The Haines Glacier Bear boys went 2-2 and placed third at the Tok tournament last weekend.
The Glacier Bears took on Minto in their first game. Junior Eric Gilham won the tip off to give the Bears the first possession of the game. After missed three-pointers on both ends of the court, Luke Davis secured the rebound and found sophomore Jackson Long in the key for an easy two points.
With two minutes left in the first quarter, Minto took their first lead of the game with a fast break layup. Minto led 9-6 entering the second quarter.
Minto kicked off the second quarter with a left-side three-pointer. Gilham responded with a 10-foot jumper. Willard then sank a corner three to take the lead back. Haines led 23-22 going into halftime.
The Bears maintained their lead throughout the third quarter and led by four entering the fourth quarter. Minto started to apply full court pressure with six minutes left in the game. They capitalized on the press three times in a row. The Bears then called a timeout to discuss how to break the press. The Bears fell behind because of the pressure and lost 51-71.
The Bears then took on Northway. Haines led 13-12 at the end of the first quarter. Northway took their first lead of the game with six minutes left in the second quarter. Haines quickly took the lead back. The Bears won the game 70-46.
The Glacier Bears took on Effie Kokrine Charter School. Willard sank a three-pointer from the corner in the final quarter. Effie responded with a three. With two minutes left in the game, Haines led 45-38. Effie began applying full court pressure which led to several Haines turnovers. The Bears won the game 48-47.
The Glacier Bears took on Minto again to determine if they’d advance to the championship game. Gilham won the tip off and Davis set up a play on the other end of the court. Minto stole the ball but was unable to score. Willard then sank a three-pointer. Gillham extended the lead to five points with a jumper. The Bears led 11-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Minto scored the first two points of the second quarter. Davis responded with a fast-break layup. The game was tied at 26 going into halftime.
Willard kicked off the third quarter with another corner three-pointer. Minto responded with a deep three to tie the game at 29. The Bears began to apply full-court pressure with four minutes left in the third quarter. Haines was down one point going into the fourth quarter.
Freshman Phoenix Swaner tied the game at 42 with a reverse layup in the final two minutes of the game. Minto began to apply full-court pressure, which caused a turnover at the other end of the court. Minto stole the ball and scored two points to take the lead back. With 57.2 seconds left in the game, Haines trailed 42-44.
Davis fouled Minto so the Bears could get the ball back. Minto made the first free throw but missed the second. Davis drove the length of the court and made a layup. With 13.6 seconds left in the game, Haines trailed by one.
Swaner inbounded the ball to Gilham, who was met by two Minto players. Gilham split the defense and shot a jumper, but missed short. Long secured the rebound and shot hard off the backboard. Minto rebounded and was fouled. They made the first free throw but missed the second. The ball bounced out of bounds.
Gillham inbounded to Swaner, who found Willard at the three-point line. A timeout was called before Willard could shoot. The Bears trailed 46-44 with 3.6 seconds left in the game.
Willard inbounded the ball to Gilham, who shot a six-foot jumper but missed. Haines lost 44-46 and placed third in the tournament.
Davis and Gilham received all-tournament awards for their performances in Tok. Gilham was also named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player.
“I had a good feeling I was going to get all-tourney,” said Gilham, “but when my name was called for MVP, I was in disbelief. There were a lot of good players there that I thought deserved MVP.”
Gilham said he’s a little worried about the home games against Metlakatla set for Feb. 25-26. He said the team is struggling with injuries and illnesses right now. Since arriving back in Haines, seven individuals associated with the boys basketball team have tested positive for COVID-19. All positive individuals should be recovered and able to participate in the Metlakatla games. Senior night for the basketball players, cheerleaders, and pep band will also be held before the second games.