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This article has been updated to include additional quotes.
The Haines Lady Glacier Bears eliminated the Petersburg Lady Vikings from the Region V basketball tournament by the score of 38-16 on Thursday.
Haines opened a 17-3 first quarter advantage and led 26-5 at the half.
Haines took the air out of the ball in the third period, scoring just 2 points, but held a 28-9 lead heading into the final eight minutes.
Ari’el Long led Haines with 12 points, Gracie Stickler added seven, Emma Dohrn six, Alison Benda and MacKenzy Dryden five apiece, Audrey Bader two and Ashlyn Ganey two apiece, and Grace Long Godinez one.
Anya Pawuk led Petersburg with eight points, Iris Case added four, Bryanna Ratliff two, Kasiah Lopez and Adarra Curtiss one each.
“Just experiencing the tournament is a huge thing for everybody,” Petersburg coach Dino Brock said. “Until you have been part of it I don’t think you understand the intensity, all the fans, just the whole atmosphere… for everybody I think it is important, especially the younger players who are just learning all of this. I think it shows an intensity level that younger players aspire to play at and until you have experienced it you really have no idea.”
Haines advances to play Wrangell in an elimination game Friday at 8 a.m.
Wolves survive another round
The Wrangell Wolves scored 47 points in the second half to break a half-time tie and eliminate the Craig Panthers 68-41 from the 2A/4A Region V Basketball Tournament.
“I plan on my boys watching the rest of the tournament,” Craig coach Thomas Mills said. “Watch other teams, especially how the bigger 4A teams play and get a plan to show them what we will be doing next year. The value of this tournament for our underclassmen is huge. I brought a bunch of freshmen and sophomores so they could see it even though some of them didn’t play. It is very valuable on their part to be here… to see how other team’s upperclassmen handle the ball in certain situations.”
Craig had a hot first quarter from junior Bryant Holloway who hit from past the arch and tallied seven points in the stanza, and sophomore Ayden Benolken who also hit from deep and scored five points as the Panthers took a 12-9 lead.
Wrangell senior Devlyn Campbell hit from past the arch in the second quarter and seniors Ethan Blatchley and Jacen Hay and sophomore Kyan Stead all found the scorebook to knot the score at the half.
Hay put on a shooting clinic in the second half for the Wolves, putting five shots in from past the arch, and sophomore Daniel Harrison hit for 16 points, including two from past the three-point line.
Harrison would lead Wrangell with 21 points, Hay added 19, Campbell and Blatchley 10 apiece, sophomore Keaton Gadd and Stead four apiece.
The Wolves hit 6-12 from the free throw line, the Panthers hit 4-8.
Holloway led Craig with 15 points, Benoken added 12, junior Jayson Fowler seven, sophomore Brody Bazinet six and senior Sam Bass one.
“We are a young team,” Holloway said. “And we were still trying to get team chemistry and build up teamwork and get the plays in our head. The experience is a huge take-a-way to knowing the game.”
Wrangell will play an elimination game against Haines on Friday at 9:45 a.m.
