Having taken the Regional title, the Lady Wolves and their coaches got to cut down the net from one of the basketball hoops. Pictured here is the team with their trophies.
Coach Laurie Brown (left), Assistant Coach Katelyn Reeves (second from left) and members of the Wrangell Lady Wolves celebrate their win over Metlakatla last Friday at Regionals. This is the first Regional title the Lady Wolves have won in 25 years, according to the ASAA Region V website.
After two intense games against the Petersburg Lady Vikings and Metlakatla Miss Chiefs, the Wrangell Lady Wolves claimed victory in the ASAA Region V championship.
This is the first time in 25 years that the Lady Wolves have taken first place in regionals, according to the Region V website. The last time the Lady Wolves won the regional tournament was in 1994, back when Wrangell was a 3A school. Coach Laurie Brown said that it was an amazing experience to take the regional title, but all the credit belongs to the girls on her team. She said their work ethic and skills on and off the court are exceptional.
Regionals were held in Sitka last week, and teams from all across Southeast Alaska competed.
Wrangell came into Regionals seeded in first place, so they earned a bye. Their first game took place on the second day of regionals, March 7, against the Lady Vikings. The game opened in Wrangell's favor, with the Lady Wolves taking a big lead in the first quarter. The second and third quarter saw them expand this lead, despite the Lady Viking's best efforts. The score at the end of the third quarter was 42 to 20, favoring Wrangell. The Lady Vikings did gain some momentum in the fourth quarter, but not enough to save the game. The final score was 49 to 34, a win for the Lady Wolves.
The next day's game was much closer. Wrangell went up against the Metlakatla Miss Chiefs. Metlakatla High School, as many Southeast Alaskans know, has a very strong basketball program. This was demonstrated last Friday as the Miss Chiefs took a strong lead against the Lady Wolves and held it for the entirety of the first half. Wrangell showed determination, however, and slowly began to catch up.
By the end of the third quarter, the tables had turned and Wrangell held a narrow lead of two points. After that, both teams stayed very close together in scoring. The game really came down to the last 20 seconds, where both teams were tied 39 to 39. Within the final moments of the game, however, Wrangell was able to make a two-pointer and take the lead. Metlakatla had a few seconds left in the game to try and score, but failed to do so. The final score was 41 to 39, another win for Wrangell.
"It wasn't our best game we ever played, but the girls showed maturity and leadership," Brown said.
With the regional championship, the Lady Wolves will be seeded second in the state tournament in Anchorage from March 14 to 16. They will be going up against seventh seed Unalakleet in their first game.
They left Wrangell on the morning flight of Tuesday, March 12, with the Wrangell Volunteer Fire Department giving them a ride through town to send them off. Brown commented on what a great community Wrangell is, and how much their support has meant to the team.
"We've had so much support throughout this season, and throughout these girls' whole lives," Brown said.
Reader Comments(0)