By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Sports Editor
In a pair of back-to-back games, the Mt. Edgecumbe High Lady Braves fought hard in matches that came down to their final minutes and won twice against their local rivals, the Sitka High Lady Wolves. On the boys’ side, the Braves and Wolves split the tournament 1-1, playing Friday night at Mt. Edgecumbe and Saturday night at Sitka High.
The Lady Braves won 47-41 Friday at home after securing a 9-point lead in the first quarter and maintaining that for the remainder. While the Lady Wolves outscored their opponents in the second and fourth quarters, it wasn’t enough to turn the tide against an aggressive and capable Edgecumbe squad.
Sitka High senior Kaleena Tucker drives on the basket against the Mt. Edgecumbe Lady Braves, Saturday night at Sitka High. Edgecumbe won. (Sentinel photo)
“Confidence and teamwork ethic - and we really had to fight for it,” MEHS junior Carliese O’Brien said after Friday’s win. “It shows how much we’ve been working since our last game against Sitka. We wanted it and, I don’t know, I think our energy on the court, chemistry, we stuck together. We didn’t give up on each other. And that’s what got us the win.”
Last month, Sitka won the initial match of the season in the traditional rivalry, 41-29.
O’Brien, from Bethel, scored 13 points on Friday, second only to her teammate Bessie Williams, who netted 16.
In the face of the Lady Wolves’ quick offense and capable shooting, O’Brien highlighted her squad’s defensive abilities.
“You have to believe in yourself, trust your teammates, and just play smart. We beat them… Our defense had to be one of our highlights of the game. Could have been a lot better, but that’s what kept us in the game. And our defense created our offense,” she said.
The importance of the Lady Braves’ tight defenses also stood out to Williams.
“We pushed ourselves even more than our last game. And we just kept pushing ourselves to the end… We just outplayed them and just read their defense and did our plays really well,” Williams said. She’s a junior from Akiak.
Moving forward into the mid-season, O’Brien would like her team to work on “our offense. Running our offensive plays and making better decisions on the court, which I think will come naturally to us as we progress throughout the season.”
The Lady Wolves repeatedly turned the ball over to their rivals and could not keep pace in the second half, Sitka High junior Adrianna Denkinger said after Friday’s loss.
“We were definitely lower energy, we just kept turning over. We didn’t come like we could have come. We could have put more effort in the first half,” she said. “And then once we realized we were down, we were kind of like, ‘Oh, no, we need to start kicking it in.’ Then we just started falling apart and doing turnovers and that just kind of got in our heads.”
She stressed the importance of communicating while on defense in upcoming matches, among other areas for improvement.
“We did turnovers or we were rushing passes. But our defense is still pretty good. Our press is what gets us going, it gets us pumped,” Denkinger said. “We just need to work on not getting down collectively as a team, and once we’re in the mental state we get it the entire time. We’re just pushing ourselves our hardest. I think we’ll do good this season.”
With the teams so evenly matched after three games, the competition this year is likely to be intense, Sitka coach Mindy Bartolaba said today.
“Both teams played hard, it was a close game for all of the fourth quarter. It’s going to make for an exciting season,” she said via text.
The Lady Braves followed up their win Friday with a 47-41 victory on Saturday. Edgecumbe held only a one-point lead at the half and the teams were neck-and-neck at the opening of the fourth quarter, too. But a breakout performance in the fourth – fueled by Williams’ and O’Brien’s shooting – pushed Edgecumbe ahead in the closing minutes.
On the boys side, the Mt. Edgecumbe Braves scored a 72-58 victory over Sitka on Friday, but the Wolves turned the tables Saturday and won 46-32.
On Friday, Edgecumbe took an early lead and was up 38-19 by the half, but Sitka remained determined and narrowed the gap in the third. The Wolves again outscored the Braves in the fourth, but it was too late to change the outcome.
Mt. Edgecumbe senior Ranen Wassillie, of Wasilla, cited a slowdown of his team’s defense in the second half.
“We were pretty good in the first half. In the second half, I don’t know what happened. Our defense got a little slower… We just got slower at leading their cuts and just slower on defense in general,” he said.
Wassillie led his team in scoring by a wide margin with 23 points, followed by Mason Ivanoff with 13 and Jake Friske with 12.
He highlighted his team’s capacity to score following a turnover from the opposing squad.
“I think one big strength that we’ve got is our fast break. Our fast break can be pretty good when we actually move the ball off the court. Some days, our defense is pretty solid, too. You know, there’s still a lot to work on, but it’s only halfway through the season,” the senior told the Sentinel.
In a similar vein, Sitka High sophomore Trey Demmert also underscored the importance of energy on the court.
“Last year, we always came out flat. And our team this year, we said our goal is not to do that in the third quarter every game,” he said. “And I just feel like I hit a few shots in the beginning that gave me a little confidence… Seemed like in that third quarter, we all just turned it on. We worked super hard, like we were all focused.”
Demmert scored 19 points, followed by Trey Johnson with 10 and Angelo Elefante with 7.
Demmert called defense crucial for his team.
“Our defense is still our main thing. I feel like a lot of players gained confidence tonight. Dezi (Olney-Miller), this was the most I’ve seen him shoot. This was the most I’ve seen myself shoot in a game. (Matthew) Leach, he shot really well… He shot a little more tonight, which I’m really happy for him. And Trey (Johnson), he was working really hard. He’s just been building confidence all year,” Demmert summarized.
But looking back on the game, the sophomore said his team wasn’t quite prepared for the tempo and aggression of Edgecumbe’s offense, which allowed the home team to snag an early lead.
“I think we just weren’t ready for it. I definitely think we tried to prepare, but we didn’t realize what was going to happen,” he said. “And that first half is just not what we expected. And then we brought it back in the second half.”
Sitka High turned the tables Saturday in earning the 46-32 win over Edgecumbe. The Wolves led 16-8 at the end of the first, and while the Braves narrowed that lead in the second, Sitka still held a 4-point edge at the half.
To the Wolves’ benefit, Edgecumbe’s roster was less than full, with Mason Ivanoff, Rylan Armstrong, Kaison Herrmann and Connor Journey off the court on Saturday. Sitka again increased their lead in the third and, in the final eight minutes of play, the Wolves’ defense almost fully shut down Edgecumbe’s shooting. In the fourth, the Braves scored only 4 points while Sitka scored 9 to secure the win.
