The Haines Glacier Bears bowed out of the Region V Basketball Tournament in Ketchikan last Friday morning with losses to Wrangell.
The boys’ and girls’ teams each posted 0-2 records at the tournament, concluding winless conference slates for the season, but the Glacier Bear squads scared the Wolves through three quarters.
The girls lost to Wrangell, 43-37, fueled by a season-high 15 points from junior Autumn Gross. Coach Greg Brittenham said Gross “just kind of dominated,” and her increased aggressiveness also helped her pick up seven rebounds and two blocked shots. Senior Paige Winge added 7 points; junior Kayley Swinton and sophomore Olivia Wing, 5; junior Destinee Cowart, 4; and senior Natalia Taylor, 1.
The Haines boys trailed the Wolves, 35-30, at the end of the third quarter, before falling by a final margin of 53-40. Wrangell went on to upset Craig to earn one of Southeast’s two Class 2A berths at state.
Junior Trevor Cox, just becoming eligible for varsity play after a transfer from Skagway, tallied 18 points for the Glacier Bears. Seniors Jordan Badger and Keegan Sundberg had 6 points; senior Josh Stearns and freshman Dylan Swinton, 4; and freshman Hudson Sage, 2.
“At the end of the season, we really competed hard in that game,” said coach Steve Fossman.
Fossman said Cox created shot opportunities off the dribble and freed up space for Badger to get open looks from the outside, despite the pressure that “it was his first varsity game, and it was an elimination game in the tournament.”
In their Region V opener on Thursday, the boys kept pace with Craig early, taking a 23-17 deficit into intermission. The Panthers took control in the second half for a 61-25 victory. Swinton scored 9 points, senior Kyle Klinger, 7; Stearns, 4; Badger, 3; and junior Matthew Green, 2.
The 6’8” Klinger, who joined the basketball squad as a junior, was named to the all-conference team.
“He improved a lot in two years,” Fossman said. He noted senior Keanu Lynch, who brings “a lot of intensity” to games, sat out the tournament with a broken finger.
Also on Thursday, the Haines girls dropped their first tournament game to top-seed Metlakatla, 66-30. Senior Theresa Wellington-McGilton drained eight 3-pointers for Metlakatla.
Scoring for Haines included Wing, 6; Swinton, 5; Cowart and Gross, 4; sophomore Jordan Stigen, 3; juniors Jenae Larson and Bailey Stuart and freshman Brittney Bradford, 2; and Taylor and freshman Makayla Crager, 1.
Swinton earned all-conference recognition, and Brittenham said she was consistent all season. “I don’t think there were any games where she was down.”
When asked whether he would return as coach next season, Brittenham responded, “I haven’t even thought about it,” but added that the Glacier Bears were “a great group.”
“At every point in the game, we never quit,” he said. “We have never quit on a game.”
Other Haines awards presented at Region V were: All-Academic (“B” average or higher for seniors) – Keegan Sundberg, Kyle Klinger and Paige Winge, basketball; Christine Briggs and Jennie Humphrey, cheer team; and Lindsey Jobbins, pep band; “Great Sport” awards for basketball – Jordan Badger, Kyle Klinger, Destinee Cowart and Jenae Larson.