Making it to the state tournament is the goal of every Alaska high school basketball team, and Cordova’s Lady Wolverines did just that, with a big upset over #1 seeded Nenana in the 2A Interior Conference playoffs here on March 7-9.
However, the CHS girls couldn’t keep the magic going at the 2A State tournament in Anchorage the following weekend.
Playing at the Alaska Airlines Center on the University of Alaska Anchorage campus, the Lady Wolverines struggled in their opening round matchup against Southeast runner-up Craig on March 14.
A slow start put CHS in a 20-4 hole after one quarter, and they never could make up the deficit, losing by a 52-26 final.
Riley Butler lead Cordova with 10 points.
CHS also fell behind Scammon Bay in their March 15 consolation game, trailing 35-19 at halftime. Cordova outscored Scammon 19-12 in the second half, but then were eliminated by a 47-36 final.
Butler and Jieller Tabara topped the Cordova scoring with 10 points apiece.
Nenana, the team that Cordova had upset in the Interior Conference playoffs, made it all the way to the finals before falling the Tiqigaq in the Championship game.
The Lady Wolverines finished the season with a 14-13 record, and will be in rebuilding mode next year, with senior starters Riley Butler, Abby Bourgeois, Jieller Tabara, and Keyona Mattson all graduating.
