The Glacier Bears girls varsity lost Friday’s game against Craig, 55-26, without the services of leading scorer Kayley Swinton and fellow juniors Destinee Cowart and Autumn Gross, who cheered the team on in uniform.
“Throughout the week all three girls had an assortment of injuries, severe enough to necessitate removal from all ‘contact’ facets of practice,” said coach Greg Brittenham.
“If a player is unable to complete, in its entirety, any of the previous five practices leading up to a game and, specifically, a non-contact practice less than 24 hours prior to tipoff, then sincere concern should be directed toward the health of the athlete.”
Scoring for Haines were senior Natalia Taylor, 9; sophomore Olivia Wing, 8; junior Jenae Larson, 6; freshman Brittney Bradford, 2; and junior Bailey Stuart, 1.
The following night, with Swinton, Cowart and Gross back in the line-up, Haines trimmed Craig’s victory margin to 43-37. Swinton tallied 11 points; Cowart, 10; Taylor, 8; Wing and senior Paige Winge, 3; and Gross, 2.
“In Saturday’s rematch we made some adjustments, closed the gap and had several chances to take over,” Brittenham said. “Unfortunately, I haven’t prepared the team well enough to play a complete game to victory. What I lack in an effectual game plan I make up for by poor coaching.”
Brittenham this week clarified his “game-day decision” to sit the trio of juniors, saying they were “desperate” to play and had been “practicing through pain and I told them to stop.”
“A player’s safety is paramount and I will not concede my responsibility to the individual and that individual’s family,” he said. “I told the girls that there was no discussion and that after an additional 24 hours of rest and diligent treatment, we would make a game-day decision as to whether they would be playing the next day, Saturday.”
The Haines junior varsity also went 0-2 against Craig, falling 44-20 and 49-30. Larson was the Glacier Bears’ leading scorer each night, with 8 and 11 points, respectively. Freshman Makayla Crager added 9 points on Saturday.
“We practice hard every day and the improvement is becoming apparent,” Brittenham said. “I have never been around a team with as much heart and dedication. There is a wonderful sense of trust amongst the teammates. It’s a beautiful thing and the cornerstone of a team dynamic.”
The Haines boys’ and girls’ varsity teams are scheduled to compete at a Cordova tournament this weekend, in a field that also includes Bristol Bay and a Palmer JV squad.
The boys posted a 2-2 record at home against Craig, with the JV picking up both wins, 55-52 and 55-48. Sophomore Dylan Palmieri poured in 19 points on Friday, freshman Hudson Sage had 14, and freshman Dalton Klinger added 12. Junior Matthew Green’s 14 points paced the team on Saturday. Klinger scored 13 and freshman Dylan Swinton, 10.
The varsity stayed close with Craig through a portion of the third quarter each night, before the Panthers wore the Glacier Bears down and took big wins, 69-44 and 60-35.
Coach Steve Fossman said the Glacier Bears need to cut down on unforced turnovers, and are working on attacking full-court presses. “We’re having issues with getting through full-court pressure,” he said. “That’s been an obstacle with us this season.”