CHS boys top 4A North Pole at Valdez tournament

Cordova’s Junior Itliong (in blue) goes up for a blocked shot in first round action of the Valdez Elks Tournament on Feb. 11. Photo courtesy Joe Prax

The Cordova Wolverines picked up a big win at the Valdez Elks Tournament, topping 4A North Pole 39-35 in second-round action on Friday, Feb. 11.

“We had a thriller against North Pole,” CHS Coach Jake Borst said. “We took an early 20-7 lead going into halftime. The Patriots roared back with their three-point shooting and made it a close game throughout the fourth. We kept our composure and were able to keep the lead for the win.”

Trevor Dundas did most of the scoring for Cordova, with 20 points. Wyatt Sorenson added 8, Jaykob Thorne 6, Vincent Nothstine 4, and Junior Itliong 1.

Valdez cruised by Cordova 67-28 in their first-round game on Thursday, Feb. 10.

Wolverine Floyd Witsoe drives past a Valdez defender in first round action of the Valdez Elks Tournament on Feb. 11. Photo courtesy Joe Prax

“We came out of the gates with high energy and stuck with them through the first half,” Borst said. “But our defense broke down and we had trouble handling their pressure defense resulting in this big loss.”

Dundas led the Wolverines with 10 points.

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In a game closer than the final score would indicate, CHS battled Bethel in the contest for fourth place at noon on Saturday, Feb. 12. The Wolverines jumped out to a big 15-3 lead after one quarter; the Warriors cut the deficit to 26-22 by halftime.

Cordova had a 43-42 advantage with eight minutes left, but Bethel held CHS to only one basket in the final period to win 51-44.

“After leading most of the game, we broke down defensively and were not able to convert down the stretch,” Borst said.

Itliong lead Cordova with 14 points; Thorne and Dundas added 12 apiece.

The Cordova boys received the tournament Sportsmanship Award.

“I am very proud of them for playing with so much class and respect the whole weekend,” Borst said.

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