Just call the Lady Seahawks champs

Published on February 11th, 2010

By VAN WILLIAMS

Seward's Tess Berry (15), Chelsey Clark (32) and Holly Ganser fight for a rebound against Cook Inlet Academy. (Courtesy Photo, Jamie Atherton)

Ryan Sawyer of Seward jumps for a loose ball against Cook Inet Academy. (Courtesy Photo, Jamie Atherton)

Second-year Seward girls basketball coach Curtis Berry didn't want to call his team's victory in last week's Seahawk Classic a signature win, but it was close.

"I think what it's doing for us is giving us some confidence that may push us into some signature wins in the future," he said with a laugh.

All joking aside, though, the championship is a sign that the program is headed in the right direction.

"Last year we had a couple second-place finishes in tournaments and this year we won the CIA tournament early and then winning this one on our home court," Berry said.

The Seward girls beat Nikiski, Cook Inlet Academy and Bethel in three days to give the home crowd lots to cheer about. Berry was especially happy that the success was fueled by contributions from everybody up and down the lineup.

"They've done a great job," he said of his squad. "They've put a lot of heart and effort into the games last weekend.

"Our emphasis this year has really been focused on the team effort and that each individual gives of their talent for the betterment of the team."

On the boys side, Seward won two of three games and placed second behind MVP Andrew Buchanan. The Seahawks lost the title game 41-38 to Bethel.

The Warriors returned the favor after losing to Seward in Bethel earlier this season.

Among the highlights for the girls was Emily Draper's game-tying 3-pointer late in the fourth quarter against CIA in a 39-36 victory and the Seahawks' balanced attack in a 43-38 victory over Bethel in the championship game.

Seward controlled the final from start to finish, building a 15-point lead at one point before the Warriors stormed back.

"It was a good game," Berry said. "Bethel is a team that likes to play until the end of the game."

Seward had four players selected to the all-tournament team-Draper, Chelsey Clark, Meg Berry and Holly Ganser-although Berry was quick to point out contributions of other players.

"I don't want to overlook Kristina Atherton, either," he said. "She wasn't selected to the all-tourney but she was a big, big boost to the team.

"Two other players who we often fail to mention that have been fantastic sparks from the bench: Alex Espelin has been great on the offensive boards and Tess Berry has been a great enthusiastic help on the defensive end and has a way of getting everyone moving.

"The entire team came together and wanted to win and went out and played hard."