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

The Lady Bears basketball team concluded their season with a 2-2 record at the regional tournament to place third overall, just shy of making the state tournament in Anchorage.

Haines began the tournament with an overtime win against the Craig Panthers, the fifth seed. The game remained scoreless for three minutes. Junior Alison Benda ended this dry spell with an offensive rebound and put-back.

Craig kicked off the second quarter with an up-and-under move. Senior Sadie Anderson immediately responded to this score with an up-and-under move of her own. Freshman Ari’el Godinez-Long tied the game with 41 seconds left in the first half after sinking a left side three-pointer. Haines led 20-18 going into halftime.

The Panthers took the lead back just over a minute into the third quarter with a deep three-pointer. Haines was able to connect at the rim with three minutes left in the quarter.

The Lady Bears were able to reduce Craig’s lead to only two points in the span of one minute. The Panthers led 34-32 going into the fourth quarter.

Haines began to apply full-court pressure with four minutes left in the game to try and get the ball back. The Panthers were able to break the press, but Haines stopped them at the hoop. Godinez-Long caught the outlet pass, drove the court, and scored a right side layup despite a hard foul. Godinez-Long sank the free throw. The Lady Bears led 40-38.

Craig then scored an and-one layup to take the lead back. With only a one-point lead and three minutes left in the game, the Panthers called a full timeout. The game was tied at 41 with 33.7 seconds left in the game.

The Lady Bears stole the inbound pass to take back possession. Benda passed inside to MacKenzy Dryden, but Dryden was unable to connect at the rim. Dryden caught her own rebound alongside a Craig player. A jump ball was called, giving the ball to the Panthers with 23 seconds left in the game.

The Panthers brought the ball up the court where they were met by Godinez-Long. Godinez-Long fouled Craig to give them the ball on the sideline. As the Panthers inbounded, a moving screen was called underneath the basket. This gave the Bears possession back. Haines was unable to connect at the rim and the score was tied 41-41 at the end of the buzzer.

The Lady Bears had a four-minute overtime to win the game. The Lady Bears won the tip-off, but were unable to score. The Panthers took the first lead in overtime after one free throw. Dryden was then fouled and made both of her free throws. Haines led 43-42 with one-minute left in overtime. Godinez-Long then extended the lead with two free throws. The Lady Bears won their first game of the Region V tournament 45-42.

Dryden and Godinez-Long were both thrilled that their free throws helped the Lady Bears defeat the Craig Panthers. They both said overtime resulted in lots of adrenaline. “Once the game reached overtime,” said Godinez-Long, “I had a lot of adrenaline rushing through me and every time I got put on the (free throw) line I had to push that energy away and try to calm myself.”

Both teammates said they were nervous while shooting, but were filled with relief when the shots went in. “I was a bit nervous because I knew how much I and my team wanted to win and needed those points,” said Dryden. “I was so relieved when I made those shots. I think it was a great game to start off regionals and it showcased how hard our team will push for something.”

With their win over Craig, the Lady Bears advanced to take on the Wrangell Wolves, the first seed.

Benda helped the Lady Bears score their first points of the game with a 10-foot floater. Haines trailed 4-11 at the end of the first quarter.

Anderson scored the first points of the second quarter with a free throw. The Lady Bears trailed 10-20 going into halftime.

The Wrangell Wolves kicked off the third quarter with a left side layup. The Lady Bears quickly responded to this with a 15-foot jumper from Long-Godinez. The Wolves had a 12-point lead going into the fourth quarter. Wrangell maintained their lead to win the game 42-25.

With this loss, the Lady Bears entered the loser’s bracket. Haines took on the Petersburg Vikings, the third seed. The Lady Bears kicked off the game with back-to-back three-pointers from Anderson and Benda. Haines led 11-5 at the end of the first quarter.

The Lady Bears kept Petersburg from scoring for over five minutes in the second quarter. Haines had a 10-point lead going into halftime.

Haines extended their lead to 12 points in the third quarter. Petersburg started the fourth quarter with a full court press to try and make a comeback. This press led to nine straight points for the Vikings. With 1:05 left in the game, the game was tied at 40. Neither team was able to score, so the Lady Bears entered their second overtime of the tournament.

Anderson kicked off overtime with a right side layup. Godinez-Long then sank two free throws, followed by a 7-foot jumper from Anderson. The Lady Bears led 46-40 with two minutes left in overtime. The Lady Bears won the game and advanced to play the Metlakatla Miss Chiefs, a game that would determine if they would go to state.

The Lady Bears scored the first points of the game three minutes into the first quarter. Metlakatla took the lead with a left side three-pointer. Anderson kicked off the third quarter with an up and under layup. Metlakatla maintained their lead throughout the third and fourth quarters to win the game 44-28. Haines was eliminated from the tournament and placed third overall.

Despite the elimination, head coach Coleman Stanford said he has no regrets about how the team performed. “I was probably the happiest with how we performed in close games. Going into overtime and fending off a team’s best effort to take victory is pretty satisfying, and we did it twice,” he said.

Sadie Anderson was named an all-tournament player for her performance throughout the season. Anderson said she was happy with how her senior season played out. “Ending my senior year with going to the finals at regionals was a huge win in my book,” said Anderson. “From being the bottom seed all three years to third at regionals was a rewarding feeling. It was also a successful end to my senior year ending with my best game and getting all conference. I am more than excited to see the team grow in the next four years and cheer them on from the sidelines.”

Anderson also received an all-academic award for maintaining a 3.0 GPA or higher throughout her high school career.

Alison Benda and Emma Dorhn were presented with a good sportsmanship award for displaying integrity and fairness throughout the season.

Stanford said he is thankful for the team’s hard work and dedication this season. “After our last game, I looked over at Alison Benda on the bleachers, and I wish I took a picture, because she was sitting there with a black eye, five bruises on her arm, and was cutting tape off a purple ankle. That lasting image really summed up the season and how the girls have responded to challenges and how hard they have worked. I can’t thank them enough for their efforts, especially the freshman class and other first-year players,” Stanford said. “The future is bright and I can’t wait for next year.”