Another triple-double for Devine, another win for the Warriors

WASILLA — Connor Devine has already established himself as one of the best players in Alaska. But the way Devine has played recently, the Wasilla senior could now be among the best in the state in recent history.

The all-state forward and Division I recruit posted his second straight triple-double and fifth in 14 games during a 57-37 win over the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears at Wasilla High School on Friday.

“Right there speaks loads for the player he is and the team we’ve got,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said after the win.

Devine tallied 13 points, 19 rebounds and 11 blocks in the victory, a night after collecting 19 points, 19 rebounds and 11 blocks during a 64-44 win over Juneau. Engebretsen, who starred at Homer High School as a player and enjoyed a long tenure as a Colony assistant before taking the reins at Wasilla, had trouble drawing an Alaska comparison to Devine’s recent run. Engebretsen dropped Carlos Boozer’s name, the former Juneau-Douglas superstar who is now posting up for the NBA’s Chicago Bulls.

“I haven’t seen it in a long time,” Engebretsen said. “Boozer dominated the game a lot, but he didn’t block shots like Connor is right now. Connor goes and gets everything off the rim. This weekend he was terrific, and went and got everything off the boards.”

With his totals on Friday, Devine is now averaging 18.8 points, 14.2 rebounds and 7.9 blocks per game. His 7.9 blocks unofficially rank him among the best in the nation. Devine, who will play at South Dakota State next season, is ranked fourth in the country in blocked shots, according to maxpreps.com, but many schools do not report statistics to the website. Engebretsen said Devine’s work ethic is part of the reason for the success. Devine, and teammates such as Braydon Kuiper, Dane Kuiper and Dillon Ferro, spend countless hours in the gym, Engbretsen said.

“They work their tails off to do the little things,” Engebretsen said. “They’ve spent so much time in the gym.”

There’s also that natural ability.

“South Dakota State is really excited about him, because they watch his timing, his knack for the ball, offensively and defensively,” Engebretsen said. “He just has that knack for the ball. He has that instinct for the ball to go find it.”

Devine was held to only four points during the first half, but his play on the defensive end helped Wasilla improve to 12-2 overall. The teams were tied at 8 at the end of the first half, and Wasilla held a slim 21-18 at halftime.

“They’re a good team, we were both guarding. Neither one of us could buy a bucket in the first half,” Engebretsen said. “We wore them down a little bit.”

Wasilla was able to put together 38 second-half points. Braydon Kuiper scored seven of his 13 points in the third. Dane Kuiper added six of his 11 during the third quarter. Devine, who hit a pair of three-pointers in the win, nailed a three and was 4 for 4 from the free-throw line in the fourth.

Sophomore Cash McGregor also added a key seven points in the win, including a three-point play in the fourth quarter. McGregor drove to the basket for the score, drew the foul and hit the ensuing free throw to help the Warriors maintain a solid lead.

“He’s probably, a lot of times, the hardest working kid on the floor,” Engebretsen said. “In his goals, the first thing out of his mouth is, ‘I want to be the hardest working kid on the floor.’”

The Warriors return to the floor Tuesday with an away game at Colony at 7:45 p.m.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports.

Wasilla 57, Juneau 37

Friday, Wasilla High

Juneau 8-10-9-10—37

Wasilla 8-13-17-19—57

Juneau (37) — Ibesate 4 0-0 8, Yado 1 0-0 3, Lenhart 1 0-0 2, Shoemaker 3 2-4 11, Brinson 1 1-1 3, Calloway 3 0-0 6, Speck 1 0-0 2, Jones 1 0-1 2; Totals: 15 3-6 37.

Wasilla (57) — Capo 1 0-0 3, Ferro 2 2-2 6, B. Kuiper 5 3-3 13, D. Kuiper 5 1-2 11, McGregor 3 1-1 7, Dawkins 0 2-2 2, Devine 3 5-6 13, Roberts 1 0-0 2; Totals: 20 14-16 57.

Three-point field goals: Juneau 4 (Shoemaker 3), Wasilla 3 (Devine 2).