he Glacier Bears boys were defeated by the Metlakatla Chiefs both nights in the last home games of the season. The Bears lost 49-61 the first night and 41-59 the second night.
On Friday, the Chiefs quickly drained a three-pointer. Haines then turned over the ball. The Bears applied full-court pressure throughout the first quarter. They were down 7-13 going into the second.
The Bears tied the game at 13 after a post move from sophomore Jackson Long. Haines trailed 16-28 going into halftime.
The Chiefs scored the first points of the third quarter with a left-side three-pointer. The Bears were finally able to respond with four minutes left in the third quarter when junior Eric Gilham scored an and-one reverse layup. The Chiefs led by 14 points.
Gilham came alive in the third quarter. He scored seven straight points for the Glacier Bears. The Chiefs led 45-25 going into the fourth quarter. Gilham had 14 of the Bears’ points.
Gilham kicked off the fourth quarter with a deep left-side three-pointer. The Bears then began applying full-court pressure to try to get the ball back. Junior Luke Davis was able to steal the ball at half-court. The Bears were unable to capitalize on the steal.
The Bears brought new intensity to the fourth quarter. Haines’ full-court pressure led to several steals and deep three-pointers from Gilham. The Bears were down by 13 points with 1:46 left in the game. Gilham led the team with 26 points.
The Glacier Bears were unable to make a full comeback. They lost the game 49-61. Gilham was the leading scorer with 30 points.
Seniors Zander Willard and Caleb Holm were recognized before Saturday night’s game. Davis and Gilham delivered the speeches and pointed out Willard’s and Holm’s leadership qualities. The seniors then received basketballs signed by the team and other gifts.
Holm said he was blown away by Gilham’s speech. “He (Gilham) surprised me,” said Holm. “His speech was better than I thought it would be. There were a lot of parts that genuinely made me laugh. It wasn’t like I was holding back tears, but it was nice. It was a good speech.”
The final home game of the season kicked off following the speeches. The Chiefs won the tip-off but Davis quickly stole the ball. He drove the length of the court for a layup. Davis missed, but was fouled. He made both shots. The Bears then applied full-court pressure. They were able to stop Metlakatla and get the ball back several times. The Bears trailed 9-12 at the end of the first quarter.
The Chiefs dominated the second quarter with four made three-pointers. Haines trailed 19-36 going into halftime.
The Bears had the first possession of the third quarter, but turned over the ball after a travel from Willard. Metlakatla then drilled a three-pointer to extend their lead. The Bears trailed 24-48 at the end of the third quarter.
The Bears kicked off the fourth quarter with a left-side three-pointer from Willard. Haines outscored Metlakatla 13-11 in the fourth quarter, but the Bears were unable to cut down the lead Metlakatla had developed throughout the first three quarters. Haines lost the game 41-59.
Holm said he was disappointed with how his last home games played out. “Losing sucked,” said Holm. “The first night was bad, but we all had the mentality that we could go into the next game and win it. So, to go into that game and lose it even worse, I was actually fighting back tears walking into the locker room. Then to go out and see all these people that just watched you lose so badly, that’s really hard.”
The teams will be traveling to Ketchikan to compete in the Region V tournament from March 9-12. The Glacier Bears are seeded fourth overall. They will be taking on the Craig Panthers, the fifth seed. If they win this game, they will advance to compete against Metlakatla, the first seed. The top two teams will qualify for the state tournament from March 16-19.
Petersburg is currently seeded second for regionals. Holm said whether or not the team can defeat Petersburg will determine if they go to state. “I’d say we’re pretty evenly matched with Petersburg,” said Holm. “It’s definitely within our ability to win, it’s just how certain things play out.”