Wolves boys split against Metlakatla, breaking Chiefs' win streak

The Wolves varsity boys basketball team split against top Southeast team Metlakatla last weekend, Feb. 9-10. Wrangell lost to the Chiefs in their first matchup but came back determined the following day and dealt the Chiefs their first loss after eight straight victories.

Initially, the Wolves held their own on Friday afternoon and by the end of the first half Metlakatla was ahead, 31-29. However, in the second half, they pulled further ahead until the Chiefs won 65-51.

"In the first game, the third quarter was really what hurt us," said Cody Angerman, the Wolves head coach. "The first night we didn't do as good a job defensively."

Angerman cited junior Carter Marsden as a key to Metlakatla's win. "If they give them the ball, he's just hard to stop."

On Saturday, Angerman said the Wolves focused on winning one quarter at a time. "It worked out in our favor," he said. "Even though they were undefeated, I felt we could be the ones to take them down. ... It's a good thing to end that streak, giving (our team) the feeling that they can beat anybody."

Foul trouble was one factor in Metlakatla's loss on Saturday. The Chiefs got another blow in the second quarter when junior Brody Booth suffered a painful injury to his lower left leg that took him out of the game. "Injuries happen," Angerman said. "It didn't look very good, but often young kids can bounce back quick, and I hope that's the case for Brody."

Juniors Kyan Stead and Trevyn Gillen led the Wolves in defense, while the top scorers in both games were juniors Stead and Daniel Harrison, with Stead scoring 23 points and Harrison 19 on Friday, then 29 points for Stead and 26 points for Harrison on Saturday. A sizable part of their scoring came from the free throw line. "It's a good place to get extra points," Angerman said.

He also praised the growing camaraderie and teamwork between Harrison and Stead since the season began. "It's really nice to see."

Harrison led in rebounds. "It's one of the things that gets unnoticed about him," Angerman said.

The junior varsity team lost both of their games against Metlakatla, with the Chiefs winning Friday, 58-53, and on Saturday, 71-36.

Sophomore Brody Knecht earned top scores in both matches, with 13 points on Friday and 14 on Saturday. Other notable scorers on Friday were sophomores Ben Houser with 11, and Timothy Pearson with 10.

In preparation for the last games of the regular season, then the regional playoffs, Angerman said, "We're going to keep practicing. It's unfortunate that we have a bye week this weekend. Just keep practicing and stay healthy. Make sure that when we play Craig in two weeks that we're ready."

The Wolves will play at Craig on Feb. 23-24.