Metlakatla girls earn fourth place game at state

In a rematch of the 2A Region V championship game the Metlakatla MisChiefs once again got the better of the Haines Glacier Bears 58-34 on Friday and kept their season alive for one more game in the 2025 ASAA March Madness Alaska 2A State Basketball Championships at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center.

Metlakatla plays on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. for 4th/6th place.

Haines held the early 14-11 first-quarter lead and Metlakatla scored 16 points in the second stanza while holding their opponents to six points and taking a 27-20 lead into halftime.

Despite a strong physical presence by the Glacier Bears they could not cut into the lead and trailed 39-27 after three quarters. Metlakatla put up 19 points in the final stanza while Haines was held to just seven.

Lexi Cook led Metlakatla with 16 points, Saahdia Buffalo 13, Ma’Karii Martinez eight, Baileight Nelson six, and Mia Winter, Haylen Ladnier and Morgan Hayward five each. Cook led with nine rebounds, Martinez five, Winter, Ladnier and Hayward two each and Nelson one. Winter led with four assists.

Metlakatla hit 5-8 at the free throw line, Haines 4-6. The MisChiefs had 30 team rebounds, the Glacier Bears 23. Metlakatla had 12 turnovers, Haines 13.

Emma Dorn led the Glacier Bears with 14 points, Ari’el Godinez-Long eight, Caroline Elliott six, Ashlyn Ganeythree, Sydney Salmon two and Ava Graham one.

HOONAH GIRLS 40, SHISHMAREF 43

The Hoonah Braves battled into a last-second loss against the Shishmaref Northern Lights for a spot in the 4th/6th-place game.

Hoonah led 40-38 on a free throw by Jora Savland with 38.1 seconds left to play.

Shishmaref’s Makenzie Olanna buried a shot past the arc for a 41-40 lead with 18 seconds left, but Hoonah could not get a good look at a shot and had to foul.

Shishmaref’s Bertha Nayokpuk hit two free throws for the 43-40 score and Hoonah could not find an open look for a last-second shot.

Hoonah held an 11-8 lead after eight minutes behind Easton Ross, Paige Woitte and Jora Savland, and continued that full-court pressure they are known for into a 19-19 tie at the half.

“It has been a terrific season,” Hoonah coach Marlene Duvall said. “Ending on a high note was just being here and getting three games out of it. We set some goals early on and we set some goals for the tournament and we succeeded.”

The teams played even in the third quarter with Hoonah taking a 27-21 lead and Shishmaref closing on a 9-2 run for a 29-29 score with just eight minutes left to play.

Hoonah’s Paige Woitte blocked a shot to get the final stanza started.

“I’m grateful for this,” Woitte said of state. “Really grateful for the experience. It sucks that we lost, but at least we got to be here. I have not words to explain it other than grateful, I’m so happy to be here with my team.”

Hoonah’s Eastman Ross notched a pair of free throws to tie the game at 31-31 and after a Shishmaref basket Ross had an assist to Woitte to tie the game at 34-34.

Hoonah’s Ross would then get a rebound and pass to Jenna Jack for a basket and Savland added two free throws for a 38-34 lead with two minutes left.

Shishmaref’s Loretta Sinnok scored to pull to 38-36 and Olanna hit again to tie the game at 38-38.

Ross would come up big again for Hoonah after a Braves miss as she stole a ball and fed Jack, who was fouled and hit one free throw for the 39-38 lead that paved the way for the dramatic finish.

“She’s a pretty intense player,” Coach Duvall said of Ross. “She just wants to do what’s right by the team and wants to win. It is a great spirit to have. And on that note we have no seniors graduating that played today so we’ll be back.”

The only senior on the team is three-year starter, and all-state wrestler, Krista Howland. Having a sports-related surgery in February she served as the team’s assistant coach this season.

“I enjoyed watching my teammates play,” Howland said. “I liked watching them step up. Sucks that I didn’t get to play this season, but all my teammates really stepped up and I’m proud of them for making it to state, because I never made it to state and I was just really happy to watch them. I remember working with them when they were younger and playing with them, it is even more fun watching them and I’m glad I was able to coach them a little bit too.”

Ross led Hoonah with 13 points, Savland added 12, Woitte eight, Jack five and Neveah Campbell two. Campbell led with nine rebounds, Woitte eight, Ross five, Chloe Lane and Jack two and Saveland and Charlie Jack one.

The Braves hit 14-20 at the free throw line and had 16 turnovers. The Northern Lights hit 7-9 at the line and had 22 turnovers.

Makayla Nayokpuk and Sinnok led Shishmaref with 11 points apiece, Olanna 10, Renee Kiyutelluk five, B. Nayokpuk four and Elizabeth Nayokpuk two. M. Nayokpuk led with 10 rebounds.

Hoonah’s tournament ends and Shishmaref plays in Saturday’s 8:00 a.m. 4th/6th-place game.

KLAWOCK GIRLS 32, DAVIS RAMOTH 46

The Klawock Chieftains got off to a slow start in their consolation bracket semifinal game against the Davis Ramoth Wolves and could not recover.

The Chieftains trailed 20-6 after the first quarter and 22-12 at the half, with senior Lea Armour netting seven points and five rebounds as classmate Kaiya Marvin getting a block, two assists and a steal. The duo are the only seniors on the roster for Klawock.

“Overall we are really young,” Klawock coach “We have four that haven’t been here before so I think it was a really good experience for them. I don’t know if they were quite ready for the crowds and the games, but they came up and they did really really well.”

Klawock would outscore Davis Ramoth in the third quarter 8-6, but the Wolves flipped the advantage by outscoring the Chieftains 18-12 in the final stanza for the 46-32 win.

Armour led the Chieftains with 18 points, Jayla Edenshaw added five, Keira Sanderson three, AnaRose Peratrovich, Marvin and Alli Demmert two each. Armour and Edenshaw had eight rebounds apiece, Sanderson and Marvin six apiece, Demmert and AnaRose Peratrovich four apiece.

For Armour and Marvin this was their fifth state tournament as they played with Klawock as eighth graders.

“I’m just glad for the season,” Armour said. “Just thankful for the season and everything we did.”

Said Marvin, “I’m very sad that it is over but so proud of our team. There is not a lot more I could ask for.”

The Chieftains hit 10-15 at the free throw line and had 15 turnovers. The Wolves hit 13-17 at the line and had 13 turnovers. The Chieftains state tournament is over and the Wolves will play Saturday at 11 a.m. in the consolation final for seventh place.

• Contact Klas Stolpe at klas.stolpe@juneauempire.com.