Girls take gold in Talkeetna tournament, homecoming up next

The high school girls basketball team won the 15th annual Susitna Valley Crowley Classic, held in Talkeetna from Feb. 13-15.

While the tournament did not contribute to Wrangell’s Southeast standing, the win will certainly instill some confidence ahead of the homecoming series against Petersburg this Friday and Saturday, Feb. 21-22.

Alana Harrison, Alexis Easterly and Hailey Cook were named to the all-tournament team. Harrison was also named MVP of the tournament. Sophia Martinsen was awarded the Heart and Hustle award while Christina Johnson was named as the tournament’s free throw champion.

Wrangell started the three-day competition off strong, winning 60-41 against the team from Alakanuk, a coastal community in western Alaska. Easterly dominated the floor, scoring 27 points in just three quarters. Cook’s 10 points and two three-pointers bolstered the Wolves’ offensive output while Johnson added two third-quarter threes of her own.

Next up, Wrangell played Tri-Valley. Wrangell won 55-35 against the high school team from Healy, south of Fairbanks. The 10-point margin was the closest margin of victory the entire tournament for the Wolves. Harrison more than doubled her scoring tally from the previous day, this time scoring 20 points against the Tri-Valley Viking Warriors.

Easterly continued her impressive scoring output with 12 points while Cook added eight more.

In the final game of the tournament, Wrangell played Palmer’s junior varsity team. The Moose didn’t stand a chance, and the Wolves team in red won 53-30.

If the first game belonged to Easterly and the second belonged to Harrison, the two Wrangell stars shared the spoils in the championship game.

Easterly scored 17 in the title game while Harrison scored 16. The Wolves also showcased an impressive ability to get to the line: They shot 16 free throws in the championship game. Cook was fouled shooting three times. She also scored the team’s sole three-pointer in the championship game.

The team faces Petersburg in the homecoming games this weekend, Friday and Saturday nights.

This will be the last chance to catch the Wolves at home. After a bye week the following weekend, Wrangell will travel to Ketchikan for the Southeast championship March 5-8.