Girls finish third in regional tournament

Wrangell's high school girls basketball team finished up its season with a hard-fought third place finish at last week's Region V in Juneau.

The girls started on good footing against Haines on Wednesday, winning 58-43. They moved on to first-seeded team Metlakatla the following day.

"We had a really strong game against them," said Wrangell coach Laurie Brown. The girls kept pace with the Miss Chiefs throughout the game. Fouls played a factor in the game, earning extra points; sophomore Helen Decker ended up landing 13 for 15 of her attempts.

The game ended in a close 46-50 loss, sending the team to the secondary bracket. First against them was Petersburg, who the girls had just split with the previous weekend. The game was strongly defensive, with points kept particularly low through the first half. Wrangell pulled off a 30-19 win by the final buzzer, eliminating the Lady Vikings from play.

For their final game on Saturday, the Lady Wolves were up again against Metlakatla, who had been beaten in a surprise upset by Craig High School. Wrangell held the lead heading into the second quarter, but Metlakatla bounced back before the half, leading 24-20. Into the second half the Miss Chiefs defense dogged their opponents, with Wrangell outscored to a 31-43 defeat.

"We had a really good tournament," Brown said afterward. "They came ready to play."

It had been a tiring four-game week, but her players had persevered throughout she said.

The girls were noted for their achievements in the season as well. Anna Allen was named to the All-Conference Team, and Abby Armstrong and Charley Seddon awarded for their sportsmanship. Grace Cano and manager Josephine Lewis each made the All-Academic Team for their high grade point averages.

Brown thought it was a good end to a successful season, one where the team coalesced and improved as it went on. "I think it was a really growing season," she explained.