The Lady Vikings beat the Craig Lady Panthers twice last week while celebrating senior parent appreciation in front of the hometown crowd. The two wins closed the books on the regular season and secured the top seed for Petersburg at Regionals to be held in Mt. Edgecumbe this weekend.

Head coach Dino Brock says the No. 1 seed is a good reward for a great season so far, and means the team earned an extra day of rest before they take the court. The girls will have a first round bye when the tournament begins on Wednesday, and face either Wrangell or Craig at 3 p.m. on Thursday.

"We are just trying to stay focused and stay as sharp as we can," coach Brock says.

On Thursday, eight girls scored and nine recorded points the following night during game two of the series. The games against Craig showcased how well the Lady Vikings are playing together.

"Craig came at us and really battled with us, and that's what we needed," coach Brock says. "They were physical and there was a lot of contact while we were shooting the ball."

The first quarter of Thursday's contest was close, ending with Petersburg up 10-8. The Lady Vikings got their rhythm going before halftime and continued to score in double digits for the remainder of the way. Petersburg put up 14 in the second quarter, 17 in the third and ended the fourth with 16 points. The girls managed to hold Craig to single digits in every quarter, and the Lady Vikings won easily, 57-26.

Seniors Ruby Brock and Kylie Wallace continue to put up big numbers. Brock hit four 3-pointers in the game, with three of them coming in the third quarter. Brock ended the game with 14, second only to Wallace, who scored a game-high 17 points. Junior Emma Chase also chipped in nine.

The girls came out focused and played well on Friday, despite the excitement and possible jitters associated with senior night. The Lady Vikings jumped on the Lady Panthers early with their offensive and defensive pressure, and never looked back.

The first quarter ended 12-2, and continued looking lopsided going into the locker room at halftime with Petersburg leading, 29-6. Craig scored 16 second half points, just a few shy of Petersburg's 19, but the damage was done, and the Lady Vikings claimed the victory, 48-22.

Wallace led the way again with a game-high 16 points and Brock dropped 11, with three more 3-pointers and a 2-for-2 performance from the free-throw line. Sophomore Courtney Fredricksen added 10 points, with six of them coming in the second quarter.

Coach Brock says the games against Craig really helped the team prepare for Regionals, and gave the four seniors a proper conclusion to playing in their home gym. The night was also about honoring the parents of the seniors for all the dedication and support they bring to the table, coach Brock says.

"It's really neat to see the players and parents get recognized for everything they have done over the last four years," he says. "There were a lot of people there last weekend, and it was really great to see."

Orin Pierson / Petersburg Pilot

Josie Prus puts two points on the scoreboard during Friday night's 48-22 win over the Craig Lady Panthers.

Regionals should also bring a big crowd of Southeast fans, and a big time tournament atmosphere this weekend. However, the team is not looking forward or thinking about making a run to State just yet. The Lady Vikings are focused on playing good team basketball this weekend and letting the rest sort itself out, coach Brock says.