In what might have been one of most tightly-played games between cross-town rivals this season, the Sitka Wolves pulled out a one-point win over the Mt. Edgecumbe Braves, in the second round of the Region V tournament in Juneau today.
The final score was 43-42, Sitka.
Daily Sitka Sentinel sports editor Tom Hesse is covering the games. He says win came down to the last possession, and it was not Sitka’s size that paid off, as much as their depth.
See the full tournament schedule, and view the tournament livestream here.
“You know, their size was important, but Edgecumbe has dealt with size in the past. I asked Andy Lee that same question after the game, and the coach of the boys’ basketball team said, You know, we won this game in July. What he meant by that was what it came down to for Sitka was muscle memory, instinct, and all the hours this team has spent together. All the things they did right: making the extra pass when they had to, making the extra defensive rotation, and capitalizing on a couple of turnovers. It was a pretty even contest. Sitka just had nice, balanced scoring througout the game, and they were just able to hold it together for the win.”
Sitka will likely meet Mt. Edgecumbe again on Friday. The Braves play the Petersburg Vikings in the losers bracket — a team whom they beat on Wednesday by 22 points — and if they win that contest they’ll have another shot at Sitka.
Still, Sitka must lose twice to be eliminated from the tournament. If Edgecumbe won a rematch with the Wolves, they’d have to play one last game — known in the parlance of the double-elimination tournament as an “If” game.
On the girls’ side, the Mt. Edgecumbe Lady Braves defeated the Petersburg Lady Vikings 40-36 in the second round. The Lady Vikings defeated the Sitka girls in the opening round of the tournament. The Lady Wolves and Lady Vikings will have a rematch on Friday to determine who will meet Mt. Edgecumbe in the finals. As with the boy’s bracket, Mt. Edgecumbe must lose twice on the final day to be eliminated.
