Pyles, Defense, Lead Lady Bears Advance

Jay Barrett/KMXT
It was a split decision for Kodiak High School Bears basketball teams at the 4A State Championship Tournament yesterday.
The bottom-seeded Kodiak boys kept it close, but couldn’t hold off top-seeded West Anchorage.
Meanwhile, the number-one seeded Kodiak girls had an up and down game, but prevailed over Dimond through tough defense.
The Lady Bears started strong, building a 12-2 lead in the first period, but foul trouble put them back on their heels for much of the game. Center Hannah Wandersee was sat down after collecting three fouls – including a technical – in the second, and was forced to stay on the bench for almost half the game. In her absence, forward Megan Pyles rang up 25 points and pulled down an even dozen rebounds to lead the Lady Bears to a 54-40 win. The game was much closer than that, however, with Dimond trailing only by 6 halfway through the final quarter. However, a stifling full court press and 10 straight points near the end of the game sealed the victory for Kodiak. Wandersee did manage nine points in her limited playing time, while Adriane Horn had six points and 14 steals. Jerica Nelson had five points, four assists and three steals.
At 3:30 this afternoon, Kodiak will play fifth-seeded West Valley, which beat fourth-seeded Ketchikan yesterday.
Meanwhile, the Kodiak boys will play its second round game at 9:45 this morning against Thunder Mountain. The Bears kept the game close, leading West 21-19 at the half and only trailing by 1 after three quarters. Seven points, which was the difference in the final score, was as far ahead as West ever got, winning 44-37. Nearly 80 percent of Kodiak’s scoring came from two players, Alec Canete-Hall and Austin Frick, who had 15 and 14-points respectively.
Kodiak’s games can be heard on KVOK radio.