Senior Keegan Hanson takes a foul shot in last Friday's state tournament game against Ninilchik.
After three days of challenging games on the court, the Wrangell Wolves boys varsity basketball team's loss to the Unalakleet Wolfpack on the morning of Saturday, March 16, left them in sixth place at the state Division 2A championship in Anchorage.
The Petersburg Vikings took the title for the first time since 2017.
The Metlakatla Miss Chiefs won the girls tournament.
Wrangell head coach Cody Angerman posted on Facebook after the game: "As disappointing as our last (tournament) game was, it doesn't define how good our team was this (regular) season. We started the season 0-5. When they won that sixth game, they turned it around, bought into what us coaches were telling them and believed in it. Making it to state is a feat many high school ballplayers don't get to experience."
The previous week, Wrangell defeated Metlakatla to win second place in the Southeast regionals while Petersburg placed first.
In their first match at the state tournament held in Anchorage, the Wolves went against the No. 2 seed Cordova Wolverines on March 14. Several days earlier, Angerman described Cordova as "a pretty scrappy team and they play hard." And it was a tight, well-played game, as both teams battled back and forth for dominance until the Wolverines were able to get a narrow win, 48-45.
Next, Wrangell came up against Ninilchik from the Kenai Peninsula on March 15. Both teams played aggressively, with the Ninilchik Wolverines in the lead at halftime, 20-15. However, in the second half, the Wolves overtook Ninilchik. By the final buzzer, Wrangell emerged victorious, 46-39.
Their final match was a consolation game for fourth place as they went up against the Unalakleet Wolverines, coming from a small school on the Bering Sea coast southeast of Nome. At one point in the second half, the Wolverines had a 16-point lead, but Wrangell battled back late in the third quarter and through the fourth, to cut their deficit. Still, they couldn't overtake Unalakleet, with the final score 47-35. The loss left the Wolves in sixth place.
Junior Daniel Harrison was Wrangell's top scorer during the tournament, followed by junior Kyan Stead. Sophomore Boomchain Loucks and senior Keegan Hanson also provided strong defense and support for the Wolves, particularly in their game against Ninilchik.
Angerman praised the team in his Facebook post. "They've helped created a winning basketball culture and are helping to build a fantastic Wrangell boys basketball program."
No. 3 seeded Petersburg went undefeated during state play, first beating Ninilchik, then Cordova and finally top-seeded Hooper Bay to take the state championship. Hooper Bay placed second, Cordova came in third, Unalakleet made fourth and Metlakatla got fifth place.
For the 2A girls, No. 2 seeded Metlakatla was undefeated during the tournament, as they defeated Susitna Valley, then beat Nenana, and overcame No. 1 seeded Tikigaq 51-42 to win the state championship.
Tikigaq, the school for the North Slope Borough community of Point Hope, defeated Metlakatla by 20 points in last year's title game. The two small communities are on opposite ends of the state, almost 1,500 miles apart.
It was the first state championship for Metlakatla's girls team, which had placed second three times in the past decade.
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