by Tommy Wells
The Bethel Regional High School Lady Warriors closed out a successful weekend of hardwood action on Saturday by claiming second at the 2017 Dean Cummings Sr. Memorial Tournament at Delta Junction High School. Bethel finished 2-1 in the three-day event.
In the championship game, Bethel enjoyed some early success against the Monroe Catholic Lady Rams. Backed by a solid showing from Courtney Williams, the BRHS girls raced to a 13-7 halftime advantage.
Monroe Catholic rallied in the second half. They reeled off a 31-24 run in the final 16 minutes of play and escaped with a 38-31 decision.
Williams finished the game with a game-high 20 for Bethel.
For Monroe Catholic, the win over Bethel marked the second straight day in which they managed to survive a stiff test from a Western Conference power. The Lady Rams advanced to the championship game after netting a 45-44 overtime win over Kotzebue on Friday.
Bethel rolled into the title game fresh off a 61-38 rout of Delta Junction in their semifinal matchup. In the game, Katie Crow powered the BRHS assault with 21 points. Williams added 11 more.
The Lady Warriors defeated Hutchison in the first round on Thursday.
Unlike the BRHS girls, the Warriors had a hard time finding wins in the boys’ bracket of the tournament. The team went 1-2 overall, including a 55-45 loss to Valdez in the third-place game on Saturday.
In the loss to Valdez, Jayvin Williams scored 17 points to lead the BRHS offense.
Bethel fell into the third-place game via a tough 73-70 loss to Delta Junction on Friday. In that game, Williams and Ray Daniel both reached double figures offensively. Williams finished with 24 points, while Daniel chipped in 11.
Bethel opened the tournament with a win over Hutchison, winning 63-53.
Monroe Catholic won both the girls’ and boys’ team championships.