Lady Wolves win Southeast, head to state tournament this week

In perhaps their toughest competition this season, the Lady Wolves high school basketball squad proved why they're the top Division 2A team in Southeast by beating both Haines and Metlakatla last week to win the regional championship, sending them to Anchorage for the state tournament this week.

It was a repeat crown for the Lady Wolves, who went to state in 2019 as Southeast champions, their first time in about 25 years.

The boys team didn't fare as well at the regional tournament in Ketchikan, beating the Craig Panthers and Haines Glacier Bears, but falling twice to the Petersburg Vikings, ending their hopes for a spot at the state tournament.

The Division 2A state tournament will start Thursday and run through Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus. The games will be streaming live on nhfsnetwork.com, a subscription-based website.

Regional championship games began last Wednesday, with the boys facing off against the Vikings for the fifth time in a row after homecoming games in both Wrangell and Petersburg. The game would determine who played for first place in Southeast.

Wrangell struggled to keep up with Petersburg from the start of the game, not scoring in the first period until nearly four minutes in when junior Jacen Hay scored a basket. The Wolves were able to close the gap, ending the period down 9-11 to the Vikings. However, Petersburg put the pressure on and widened the gap, leading by 10 at one point during the second period.

Though Petersburg's players kept tight control of the ball and put up a strong defense, they seemed to become frazzled when Wrangell would pick up speed and make rapid-fire passes. Both teams held each other at bay during the third period, barely scoring. In the fourth period, Petersburg stepped up its scoring, winning 33-25.

Petersburg went on to face Metlakatla last Friday for the championship title, ultimately losing to the Chiefs 31-25.

Wrangell still had a shot at winning the second-place berth, which would have taken them to state. The Wolves proved how formidable they could be, playing against Craig last Thursday and Haines the following day. The Panthers became the team struggling to keep up as Wrangell kept outscoring them. Once Wrangell pulled further away in the second quarter, they never held less than a 10-point lead for the remainder of the game. Wrangell beat Craig 55-29.

The Wolves couldn't rest just yet. Two more games stood between them and heading to state.

Early last Friday, the Wolves kept up the heat from the previous day's play, taking the Haines Glacier Bears to task. Though Haines started with a strong defense, freshman Daniel Harrison broke through the line to put the first points on the board. Senior Ryan Rooney followed suit with two points. From there, the Glacier Bears never caught up.

It didn't help in the second quarter when Hay, Harrison and Rooney dropped multiple three-pointers. Wrangell won 60-43. Harrison and the Glacier Bears' Eric Gilham both scored 19 points for their teams.

In Saturday's game, it was a contentious rematch between Wrangell and longtime rival Petersburg. The Vikings came out the gate with a three-point goal by Michael Durkin. Wrangell eventually tied it up at just over three minutes in with a three-point bucket by Hay.

From there, Wrangell started to pull ahead, despite Petersburg turning up the heat late in the first half. Wrangell was on top by the end of the half, 18-12.

The third quarter started with Hay sinking a three-pointer, but the Vikings amped up their defense and narrowed the lead. The Wolves held onto a tenuous two-point lead at the end of the quarter.

Petersburg quickly tied the game at the beginning of the fourth period and then took the lead with six minutes left to play. A series of fouls by Wrangell and strong offensive play by Petersburg led to a six-point lead. Wrangell couldn't make the plays and lost 38-31, ending their season.

The Lady Wolves took to the hardwood last Thursday afternoon against the Haines Lady Glacier Bears. Wrangell unleashed their ferocity from the start, powering through Haines' defense and scoring first. They held their opponents scoreless until less than three minutes left in the first period. Haines would only make one other bucket, with Wrangell leading 11-4 at the end of the period.

Haines would only make three field goals in the second period. Wrangell senior Liana Carney's cross training in other sports was on display as she used her speed from running and strength from wrestling to skirt and push through the defense. She led all scorers in the game with 12.

One lesson the Glacier Bears didn't learn throughout the game was to not foul senior Kendra Meissner, as she went eight for eight at the free throw line.

Wrangell kept a strong lead and went on to win 42-25. Only the Metlakatla Miss Chiefs stood between them and regional victory.

The Lady Wolves next faced one of their toughest opponents, having split their two regular season games against Metlakatla in tight contests. Friday's game would be no different.

At first it seemed Metlakatla would take the game with a mix of strong defense and scoring from the start. The confidence the Lady Wolves exhibited the day before seemed to be lacking. The first points on the board by Wrangell came from senior Jamie Early. She missed her first two free throws but hit her next two at nearly three minutes into the first period.

Wrangell began to heat up in the second period, strengthening their defense and landing more buckets, but it wasn't enough as Metlakatla increased their scoring, ending the first half ahead 18-10.

That would nearly be it for the Miss Chiefs.

In the third period, Wrangell was able to add only five more points, but at the same time, they kept Metlakatla from scoring a single point. The Lady Wolves took a slow, almost methodical approach in the fourth quarter, eventually taking the lead, 19-18 with just under four minutes left to play.

A two-point basket from junior Kiara Harrison widened the lead, and foul shots by Wrangell added to the tally.

Metlakatla's Chloe Guthrie made the only points for her team in the second half with a three-pointer, the only points the Miss Chiefs scored in 15 minutes of play.

"That was key and really helped the girls' offense to get going as well," said head coach Christina Good. "We had some important baskets and defense from our bench. Our teamwork and attitude were the key to our win."

Early sank two free throws in the final seconds of the game to give Wrangell a 26-21 victory, sending the Lady Wolves to state, where they will face Hooper Bay at 8 a.m. Thursday.