side, said head coach Ray Stokes. Competition at the tournament also involved larger schools, Stokes added.

"We lost all three of our games, but it was really pretty good competition," he said. "We're young and inexperienced, and it was a good experience for us."

Tournament action kicked off with a slow start and an 11-0 run by Ketchikan on Friday. Despite drawing within single-digits of Ketchikan, the 11-point gap would be on the scoreboard at the end of the match, too.

Senior Robbie Marshall led the Wolves Friday with 15 points, 14 from field goals inside the arc. Marshall shot one-for-four from the line.

Sophomore Blake Stokes trailed Marshall with 11 points, one two-point basket and two additional 3-point shots, and three-for-three from the line.

Isaiah Navales put up 14 points to lead the Kings, followed by Colton Paulsen, who contributed 12, and the Kings led through all four quarters to win their opener.

"They're just better than we are," Stokes said of the Kings. "They're a pretty large school compared to us and had a lot more depth and experience than we did. We stayed competitive in it. They (the Wolves) didn't fold. I think Ketchikan was expecting us to."

The Wolves faced Seward High School Saturday and lost 54-35. After trailing by as many as 33 points at the end of the third quarter, the Wolves tacked on 21 points in the fourth quarter to make it respectable. Fourth-quarter Wrangell points Saturday trumped by only three points the combined score from the first three quarters.

"That was hopefully the worst game we'll play all season," Stokes said. "We just looked atrocious. We were in the gym for 15 hours the day before and then had to play somewhat early the next day. We just couldn't buy a basket."

Sophomore Bryce Gerald and Marshall led the way for the offense, scoring seven points each. Gerald picked six points from field goals inside the arc, and added a single free throw. Marshall made one field goal and scored the majority of points from the line, shooting five-for-eight.

"If we had played as well as we had against Ketchikan, I think we would have won the game, or at least been in a very tight game," Stokes said.

On the tournament's concluding day, Wrangell faced conference rivals Craig, to whom they lost both games of the home opener Dec. 20 and Dec. 21.

"Actually, I thought the boys played a pretty decent game there," Stokes said.

As was the case during the Dec. 20 home game, the Wolves and Panthers were tied at the half. The game stayed close throughout the third and fourth quarter. With eight seconds to go in the fourth quarter, the score was tied, and the Wolves had possession in the offensive zone. However, an untimely turnover dribbled wide to Craig senior Kelsey Trojan. The Wolves fouled Trojan to prevent an easy layup, Stokes said.

"I think it was the right decision at the time," he said.

Trojan sank two from the line and the Wolves closed out the game 60-58 and a winless invitational.

However, it was the closest and last game where the Wolves showed the most improvement. Where 6'6" Craig senior Lincoln Isaacs scored a dominating 21 points to close out the Dec. 21 game, Isaacs ended Sunday's match with only six points to his name.

"I thought if we held that one kid, it'd be close," Stokes said. "It seems like we're so small that if we give up too much trying to protect one thing, it opens something else up and they (Craig) hit a coupla three-pointers right in a row that hurt us a bit."

Blake Stokes led the Wolves' offense with 17 points, including 15 from beyond the arc. Marshall followed closely with 16 points, 12 from the field and four more from the line, where he shot four-for-four.

Trojan scored 15 points for Craig followed by Lewis Owen with 14 points.

The Wolves will focus on fundamentals and endurance going forward, Stokes said.

"I'm gonna take some time with the boys and see if we can get some fundamentals in and see if we can get some more people prepared to shoot the ball," Stokes said. "I'd also like to improve our running game."

The Wolves' season continues Jan. 10 and 11 at Petersburg.