The varsity boys’ basketball team won one game against conference rivals Craig this week.
They lost Thursday’s game 56-58, but won the Friday sequel 50-49. The split result brings the Wolves’ conference record to 3-5 on the season.
The Wolves paced the Panthers through three quarters Thursday leading by two at the half, then poured it on in the fourth. They outscored Craig 19-11, coming up just shy of another win in the last minutes.
The finish was so close, it might as well be a win, said head coach Ray Stokes.
“We really could have won the first night just as easy,” he said. “I’m almost gonna assume we won both of ‘em just for my own mind.”
The Wolves are developing offensively as players acclimate to individual roles, Stokes said.
“Each of ‘em is starting to get their own position,” he said. “I told each one of ‘em you gotta do this and you gotta do this. Each one of them is stepping up and getting that done, and it’s given us an opportunity to be competitive.”
“The first part of the year, we’d be lucky to get anyone in double figures,” he added. “Now we’re gettin’ two, or three sometimes.”
The Wolves ought to be no strangers to close finishes against the Craig squad. They lost the season opener by three points in overtime at home. The key seems to be limiting the offensive rebounding and scoring capability inside, where Craig holds a distinct size advantage in the form of 6’6” center senior Lincoln Isaacs. While Craig is also capable of shooting the outside, Stokes said he took steps to limit damage done in the paint.
“We really sucked back in and didn’t extend so far, which I think kind of protected the paint more,” he said. “We pulled our defense in a little bit and kind of forced them – if they wanted to – to shoot perimeter shots.”
“They do have a couple kids who can do that, but we were selective on the people we said go ahead and shoot and the ones we weren’t going to allow,” he added. “I think we used our heads more, knowing the different attributes they had and took their strengths away from them.”
“The second night we did a lot better on the boards and not lettin’ them have second shots,” he said. “We protected the things that they like to do, which was penetration mostly, and we really slowed that down and it really kind of stymied them a little bit.”
Saturday’s razor-thin final score wasn’t indicative of a game in which the Wolves led by as many as nine points at the end of the first quarter, and as many as five points as late as the end of the third quarter. The Panthers attempted to close the gap late, putting up 13 points in the fourth to Wrangell’s nine, but the Wolves hung on for the win.
Senior Robbie Marshall led the offense Thursday with 21 points on six field goals (one from behind the arc) and six-for-eight from the line. Sophomore Blake Stokes followed with 14 points on six field goals and two-for-two from the free-throw lines.
Isaacs put up 17 points to lead the Panthers on six field goals (one from behind the arc) and four-for-eight from the line. Junior Erik Scheidecker followed him with 12 points on five field goals and two-for-four from the line.
Stokes took his turn at the top of the scoring list Friday with 17 points, all from the field, including three three-point shots. Marshall followed with 10 points on four field goals and two-for-two from the line.
Isaacs and sophomore Bryar Mackie tied atop the Panthers offense Friday with 11 points. Mackie shot four field goals (two from behind the arc) and one-for-two from the line. Isaacs sank five field goals and one-for-two from the free-throw lines. Lewis Owen followed with 10 points on four field goals.
Junior Varsity
The JV team marked losses on Thursday and Friday.
They dropped the Thursday opener 47-55, and tripped up 39-47 Friday night.
Freshman Dawson Miller led the Wolves’ offense Thursday with 12 points on straight field goals. Freshman Trent Stokes followed with eight points on two field goals and four-for-eight from the line.
Craig baller Timber Burnham lead the JV Panther offense with 12 points on five field goals before fouling out in the fourth quarter. Mackie, who also played in the varsity matchups Saturday, notched 11 points to follow.
The younger Stokes notched 21 points on nine field goals and three-for-three from the line on Friday. Miller followed with 16 points on eight field goals.
Two JV Panthers answered with offensive blasts of their own. Mackie notched 21 points from the field (including three three-pointers), and Ammon Bingham contributed 14 points on six field goals and two-for-two from the field.
The Wolves continue their season at home against Metlakatla this weekend.
Reader Comments(0)