by Tommy Wells
The Unalakleet Wolfpack knew coming into the Bethel Regional High School WarriorDome for a nonconference showdown with the Warriors wasn’t going to be easy. In fact, they knew they would have to shoot the lights out if they wanted to have a chance.
And they did. The Wolfpack salvaged a split of their weekend twinbill with the Warriors by lighting up the scoreboard over the final three quarters of a wild 73-66 come-from-behind win in front of a loud BRHS crowd on Saturday. Unalakleet pieced together a 22-15 run in the final eight minutes to net the decision.
One of the favorites to net a berth in the upcoming Class 3A, Bethel did its best to put the Wolfpack on their heels early. The Warriors garnered points from five different players in the first period and raced to a 16-10 advantage.
Peter Crow led the BRHS run in the first by tallying five points. Eli Mortenson added a pair of shots from the paint, and Jarvis Evans chipped in a three-pointer.
Unalakleet fought its way back in the second. The Wolfpack, keyed by a pair of three-point shots by Carter Commack, outscored Bethel by a 22-16 clip in the stanza and went into the half with the score knotted at 32-32.
As a team, Unalakleet hit four three-point shots in the second quarter.
Mortenson led Bethel’s efforts in the second by throwing in five of his game-high 22. Evans and Jamin Crow added four.
After fighting to a 51-51 mark at the end of the third, Unalakleet rode the hot-shooting of Cody Ivanoff to the win. Ivanoff netted 11 of his 20 points in the final frame and spearheaded a 22-15 run in the closing minutes.
Mortenson kept Bethel close by tallying 11 in the fourth.
Crow finished the game as Bethel’s second-leading scorer by tossing in 14.
Nelson Evans also reached double figures with 11 points.
Mike Haugen and Larry Wilson reached double figures for Unalakleet. Haugen netted 16, while Wilson added 14.
Mortenson pushed in 24 points and Jamin Crow added 20 on Friday and led Bethel to a commanding 68-49 victory.
Mortenson scored 22 of his game-high total in the second half and helped Bethel break open a close 37-33 halftime battle with a 36-16 romp in the final 16 minutes.
Crow and Nelson Evans sparked the Warriors early in the contest. Crow pushed in 11 in the first eight minutes and pushed Bethel to a 22-11 start. Evans added seven.
Unalakleet rallied back to post a 22-15 mark in the second.
Mortenson took over the game for the Warriors in the third. He reeled off 13 of Bethel’s 22 points in the frame and powered the Warriors to a 59-40 advantage.
The BRHS defense limited Unalakleet to just two shots from the field in the first eight minutes.
