Wolves drop two at Vikings homecoming

The boys basketball team lost twice at Petersburg this weekend.

The Vikings topped the Wolves 47-35 Friday, and closed out another chapter of the heated local rivalry with a 52-32 win Saturday.

“They’re better than us,” said head coach Ray Stokes, and laughed. “That’s the truth.”

While the Vikings boast two inside men well over six feet tall, the Wolves defense was up to the task Friday to keep things close, Stokes said. He compared their Petersburg performance to home games against Craig Dec. 20 and 21.

“They’re kind of similar,” he said. “They had two kids over there that were 6’6” plus. I feel like defensively we did very decent. On the other hand, we focus so much on that, it kind of opens up the outside.”

The team will work on strategies to equalize the difference in the future, Stokes said.

While the Wolves trailed when the buzzer sounded both Friday and Saturday, he’s impressed with the effort the team has displayed.

“We’re working on that, trying to think of strategies that give us better chances and odds of winning as well,” he said. “This is the hand we’re dealt and the boys are great boys. We’re trying to work on shot selection.”

Sophomore Blake Stokes led the Wolves scorers in Friday’s game with 14 points, 12 of which came from beyond the three-point line, and all of which came from the field. Senior Robbie Marshall followed with seven points, two from beyond the arc and one from the line.

The Wolves struggled at the line Friday, shooting one-for-six from the line to the Vikings 7-for-14.

On the Petersburg side, Michael Brock led the Vikings offense with 12 points, accumulating two field goals, two three-pointers, and two free throws. He was followed by Colby Bell and Tristan Welton with seven points each.

The Wolves also suffered early foul trouble for Stokes and junior Mikey Ottesen, who each accumulated four fouls on Friday’s game.

Sophomore Bryce Gerald led the Wolves during Saturday’s game with seven points on three field goals, including one from beyond the arc. Marshall and Stokes followed with five points each.

Friday night’s line troubles followed the Wolves into Saturday, when the Wolves shot two-for-four to Petersburg’s 13-for-18.

The Wolves continue their season next weekend against Metlakatla.