The high school boys basketball team took first place in the inaugural Southeast Alaska Cultural Tournament, hosted by Craig Jan. 23-25.
The Wolves won three of their four tournament matches, meaning Wrangell has won seven of their last eight matchups, dating back their out-of-town matches against Petersburg earlier this month. Though the tournament will not contribute to the Southeast conference standings, the win will certainly bolster the boys’ confidence ahead of the two-game home stand against Craig this weekend.
The opening contest of the tournament was hardly that. The boys more than doubled the Ketchikan junior varsity team’s score in a 71-32 dismissal of the Kings. Up next for the Wolves was Craig, in a matchup that would guarantee a spot in the championship game.
Though the Wolves shot the ball relatively well, their 52 points were not enough to get past Craig, which won 67-52.
“That first game they outworked us in all aspects. They shot the ball really well the second half and did a really good job on the boards,” head coach Cody Angerman said.
However, the tournament was double-elimination, and while Craig sat awaiting their opponent in the championship, Wrangell had another chance to play for the gold.
Matched up against Klawock in their second shot to reach the finals, Wrangell looked more like the team that obliterated the Ketchikan JV side than the one that lost to Craig. The Wolves beat the Chieftains 76-34 and secured a championship rematch against the only team that proved able to beat them.
This time though, Craig didn’t stand a chance. Despite an early Panthers lead, Wrangell went on to win the final three quarters. In the fourth quarter, the Wolves delivered a coup de grâce, holding the Panthers to just six points while scoring 16 of their own. When the buzzer sounded, the final score was 76-59. Wolves victory.
“Turning it back around for the championship was a huge thing,” Angerman said. “Our focus was a lot better. We didn’t lose our assignments. We closed out on shots. … The first quarter they shot lights out on us, but after that, I think we kind of settled in and did a much better job.”
First place wasn’t the only award Wrangell walked away with. Lucas Schneider’s defensive determination received some well-earned recognition when he was named as the tournament’s best defensive player.
“There are certain possessions where we watch film and … just think, ‘Man, he worked hard, really hard on this possession.’ But it’s not just that. It’s pretty much all game long and every game,” Angerman said about Schneider.
Daniel Harrison was also voted as a member of the all-tournament team.
The tournament gave the Wolves an opportunity to see how they stack up against Craig without having to worry about conference standings. Conveniently, the Panthers will be in town this weekend for another tandem of games between the Southeast rivals. Craig sits just above Wrangell in Southeast with a 2-0 record, though Wrangell has played more games, boasting a 4-2 record of their own.
The first game will take place on Friday, Jan. 31, with the second leg tipping off on Saturday, Feb. 1, at the high school gym.
Reader Comments(0)