Junior Caroline Ward and freshman Dora Voltz d up against Senior Katie Dinon during the March 5 Craig-Wrangell game. The Lady Wolves would lose the game and a succeeding matchup against Haines, to be eliminated from the tournament.
The Lady Wolves season ended with two losses March 5 and 6 in Juneau.
They dropped their Region V opener to Craig 38-26, then lost their Friday match-up against Haines by two points.
Craig's Marie Yates contributed to the March 5 loss. The Lady Wolves struggled to find a defensive solution to an athletic and competitive player, said head coach Edna Abella-Nore.
"We literally just got out-rebounded by (Yates)," she said. "She's got some vertical leap. No matter how much my kids would box out, they couldn't really call over-the-back on her because it was a clean sweep half the time."
Bad falls again plagued the Lady Wolves, Abella-Nore said.
The Lady Wolves had the momentum – if not the lead – going into the second half on an Erica Smith sniper shot from about the three-quarter court mark. However, the Lady Panthers pulled away through most of the second half.
"We did shoot more," she said. "Our shots just weren't going in. They just went in and out."
"I like to think that the rim's a little rigged," Abella-Nore joked.
In the photo-finish second game, the Lady Wolves were a little out-matched in the paint, Abella-Nore said.
"Haines is a very physically aggressive," she said. "There were a couple calls that could have been game-changers, if they had been called."
The Lady Wolves also struggled from the line, Abella-Nore said.
"If we had made our free throws in the fourth quarter, we would have won the game," she said. "Haines missed their free throws."
While the season's ending may be disappointing, the team is in strong position for next year. Offensive workhorses junior Darian Meissner and sophomore Taylor Bean are slated to to return. Clutch rebounder junior Marsha McCay is among the tallest girl ballers in the conference. The team currently fields nearly a full squad of future seniors.
"I hope I can get a group of girls where anyone can score at any time," Abella-Nore said.
The team also took honors in other contests. Smith took first place at the free-throw competition among all schools, and Jenson took first in the three-point contest.
Smith led the Wolves Friday with 10 points on two field goals, two from beyond the arc. Bean followed with nine points on three field goals – two from beyond the arc and one-for-two from the free throw line. Meissner rounded out the top three scorers with four points on one field goal and two-for-four.
Yates led the Craig offense with 11 points on five field goals and one-for-two from the line. Katie Dinon followed with seven points on two field goals and three-for-six, tying Maggie Dinon with seven points on three field goals, including one three-pointer.
Jenson led the Lady Wolves on the following day with 18 points on six field goals – three from beyond the arc – and three-for-four from the line. Meissner followed with nine points on two field goals and one-for-three. Bean rounded out the top three with three free-throws.
Senior Libby Jacobsen led Haines with 15 points on three field goals – two from beyond the arc – and seven-for-thirteen from the free-throw line. Junior Celia Bower followed with 11 points on four field goals and three-for-five. Senior Jamie Messercshmidt rounded out the top three with four points on a field goal and two free throws.
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