By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
With less than a minute left in overtime, the Sitka High Wolves were down by 1 point against Mt. Edgecumbe Tuesday night when Wolves senior Gavin Flores broke through and scored.
Sitka High won the season’s first rivalry game 45-44, at MEHS.
“When you’re in overtime, it’s about possessions. And you’re limited in the number of possessions and we have got to execute both on offense and on defense,” Sitka coach Jarrett Hirai told the Sentinel after the game.
Overtime possessions swung back and forth, with Sitka’s Mason Eubanks scoring 2 points, and Flores notching a total of 4. Edgecumbe’s Jonathan Constantine made a basket, as did Fredrick Myers.
In the final moments, with Sitka up by a solitary point, Braves’ senior Drew Jackson went for it. Edgecumbe coach Archie Young recalled the moment.
“Our big guy Drew Jackson, we threw it inside to him and he had a little four footer kind of thing.”
The shot missed at the buzzer, and the Sitka High fans erupted.
Hirai noted that the teams will play again.
“This is going to be a pretty tough task for us to play them four more times at least,” he said. The coach added that his team’s offense had stagnant moments, but that his players kept it together in overtime.
Wolves’ senior Gavin Flores goes for the basket with Mt. Edgecumbe’s Jonathan Constantine guarding. Flores made Sitka High’s final winning basket, Tuesday, at Mt. Edgecumbe High School. (Sentinel photo)
Hirai compared the game to last week’s quadruple overtime game against Kenai. The pressure of overtime, he said, “was familiar to us, and in our overtime we kept composed for the most part.”
Young said his team is “one step away from being a lot better.”
“This is our third overtime game of the year, so I thought we would be a little more relaxed if we’ve ‘been here, done that’ before. It’s just experience and confidence in late game situations, and mostly it’s having success in the late game,” Young said. He added that his team’s defense was sound, but that they gave up too many points in the fourth quarter.
Both schools’ JV and C teams played as well. Sitka’s C squad won 34-29, and the Mt. Edgecumbe JV won 61-50.
A follow-up story on Tuesday’s Battle of the Bridge with player interviews will appear in the Sentinel later this week.
Although the Battle of the Bridge is over for the week, there’s more basketball coming up.
Thursday at MEHS
4:30 p.m. Boys C Sitka vs. MEHS
6 p.m. Girls Varsity MEHS vs. Monroe
7:30 p.m. Boys Varsity MEHS vs. Monroe
Friday at MEHS
4:30 p.m. Boys C MEHS vs. PSG
6 p.m. Boys JV MEHS vs. PSG
7:30 p.m. Boys Varsity MEHS vs. PSG
Friday at SHS
4 p.m. Girls C Sitka vs. Monroe
5:30 p.m. Girls Varsity Sitka vs. Monroe
7 p.m. Boys Varsity Sitka vs. Monroe
Saturday at MEHS
4:30 p.m. Boys C MEHS vs. PSG
6 p.m. Boys JV MEHS vs. PSG
7:30 p.m. Boys Varsity MEHS vs. PSG
Saturday at SHS
4 p.m. Girls C Sitka vs. Monroe
5:30 p.m. Boys Varsity Sitka vs. Monroe
7 p.m. Girls Varsity Sitka vs. Monroe
The Lady Braves and Lady Wolves go head-to-head next Saturday, Feb. 8, at Sitka High.
