Chilkat Valley News - Serving Haines and Klukwan, Alaska since 1966

The Lady Bears went one-and-one in the series against the Juneau-Douglas junior varsity team on Dec. 17-18.

The Lady Bears defeated JD 25-24 on the first night. Sophomore Gracie Stickler scored the first points of the game after being fouled and making her second free throw. The Bears were down 3-10 at the end of the first quarter.

The Bears held JD to six points in the second quarter. The Bears were down by six at the end of the half.

Both teams scored six points in the third quarter, bringing the score to 16-22. The Bears held JD to only one point in the fourth quarter. With 21.6 seconds left in the game, junior Grace Godinez-Long stole the ball after JD inbounded the ball. Godinez-Long then drove down the court and made a layup, helping the Bears take their first lead of the game.

With three seconds left in the game, JD shot a three but missed short. Senior Sadie Anderson then rebounded the ball and protected it until the final buzzer. The Bears won the game by one point. Anderson, Godinez-Long, and Stickler scored 23 of the team's 25 points.

Stickler was the top-scorer of the night with eight points. Stickler moved to Haines this year. She noted how challenging it has been adjusting to the new coaches and teammates. "It's hard getting into the groove and how (my new teammates) play is kind of different than what I was used to," Stickler said. "But I'm starting to get used to it. The coaching is definitely different, but I really like Coleman (Stanford) and Fran (Daly) and I'm excited to play the rest of high school basketball season with them."

Stickler said that the team has been very encouraging this year. "For it being my first time I've played with all those girls and how they trusted me under the hoop and how supportive everyone was when I made a basket, it just made everything so much better," said Stickler.

Stickler said her goals for this year are to build team chemistry and have fun. Stickler scored 11 points the second night.

The Lady Bears were defeated 40-42 in the second game. Junior MacKenzy Dryden scored the first points of the game with a left-side drive and layup. The Bears were up 8-4 at the end of the first quarter.

JD made a strong comeback in the second quarter. The Bears led by only one point at the half.

JD tied the game at 16 with 6:45 left in the third quarter. Haines held JD off and extended their lead after Dryden scored three points with a layup. The Bears were up by six at the end of the third quarter.

JD led for the beginning of the fourth quarter, until junior Malia Jorgenson-Giese tied the game at 35 with 4:40 left in the game. Godinez-Long then helped the team lead by two after being fouled and making both free throws. Stickler extended the Bears lead to five points after scoring.

JD scored six points to lead the game by one with a minute left in the game. JD inbounded the ball but traveled, which gave the Bears possession. Godinez-Long was fouled, but missed both free throws. JD got the ball back with 11 seconds left and scored one point after being fouled. Haines lost the game 40-42.

Despite the loss on the second night, Anderson is hopeful for the season. "I think each of our skills really shined through this weekend and now we can better ourselves as a team all together," said Anderson. "This season is looking bright already and I am so excited to learn and grow as a player with these girls by my side. It's more than just a team, it's a family."

The Lady Bears will be taking on the Petersburg Vikings at the first home conference games of the season Jan. 7-8. All community members are permitted to attend with a face covering. The games will also be streamed via the Haines School YouTube channel.