Wrangell is a better basketball team than Craig. They’re better organized, taller, better athletes, better shooters, better rebounders, better playmakers and they understand the sport at a higher level. At one point Wrangell’s Daniel Harrison even told a Craig player where to stand during a pair of three throws.
And while the series opener on Monday, Feb. 3, got off to a clunky start, the Wolves eventually found their rhythm, defeating the Panthers on back-to-back nights 74-61 and 73-49. The wins bounce Wrangell up to second in Southeast, just behind Metlakatla. Wrangell notably leads the conference in total wins (six).
Monday’s game got off to a less-than-beautiful beginning. Airballs and turnovers were not hard to come by and Wrangell was held scoreless through the opening two minutes until Aayden Gillen drained a three from the left wing.
Craig was a team clearly outmatched, both tactically and in skill, but a chaotic stop-and-start contest scattered with stoppages played perfectly into the Panthers’ paws. The game’s chaos evened the playing field.
Despite the early turbulence, Lucas Schneider kept finding ways to get the ball in the net. At one point he bounced off his defender before flipping in a floater for two. Shortly after that, he shimmied around half the Craig team before finding Jackson Powers down low for a layup.
But the third quarter fell flat, both in part to a lethargic crowd and a team that couldn’t seem to kick it out of second gear. Buoyed by the steady offense of Harrison and a scrappy show from Boomchain Loucks, Wrangell kept the Panthers at arm’s distance. When Keaton Gadd drilled a deep three and moments later Loucks finished around his defender, it seemed for a moment the Wolves had their swagger back.
But finding momentum was a holy grail, a near-impossible quest for either team, given the number of whistles and stoppages throughout the game.
A Keaton Gadd three got the crowd buzzing and jumped the Wrangell lead to 11 with a minute left in the third quarter. Signs of momentum began to materialize. A Harrison layup, and when Loucks delivered a three from Stephen Curry range, the answer was clear: It took Wrangell three quarters of play, but the Wolves finally found their momentum. They headed into the fourth quarter up 55-41 and went on to win 74-61.
The Tuesday night game was far more polished than its predecessor. Schneider got on the scoreboard early with a deft finish at the rim after sidewinding through the defense. Wrangell quickly found their form and thrived under their high-flying, fast-paced approach. The Wolves’ high press forced early turnovers, and after Harrison buried back-to-back threes, the Wrangell 14-3 lead forced Craig into an early timeout.
The first quarter was quite the Schneider show. The senior’s scoring salvo provided the Wolves with some offensive output while his hunting defensive style stymied any Panther potential on the other side of the court.
Tuesday’s game suffered far fewer interruptions. The continuous and fluid game greatly benefited the more talented, more athletic Wolves. When Loucks’ deep three fell as the first-quarter buzzer sounded, Wrangell led 28-8.
And Wrangell didn’t take their foot off the gas. Another engine-esque performance from Schneider sent the Wolves into halftime up 42-21.
The second half wasn’t any closer, and Wrangell won the contest 73-49. This was Wrangell’s ninth win in their past 10 games. The only team that beat them in that stretch was Craig. It’s safe to say those demons were exorcized Tuesday night.
The Wolves will travel to Ketchikan this week to play the Ketchikan JV team on Friday and Saturday, Feb. 7 and Feb. 8.
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