By GARLAND KENNEDY
Sentinel Staff Writer
Half way through the fourth quarter, the Edgecumbe Braves had an 8 point lead over the Sitka Wolves, Tuesday night.
The Wolves’ four-year varsity player Gavin Flores recalled the moment.
“I looked over at the scoreboard and we were down by 8, and we’re in the fourth quarter and we’ve got like three or four minutes left, it clicked in everyone’s head that we needed to start going to work.”
Junior Keaton Koelling added that “I think we’re a really good fourth quarter team... We’re willing to just put our foot on the gas and go.”
The Wolves hit the gas pedal, and leveled the score 39-39 at the end of the quarter.
Flores and Koelling credited their solid late-game performance to stout defense and good team chemistry.
“Defense was definitely one of the big roles last night (Tuesday),” Flores said. Sitka started out with a zone defense, but found better luck going man-on-man.
Mt. Edgecumbe junior RJ Alstrom-Beans, of St. Marys, said “we were up 8 points in the fourth quarter, and we just didn’t execute... This is a learning game.”
Sitka High senior Mason Eubanks draws a foul as he goes for a shot against Mt. Edgecumbe, Tuesday at MEHS. Braves’ senior Drew Jackson, right, blocks. Sitka won by a point in overtime. (Sentinel photo)
Edgecumbe junior Leon Toomer said much of the game came down to determination.
“They (Sitka) came in the game wanting to win, we also wanted to win, but I guess we tried our best.”
Toomer himself scored 12 points in the game, all three-pointers.
“I didn’t know I was going to shoot that many threes and be the shooter.” Toomer said in that last semester alone, he took 10,000 practice shots.
He noted that his team has solid chemistry too.
As for what his team needs to improve, Toomer’s answer was simple: “our stamina.”
Alstrom-Beans hoped to work on team moment on the court.
“We pass and we just stand. We could pass, cut through the middle, and just continue to move. So it adds more pressure to the defense, since we’re all moving they don’t know where we are.”
Regardless of the outcome, Sitka’s Flores was happy about the crowd turnout.
“That game was definitely electrifying,” he said.
With packed bleachers and both schools’ cheer squads there for the first rivalry match of the season, electrifying is an apt word.
Though the Sitka-Edgecumbe match is over, basketball continues through the week. The schedule is below.
Today 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.
