Petersburg’s high school basketball teams took on their rivals, the Wrangell Wolves, this past weekend. The teams were neck-and-neck all the way through.
The Viking boys won both of their games, coming in just a hair over their opponents — and the Lady Vikings were just a hair behind, losing both of their games by a few points.
Petersburg coaches say the energy was high in Wrangell, which is still recovering from the deadly November landslide.
It was Wrangell’s homecoming weekend, and Petersburg coaches say the Wolves were hungry for a win. Matt Pawuk is the Lady Vikings’ new head coach. He said the atmosphere over the weekend was electric — Wrangell fans completely packed the stands.
“My daughter who was in sixth grade, she ended up watching in the common area over the TV, because she could hardly find a place to sit,” said Pawuk. “I mean, it was packed.“
Viking boys’ coach Rick Brock echoed that sentiment. He said the weekend exemplified the important role the sport holds in the social fabric of Petersburg and Wrangell — especially in the dark of winter, and following dark times.
“Basketball is pretty important in these small communities all around in Southeast Alaska, and the stands were completely full both nights,” said Brock. “It’s a chance for people to get out and see each other, but also then to cheer on the young people in the community.”
Pawuk said he also saw the game as a rallying point for Wrangell, after a landslide in November that swept away infrastructure and killed six people.
“With all that community’s been through recently, I think it was a really good outlet for them,” said Pawuk. “The environment was great — it was electric. That’s the only way I can describe it.”
The rivalry between the two teams is fierce, and known throughout the region. But both Petersburg coaches can only describe the weekend in positive terms. Brock said that even players who had fouled out of the game got caught up in the excitement.
“The best part of it was the guys on the bench that were sitting in foul trouble, they were their biggest cheerleaders,” said Brock. “They spent their energy jumping around and yelling for their teammates and really just a positive atmosphere.”
But it was a challenging weekend for the Lady Vikings. On Friday, they trailed behind the Wolves by just a few points, ultimately losing by three points. The Wolves won 29-to-27.
The next day, the Lady Vikings turned it around a little bit. They maintained a strong lead over Wrangell for the first three quarters. But in the final quarter, the Wolves overtook them by three points, winning 40-to-37. Pawuk said, even though they came up short, both nights were a big step forward for the Lady Vikings.
“I mean, as far as any weekend where you can compete and have the ball in your hands with a chance to win — especially in a hostile environment like Wrangell — I consider that kind of a successful weekend,” said Pawuk. “It’ll be a process throughout the season of learning how to play from a head, which we haven’t had to do in a while.”
And he’s confident that his team will close that distance soon. After this weekend, he’s especially pleased with how their offense is looking.
“The best part is seeing the confidence that the girls have on the court,” said Pawuk. “Wrangell changed up their defense a couple of times on us Friday night, and we adjusted our offense and they had to run something else because we were getting the looks that we wanted, and it was just neat to see.”
Every one of Pawuk’s players scored at least one point that weekend. He gave special kudos to his top scorer, junior Kylie Mattingly.
“Saturday, she had a kind of a breakout game,” said Pawuk. “Part of our offense is a lot of pick-and-roll stuff, and she was doing a great job of rolling to the basket. Our guards were finding her and she was finishing. That was pretty neat to see.”
Altogether, he hopes the Lady Vikings can sustain that momentum and confidence through the rest of the season.
The Viking Boys also had a hard-fought weekend, taking narrow victories over the Wolves. They fell behind the Wolves by just one point in the second and third quarters. Then they pulled ahead in the last three minutes of the final quarter — winning Friday’s game 41-to-39.
Brock said junior Elijah Whitacre helped the Viking’s regain control of the last half of the game. He scored twelve points and made several important free throws down the stretch.
“He’s one of those kids [who] has worked hard every day,” said Brock. “Every possession and where the ball found him in that third and fourth quarter and really was a catalyst for us.”
Brock said his team took away some important lessons about the value of preparation.
“We talked a lot about [how] you don’t know when your name is gonna get called,” said Brock. “And how you’re going to be important at that moment. It really came true this weekend.”
On Saturday, the Viking boys varsity team maintained a much stronger lead over their opponents. By halftime, Petersburg had thirteen points over Wrangell. It tightened up in the fourth quarter, with the Wolves making a run at the visiting team with several three-point shots. But then, Brock said, senior Hunter Conn took over.
“He was dominating on both ends rebound wise,” said Brock. “And then, scoring — he dominated the paint so it was really, really nice to see him play so well.”
Petersburg’s lead only grew from there — the Vikings won 57-to-42.
Looking ahead to the Viking’s next games, Pawuk said his team is getting ready to face off against some especially fleet-footed foes. He said the Haines Glacier Bears have built up a reputation in the region for their athleticism and speed.
“Haines has a cross country running culture there,” said Pawuk. “The same kids who run cross country [also] play basketball. So, they just run and run and run — and they’re fun to watch. They’re tough to play against.”
Brock has been watching the Glacier Bears closely. He said some of their star players have graduated this year and have passed on the torch to their younger teammates. But he has no doubt that they’re as formidable as ever.
“They lost their two key scorers from last year,” said Brock. “But I’ve had a chance to watch him play a little bit and the young guys have stepped up to assume that role of the leadership on their team. Anytime you travel in Southeast to anywhere, it’s always going to be competitive and tough — and I don’t expect [them] to be anything less.”
Both of Petersburg’s teams will travel to Haines on Thursday, and play the Glacier Bears on Friday and Saturday evenings.
KFSK will broadcast those games live.
