{"id":116947,"date":"2025-03-13T21:30:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-14T05:30:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/sports\/metlakatla-girls-earn-fourth-place-game-at-state\/"},"modified":"2025-03-13T21:30:00","modified_gmt":"2025-03-14T05:30:00","slug":"metlakatla-girls-earn-fourth-place-game-at-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.juneauempire.com\/sports\/metlakatla-girls-earn-fourth-place-game-at-state\/","title":{"rendered":"Metlakatla girls earn fourth place game at state"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t\t
In a rematch of the 2A Region V championship game the Metlakatla MisChiefs once again got the better of the Haines Glacier Bears 58-34 on Friday and kept their season alive for one more game in the 2025 ASAA March Madness Alaska 2A State Basketball Championships at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Metlakatla plays on Saturday at 9:30 a.m. for 4th\/6th place.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Haines held the early 14-11 first-quarter lead and Metlakatla scored 16 points in the second stanza while holding their opponents to six points and taking a 27-20 lead into halftime.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Despite a strong physical presence by the Glacier Bears they could not cut into the lead and trailed 39-27 after three quarters. Metlakatla put up 19 points in the final stanza while Haines was held to just seven.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Metlakatla’s Lexi Cook (12) scores over Haines’ Sydney Salmon (12) during the MisChiefs 58-34 win over the Glacier Bears on Friday in the 2025 ASAA March Madness Alaska 2A State Basketball Championships at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t
Lexi Cook led Metlakatla with 16 points, Saahdia Buffalo 13, Ma’Karii Martinez eight, Baileight Nelson six, and Mia Winter, Haylen Ladnier and Morgan Hayward five each. Cook led with nine rebounds, Martinez five, Winter, Ladnier and Hayward two each and Nelson one. Winter led with four assists.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Metlakatla hit 5-8 at the free throw line, Haines 4-6. The MisChiefs had 30 team rebounds, the Glacier Bears 23. Metlakatla had 12 turnovers, Haines 13.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
Emma Dorn led the Glacier Bears with 14 points, Ari’el Godinez-Long eight, Caroline Elliott six, Ashlyn Ganeythree, Sydney Salmon two and Ava Graham one.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t
HOONAH GIRLS 40, SHISHMAREF 43<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The Hoonah Braves battled into a last-second loss against the Shishmaref Northern Lights for a spot in the 4th\/6th-place game.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hoonah led 40-38 on a free throw by Jora Savland with 38.1 seconds left to play.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Shishmaref’s Makenzie Olanna buried a shot past the arc for a 41-40 lead with 18 seconds left, but Hoonah could not get a good look at a shot and had to foul.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Shishmaref’s Bertha Nayokpuk hit two free throws for the 43-40 score and Hoonah could not find an open look for a last-second shot.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hoonah held an 11-8 lead after eight minutes behind Easton Ross, Paige Woitte and Jora Savland, and continued that full-court pressure they are known for into a 19-19 tie at the half.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hoonah’s Easton Ross defends Shishmaref’s Makayla Nayokpuk (2) during the Braves 43-40 loss to the Northern Lights on Friday in the 2025 ASAA March Madness Alaska 1A State Basketball Championships at Anchorage’s Alaska Airlines Center (Klas Stolpe \/ Juneau Empire)<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t “It has been a terrific season,” Hoonah coach Marlene Duvall said. “Ending on a high note was just being here and getting three games out of it. We set some goals early on and we set some goals for the tournament and we succeeded.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The teams played even in the third quarter with Hoonah taking a 27-21 lead and Shishmaref closing on a 9-2 run for a 29-29 score with just eight minutes left to play.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hoonah’s Paige Woitte blocked a shot to get the final stanza started.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “I’m grateful for this,” Woitte said of state. “Really grateful for the experience. It sucks that we lost, but at least we got to be here. I have not words to explain it other than grateful, I’m so happy to be here with my team.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hoonah’s Eastman Ross notched a pair of free throws to tie the game at 31-31 and after a Shishmaref basket Ross had an assist to Woitte to tie the game at 34-34.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Hoonah’s Ross would then get a rebound and pass to Jenna Jack for a basket and Savland added two free throws for a 38-34 lead with two minutes left.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Shishmaref’s Loretta Sinnok scored to pull to 38-36 and Olanna hit again to tie the game at 38-38.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t Ross would come up big again for Hoonah after a Braves miss as she stole a ball and fed Jack, who was fouled and hit one free throw for the 39-38 lead that paved the way for the dramatic finish.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t “She’s a pretty intense player,” Coach Duvall said of Ross. “She just wants to do what’s right by the team and wants to win. It is a great spirit to have. And on that note we have no seniors graduating that played today so we’ll be back.”<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t The only senior on the team is three-year starter, and all-state wrestler, Krista Howland. Having a sports-related surgery in February she served as the team’s assistant coach this season.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>