Lady Wolverines hope second time is a charm

DICK SHELLHORN

March 20, 2008 at 9:58AM AKST

For The Cordova Times

Cordova’s Lady Wolverines kick off the 2008 3A State Tournament in Anchorage on Thursday, March 20, and they hope their second trip is a charm.

After winning one game and losing a pair in their first trip back to "The Show" since 1996 last year, basketball coach Virginia Anderson and her squad are ready for the bright lights and pressure.

"Is the second year easier?" Anderson said. "I think so. The girls know what to expect, the court is more familiar, and they have more focus and composure. Plus four of this year’s starters played at State last year, so we are veterans."

As runner-up from the Aurora Conference playoffs, Cordova will open the three-day classic at 8 a.m. Thursday against Barrow, the winners of the Western Alaska playoff and also the defending State 3A champs.

Anderson isn’t too crazy about the starting time but likes the first-round pairing against the Whalers, a team they defeated 53-44 in the Valdez Valentine’s tournament.

"We match up with them pretty well," Anderson said. "They are a small team, very quick, and can shoot the ball. They have very skilled ball handlers, including Princess Eduarte, who played on the 4A state championship team from Dimond High two years ago. But they don’t have a big girl that can defend Kelsey Hawley."

The stats sheet from that game verifies Anderson’s scouting. Hawley killed the Whalers inside and finished with a game- and season-high 29 points.

"Keeping her out of foul trouble, handling their quickness and pressure, plus not letting them get on a scoring run, will be keys," the veteran CHS mentor said.

As far as playing at 8 a.m., Anderson has already begun preparing for that.

"We have been practicing early in the morning all this week to get used to the idea," said Anderson, who has seen some pretty ugly and low-scoring games at that start time. "Plus we have had a week off to recover from all those games at Districts."

With Anchorage Christian and Eielson, 3A teams ranked No. 1 and 2 in the state, on the other side of the bracket, Anderson is optimistic about Cordova’s chances. The Ravens face Bethel and Anchorage Christian School is paired against Petersburg, and ACS and Eielson could very well meet in one semifinal.

The other pair of teams on the same side of the bracket with Cordova are Grace Christian and Mount Edgecumbe. Cordova topped Grace 49-39 in the first round of the Valdez Valentine’s tournament. Mount Edgecumbe, the Southeast champs, are an unknown, but Anderson doubtless will be in the stands scouting the Grace-Edgecumbe matchup at 5:10 p.m. on March 20.

"We probably couldn’t have asked for a better position on the bracket," Anderson said. "But once you get this far, everyone is very, very good, and you must play one game at a time."

The winners of the Cordova-Barrow and Grace-Edgecumbe Thursday games will meet at 5:10 p.m. in one of Friday’s semifinals; the losers will play at 9:40 a.m. Friday. Two losses eliminate a team; after one loss, the highest a team can finish is fourth.

Cordova has won one state 3A title, back in 1987, with guess who coaching.

"That was a game I will never forget," Anderson said. "We beat Delta in overtime, after losing to them five straight times prior to that. Kind of like topping Valdez at Districts this year after losing four games to them during the regular season. So who knows? We’ve worked all year to get to this point, and anything can happen."

Because the 1A and 2A championship games will be played at Sullivan Arena on Thursday, the first round of the 3A tournament will be played at the University of Alaska Anchorage, with Friday and Saturday’s games at the Sullivan.

The Cordova Telephone Cooperative will be sponsoring the broadcast of all the games live on KLAM and Sportstalklive.net.

Dick Shellhorn, who covers sports for The Cordova Times, can be reached at (907) 424-3543.

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