Tough start for the Wolves' basketball season

The Wrangell Wolves had a rough beginning to their basketball season after two losses to the Petersburg Vikings this weekend. In two games on Friday, Dec. 20 and Saturday, Dec. 21, Wrangell put up a tough fight in two high-scoring games but were unable to keep up with Petersburg.

In the first game, Dec. 20, the Wolves managed to take the lead at the end of the first quarter with 17 points to the Vikings' 16. By the end of the first half, however, the Vikings pulled ahead at 35 to 21. They held this lead for the rest of the game, despite Wrangell's best efforts to catch up. The final score was 74 to 45, Wrangell's loss.

On Dec. 21, it was more of the same. Petersburg took the lead early in the first quarter and held it for the entire game. The Wolves had a hard time scoring this game, especially in the second quarter. The final score was 63 to 43, another win for Petersburg.

"Petersburg's a hard place to play in, to begin with," said Coach Cody Angerman.

Angerman said that Petersburg has a big and strong basketball team. That, plus a home-field advantage, meant that the Wolves knew they were walking into a tough fight. Angerman mentioned that several of his players also played on the wrestling team, and were in Anchorage for their state tournament.

While Wrangell lost, he said that the games were a good learning experience. Moving forward, Angerman said that the team will be focusing on improving their defense and rebound games. The Wolves will be traveling to the Clarke Cochrane Tournament in Ketchikan this week, Dec. 26 to 30. Angerman said their first game will be against Monroe High School.