Wolves go 1-1 in close games against Haines

The Wrangell Wolves basketball team had a hard-fought set of games against the Haines Glacier Bears last weekend. Each game had its tense moments, as both games were determined by only a few baskets.

In the end, the Wolves were able to claim one victory, and one loss, against Haines. After last weekend, the Wolves are now 3-1 in conference games.

Wrangell held a decent lead through the majority of Friday's game, on Jan. 18. They held a 12-point lead at one point, in the second quarter.

Things turned against them in the fourth quarter, however. The Glacier Bears were able to gain momentum and catch up, tying the game at 38 to 38. The Wolves were able to pull ahead, but then the Glacier Bears tied them again and pull ahead. Then Wrangell tied the Bears. There was lots of back-and-forth in the final minutes of the game, but Haines was able to hold a lead of two points as the clock wound down. Wrangell attempted a last-second three-pointer, but it missed.

The Glacier Bears claimed a narrow victory with a score of 45 to 43. Coach Cody Angerman said that it is always difficult to play games on the road, and attributed the loss to the Wolves allowing too many turnovers.

"Had we protected the ball and been a little smarter, the outcome would have been different," he said.

Saturday's game went in Wrangell's favor, but it was still a hard struggle. Both teams stayed fairly close together in points. By halftime, they were tied 20 to 20, thanks to a three-pointer by the Glacier Bears in the last moments of the quarter. The Wolves pulled ahead in the third quarter, but lost their lead by the fourth. Angerman said that they were down by two points with only 20 seconds left on the clock, but were able to retie the game at 49-49. A free throw by Brett Abrahamson (#45) gave Wrangell a single point lead, which the team built on. When the buzzer went off, Wrangell had won with a score of 54 to Haines' 49.

"I'm not going to lie, it did get a little tense," Angerman said. "I'm proud of them."

Wrangell will go up against Metlakatla next weekend, in a set of home games. Angerman said that Metlakatla is a hard team to beat, but the team is focusing on their training and will be prepared to face them.

The weekend after, on Feb. 1 and 2, the Wolves will face Petersburg in their homecoming games.