The Wrangell Lady Wolves looked to end the regular season by sweeping the Petersburg Lady Vikings and positioning themselves with a higher seed at this week’s Southeast regional championships. They succeeded.

The Lady Wolves entered the first game in Petersburg on Friday, Feb. 27, with a 6-8 conference record, good for third in the region.

Knowing what was at stake, Wrangell took a commanding 18-5 lead after the first quarter. Guard Hailey Cook hit a three-pointer and scored seven of the Wolves’ 18 first-quarter points.

The offense wasn’t the only thing that was flowing for the Lady Wolves — their defense was also getting the job done, holding Petersburg to only 14 first-half points. With their offense humming and their defense stifling, Wrangell held a 25-14 halftime lead.

The third quarter was tight, with Wrangell outscoring Petersburg 9-8 to take a 34-22 lead.

In the fourth, the Lady Wolves scored 10, their first double-digit scoring quarter since 18 in the first and held the Lady Vikings to nine points for a 44-31 victory.

The Lady Wolves were led in scoring by Alexis Easterly (14), Christina Johnson (13) and Cook (10).

The start to Saturday’s game was sloppy for both teams, with a combined 11 turnovers in the first quarter. Wrangell guards Cook and Johnson were able to push the ball, breaking Petersburg’s full-court press and helping the team take a 9-6 lead after the first.

In the second quarter, the Lady Wolves increased their defensive intensity, forcing five Lady Vikings turnovers.

At the 7:20 mark of the second quarter, star player Easterly got a block, which turned into a transition three-pointer for Cook.

After Alana Harrison pulled down an offensive rebound and scored a put-back layup, the Lady Wolves took an 18-11 lead into halftime. The team forced a dozen Petersburg turnovers and blocked three shots.

The third quarter began with a Cook three-pointer. She added another three at the 4:06 mark off the quarter to give the Lady Wolves a 24-17 lead. Soon after that, Easterly drained a three of her own and Wrangell had their largest lead of the game at 27-17. The quarter ended with a 33-19 Lady Wolves lead after a 19-6 run from the beginning of the third.

Petersburg would not surrender quietly, with multiple turnovers by Wrangell leading to fast-break opportunities for the Vikings, trimming the Wrangell lead to 36-31.

Wrangell head coach Christy Good took a timeout and the Lady Wolves were able to calm the Lady Vikings storm, completing the two-game sweep with a 39-31 victory.

Cook led Wrangell in scoring with 15 points on five three-pointers; Easterly scored nine.

The Lady Wolves finished the season 8-8 and are headed to Juneau this week for the Southeast regional championships.