The Haines Glacier Bear girls basketball team today makes its first state tournament appearance in 16 years, after taking second place in last week’s Southeast region tournament in Sitka.

The girls, who beat Metlakatla in the second round of regionals to qualify for state but lost the Southeast 3A championship to Mount Edgecumbe, started their state title bid at Anchorage’s Sullivan Arena this afternoon with a first-round game against Bethel.

The girls played one of their best games of the year in beating Metlakatla last Thursday, but were held to fewer than 20 points in Friday’s title game.

In Thursday’ 55-51 win, senior forward Lisa Sele put in the team’s season-best individual performance, scoring 41 points, include seven of 10 free throws in the fourth quarter. Sele’s free throw with a second left put the game out of reach for good.

Haines shot 31 for 48 from the line. Coach Roger Vlasak said the Glacier Bears’ 64 percent performance from the line was a big factor in a second-half comeback. The Bears trailed by as many as 15 points.

"We played three good quarters but we let them score 24 points in the third. We got out of our game, and then we got back in at the end."

But the Glacier Bears couldn’t sustain momentum from the big win through to Friday’s title game, as Edgecumbe turned up defensive pressure in the Braves’ 45-17 win. The Braves built a 22-10 lead at halftime and limited the Glacier Bears to seven second-half points.

"We couldn’t hit a basket in that game. I think the girls were a little tense. That, plus the refereeing was very inconsistent. They let it turn into a bloodbath, and we didn’t get any calls. It was a deterrent for the girls," Vlasak said.

The Braves held Lisa Sele to seven points in the championship game. Lori Sele and Penny Fossman each scored four.

The 21-3 Braves went on to beat 4A champs Ketchikan Saturday for the overall regional title, the first in 10 years for a 3A team. Mount Edgecumbe plays Barrow in the state tournament first round.

The Sitka Wolves beat the Glacier Bears Saturday 56-42 in the 3A-4A crossover consolation game Saturday. Lisa Sele was high scorer for Haines with 24 points. Penny Fossman and Keely Falcon each added nine. "The girls were so down after losing to Edgecumbe. It was hard to get them to get up for the game," Vlasak said.

The Sele sisters were named to the all-tournament team. Lisa Sele, the Glacier Bears’ only senior, was named to the tournament all-academic team for maintaining a B grade-point average.

Glacier Bear cheerleaders, boys basketball players and pep band members also were honored for academic achievement at the tournament.

Pep band seniors John Plucker and Eliza Lende, ballplayers Jim Lampkins and Luke Land, and cheerleaders Ella Allred, Lyndsey Hura, and Taemi Nagai were named to the tournament all-academic team.

Glacier Bear cheerleaders received a "good" rating in competition among tournament squads.