With the season's earlier 99-13 loss to Dimond as dreadful memory, the members of the Eagle River girls basketball team played with poise and dignity in their eventual loss to the top-seeded Lynx in the first-round of the Cook Inlet Conference tournament Wednesday at West High.

First-year coach Terra Bingham said she was proud of the way the team played: their heads held high and they worked hard throughout the game.

Dimond lead 19-0 at the end of the first quarter, and 30-4 at halftime.

"Offensively it wasn't one of our best games, but Dimond's a strong team," said Bingham.

Dimond blew through the rest of the CIC with only one loss, to West.

Eagle River came back to score five points in the third quarter before being held scoreless during the fourth.

Bingham said the team had focused on their defense in preparation for the Lynx game.

"We stopped their fastbreak – that was our main goal. We wanted to get back on defense," she said.

The Wolves converted on only four of 33 shot attempts from the floor and were 1-for-3 from the free throw line.

Senior Sam Hurst paced the team with three points, with two points each from Kristin Dulik, Nicole Carroll and Danielle Trubiano.

Eagle River was outrebounded 46-22, with Hurst posting a team-best eight boards.

The Wolves were without two players, with junior Cassie Barsalou out of state, and Marissa Jerome injured.

Barsalou and Hurst were the Wolves' only two selections to the Cook Inlet Conference regular season's honorable mention team.

"We had to change our halfcourt defense with Barsalou and Jerome out. They are the two wings at the top of our 3-2 halfcourt set," said Bingham.

With the game winding down, the coach said she was proud of the team's effort and intensity throughout the game.

Bingham's influence and work with the young and inexperienced team did not go unnoticed as Bingham, along with West High's Tim Helvey, was named the recipient of Co-Cook Inlet Conference "Coach of the Year" honors.

Bingham said the team showed vast improvement over the season, even though it didn't result in a win.

"At the beginning of the year, we couldn't break a press and even get the ball over half court. We were also able to run three different offensive sets by the end of the season," she said.

Eagle River High tournament team members included Kristin Dulik, Nicole Carroll, Becca Campione, Danielle Trubiano, Lorena Prado, Sam Goldberg, Meaghan Byman, Karolina Williams, Sam Hurst and Marissa Jerome.

You can reach the reporter at editor@alaskastar.com.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, March 11, 2010.