The Haines Glacier Bears concluded their season with a 1-2 record at the Region V tournament to place fourth overall.
The Bears took on the Craig Panthers, the fifth seed, to kick off the tournament. The Panthers won the tip-off but were unable to score. Neither team was able to score until senior Caleb Holm drove left side for a contested layup. Senior Zander Willard then sunk a corner three-pointer. The Bears led 16-4 at the end of the first quarter.
The Bears maintained their lead throughout the second quarter to lead by 23 points going into halftime.
Haines scored the first points of the third quarter with two free throws from Eric Gilham. With a large lead, head coach Tyler Swinton began to substitute the bench players into the game. The Bears defeated Craig 57-43.
With their win over the Panthers, the Bears advanced to take on the Metlakatla Chiefs, the first seed at the tournament. The Chiefs won the tip-off and scored the first points of the game with a 7-foot left side jumper.
The Bears scored their first points of the game with two free throws from Jackson Long. Haines trailed 7-15 going into the second quarter.
The Bears reduced Metlakatla’s lead to four points with back-to-back three-pointers from Holm and Willard. The Bears could not maintain their momentum, and trailed 19-35 going into halftime.
With two minutes left in the game and facing a deficit of 27 points, the bench players were substituted into the game. The Bears lost 35-68.
After losing to Metlakatla, the Bears entered the loser’s bracket. They would have to win all of their games in order to advance to the state tournament. The Bears would first face the Wrangell Wolves, the third seed, to begin their battle for second place.
Gilham won the tip-off and Luke Davis secured the ball. The team set up a play for a left side three-pointer from Holm, and Holm drilled it to give the Bears a three-point lead.
Wrangell took their first lead of the game with an offensive rebound and a put-back.
Freshman Phoenix Swaner kicked off the second quarter with a left side jumper. The Bears then caused a Wolves’ turnover but the team was unable to connect at the rim. The Wrangell Wolves led 27-18 going into halftime.
Haines was able to reduce Wrangell’s lead to 11 points in the fourth quarter, but was unable to make a comeback and win the game. The Bears lost 43-60 and were eliminated from the tournament.
While the team was upset to be eliminated after three games, Coach Swinton said regionals were good learning experiences for the boys. “I think the boys learned how to play and react in times of adversity,” said Swinton. “I think the boys got better as basketball players and as people. We had a good team win against Craig, and then had a couple tough games against Metlakatla and Wrangell, and that happens. However, they handled it well and played until the buzzer stopped.”
Davis and Gillham were named all-tournament players for their performances throughout the season.
“I was happy that I made the all-tournament team but at the same time I was a little disappointed on how the team ended up placing,” said Davis. “Next year will be a new season with some new upcoming freshmen and I’m excited to see what the team can do.”
Zander Willard and Caleb Holm were presented the good-sportsmanship award for displaying strong sportsmanship throughout the season. Holm said he was not satisfied with how regionals went, though. “To say that it was hard to leave there empty handed is an understatement,” said Holm. “I thought it was a hard sophomore year sitting on the court watching another team cut down the net instead of us, but watching that from the bleachers was probably worse.”
Despite a disappointing end to the season, the team is keeping their heads up for next year. Swinton said the team had a talk after the games about how they can improve for future seasons. “We talked about playing and practicing in the off-season as individuals,” said Swinton, “and about how competing in other sports like wrestling, cross country, and track will help heading into next season. Depending on how much time the boys put into basketball throughout the summer and pre-season will have a huge effect on how we do next year.”