CHAMPS! Palmer girls win state title

KENAI - It was twice as nice for the green and white in the Region III basketball finals, as the Colony Knights won the boys and girls titles Saturday at Kenai Central High School.

The Colony boys team had to rally from a 12-point deficit in the second half to beat Wasilla 57-50, while the Lady Knights had no trouble dispatching the upset-minded Kenai Kardinals 52-26.

The Kards were coming off a huge, emotional victory over the second-ranked team in the state, Palmer. After beating the Moose Friday night, the Kards were overwhelmed by Colony as the Knights won their sixth-consecutive Region III title.

This means a lot to us because we worked hard to get to this point, said Colonys Nicky Bean. Everyone stepped up and we played a couple of good games.

Jessica Moore poured in a game-high 15 points and hauled down several key rebounds in the games opening minutes to set the tone in Colonys victory. She was named the regions most valuable player following the tournament.

We were very, very surprised that we were playing Kenai and not Palmer, Moore said. But that shows you that you have to be ready for everybody. We know what Kenai can do, so we were ready for them.

Palmer, which entered the tournament with a 21-1 record, was upset in the semifinals by Kenai.

The girls championship game was all but over midway through the second quarter as Colony seized a big lead early. Still, the Kards are state-bound and looking to play the role of spoiler in the tournament, which begins Thursday in Fairbanks.

Colonys defense stifled the Kards offense throughout the game. Using a full-court press, the Knights converted several Kenai turnovers into points to put the game out of reach in the second quarter. Kelly Quinn had 11 points, while senior Nicky Bean tallied nine for the Knights.

Cory Hershberger led the Kards in scoring with nine points. Wendt and Jessi Reilly each contributed five.

The boys game was much closer, as the Knights used a 35-16 run to end the game and take the championship.

In the first half, it was a game of runs. Wasilla opened with a 13-0 run, which was quickly answered by Colony snapping off seven unanswered points. The first half closed with Wasilla on an 8-0 run as the Warriors took a 25-20 halftime lead.

They pushed the lead to 34-22 in the third quarter, the biggest lead of the game for either team, but the Warriors would not enjoy it for long.

We werent real nervous because we know that team so well, said Colony guard John Gray. We were confident that we could come back.

And come back the Knights did.

The Knights closed the third quarter on yet another streak, scoring 13 points in the final 1:30 and cutting the Wasilla lead to two points, 37-35.

Wasillas Nick Buzby fouled out of the game with 6:14 to play, and that was when the Knights took advantage by going inside to Pat McGowan and Mike Johnson.

In the fourth, Gray scored nine of his game-high 20 points and Pat McGowan had six of his 15 as the Knights finally took the lead with 4:10 to play in the game.

This team has a lot of character, and it showed tonight, said Colonys Johnson, who scored nine points in the game. The big key for us was Pat (McGowan). He really played a great game, and we needed it to come through at the end like we did.

The Knights iced the game from the free-throw line. With Wasilla fouling to stop the clock, the Knights hit 11 of 16 free throws and did not allow the Warriors back into the contest.

Wasilla head coach Chuck Martin used to coach at Colony, and Gray said that winning the championship against him was a big motivation for the team.

I remember when he left Colony (two years ago), he took me, Pat and Mike to the side and told us that we were going to be great players and how much we could accomplish, Gray said. We showed him that he was right by beating his team.

Morgan Leeds led the Warriors in scoring with 13 points. Ryan Hewitt and Justin Buzby each added 10, while Ben Luer had eight.

Colony beat Wasilla for the third time this season, with all the games decided by less than 10 points.

Region III sends three teams to the state tournament, and the Palmer boys and girls teams secured the third seed with victories Saturday.

The fact that the Lady Moose were playing in the third-place game was a surprise to everyone. Friday, Kenai upset the Moose 38-31 in the semifinals. Turnovers and hot shooting by Kenai added up to one of the biggest upsets in recent memory.

The Moose slipped into the second-chance bracket and advanced to state via the third berth. Less than 12 hours after the disappointing loss to Kenai, the Moose were back to their old selves, nailing six 3-pointers in the first 16 minutes of play and hanging 42 points on Wasilla by halftime.

We win together, we lose together, said Palmer co-captain Laura Lee, who hit three treys Saturday morning against Wasilla after being limited to just seven points Friday night against Kenai. We didnt show up to play. I guess they wanted it more than we did.

Following the win over Wasilla, the Moose tripped up Homer, 67-27, in the consolation bracket final to claim third place in the tournament and the final region berth at state.

Wasillas loss to Palmer ended its chances at becoming the third Valley squad to earn a berth in the state tournament. After losing to Homer in overtime Friday, the Warriors responded by pounding Soldotna to set up the Valley game Saturday morning.

Had Palmer not been upset by Kenai, the Warriors would have faced the Kards, a team they had beaten once already this season.

In boys action, Wasilla advanced to the championship game with a 68-50 victory over Homer in the opening round and a 68-61 hard-earned victory over Kodiak.

Against Kodiak, Nick Buzby had two huge blocks in the last minute of action and Mark Nunley hit three crucial free throws late in the game.

Nick Buzby is a freaking warrior, thats all I have to say, Martin said. Playing with four fouls, he didnt have to try to block those shots. The guy gives everything he has, and it got us the victory.

After beating Soldotna behind Jesse Doerrs 30 points on Friday, Palmer fell to Colony in the semifinals. Forced to win two games on Saturday, the Moose responded by downing Homer and Kodiak.

Again on the short end of a thrilling game, Kodiaks Region III most valuable player Nick Newgaard missed two shots in the last two seconds of the game as Palmer held on for a 58-56 victory. P. J. Peaches Larson hit several crucial free throws, and Jason Caldera came through for the second game in a row as the Moose got production from their bench.

Beside Jesse, Jason (Caldera) was our MVP in this tournament, said Palmer coach Brandon Blake. Against Homer, he had 14 points and 14 rebounds. We dont win that game without him.

Earning the state berth was not easy, Larson said.

It was real tough coming through the losers bracket, Larson said. We were real disappointed after losing to Colony. It was do or die. The team showed a lot of desire and pride.

The state tournament begins Thursday at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks. The Colony girls face Dimond and the Palmer girls get top-ranked East in the first round.

In the boys tournament, Colony opens against Chugiak, Wasilla faces Juneau and probable player of the year Carlos Boozer while Palmer plays East, the No. 1-ranked team in the state.

Games begin at 8:30 a.m. and continue throughout the day.

Peninsula Clarion managing editor Mark Kelsey and sports editor Roger Kane contributed to this story.

COLONY GIRLS 52, KENAI 26

Kenai4967 26

Colony10151017 52

KENAI (26) Knudsen 1 0-0 2, Reilly 2 1-1 5, Montgomery 0 0-0 0, Stewart 0 0-0 0, Wendt 2 1-4 5, Arbelovsky 1 1-4 3, Shinn 0 0-0 0, Canady 0 0-0 0, Hershberger 3 3-4 9. Totals 9 8-16 26.

COLONY (52) Bean 3 0-0 9, Quinn 4 3-4 11, Thaggard 1 0-0 3, Luthi 1 0-0 2, Menard 0 0-0 0, Rose 2 0-0 4, N. Lanners 1 2-4 4, Moore 7 1-2 15, Tubbs 0 0-0 0, Light 0 0-0 0, Beckman 0 0-0 0, M. Lanners 2 0-0 4. Totals 21 6-10 52.

Total fouls Kenai 12, Colony 18. Fouled out Quinn. Three-point goals Bean 3, Thaggard.

COLONY GIRLS 59, HOMER 47

Homer151311847

Colony1416161359

HOMER (47) Cundiff 8 4-6 20, Budge 5 5-6 15, Cloud 1 1-2 4, Bucher 1 2-2 4, Case 1 0-0 2, Brooks 1 0-0 2, Scalzi 0 0-0 0, High 0 0-0 0, Gaethle 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 12-16 47.

COLONY (59) Moore 7 5-11 19, Quinn 7 0-4 14, N. Lanners 6 6-8 10, Rose 2 0-1 6, Luthi 3 0-0 6, Bean 0 4-4 4, M. Lanners 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 15-28 59.

Total fouls Homer 20, Colony 17. Fouled out Budge, Bucher. Three-point goals Rose 2, Cloud.

COLONY GIRLS 55, SOLDOTNA 25

Soldotna2491025

Colony181714655

SOLDOTNA (25) Fosse 4 1-2 9, Besse 3 0-2 6, Meacham 2 0-0 4, Dittrick 2 0-1 4, Gilbert 1 0-0 2, Gensel 0 0-0 0, Kerrone 0 0-0 0, Vansandt 0 0-0 0, Hollier 0 0-0 0, Howard 0 0-0 0, Kimibrell 0 0-0 0, Sizemore 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 1-5 25.

COLONY (55) Moore 12 1-6 25, Bean 3 0-0 9, Quinn 3 0-1 6, M. Lanners 3 0-0 6, Luthi 2 0-0 4, N. Lanners 1 1-4 3, Rose 1 0-0 2, Beckman 0 0-2 0, Menard 0 0-2 0, Thaggard 0 0-0 0, Tubbs 0 0-0 0, Light 0 0-0 0. Totals 25 2-13 55.

Total fouls Soldotna 11, Colony 12. Fouled out none. Three-point goals Bean 3.

PALMER GIRLS 67, HOMER 27

Homer6641127

Palmer2217121667

HOMER (27) Scalzi, High, Trimble 1, Bucher 4, Case, Mark, Brooks 1, Cundiff 4, Stapel, Cloud 2, Gaethle, Budge 15. Totals 8 11-20 27.

PALMER (67) Callison 6, L. Lee 16, West 9, K. Lee 10, Knapp 2, Pasquale 10, Hillis, Williams 2, Peck, Bynum 4, Thomas 8. Totals 26 12-19 67.

Total fouls Homer 18, Palmer 20. Fouled out none. Three-point goals L. Lee 3.

PALMER GIRLS 66, WASILLA 41

Wasilla96101641

Palmer182418666

WASILLA (41) Goodwin, James 2, Lavin 13, Dudley 2, Minnick 17, Jenks, Ruck 4, McLean, Kroon 2, Wininger 1. Totals 16 6-13 41.

PALMER (66) Callison 8, L. Lee 10, West 9, K. Lee 1, Knapp 3, Pasquale 16, Hillis 2, Williams 11, Peck 2, Bynum 2, Thomas 2. Totals 22 16-22 66.

Total fouls Wasilla 16, Palmer 13. Fouled out none. Three-point goals Lavin 3, L. Lee 3, Pasquale 3.

KENAI GIRLS 38, PALMER 31

Kenai57121438

Palmer1066931

KENAI (38) Shinn 4 2-3 10, Hershberger 1 7-8 10, Wendt 2 1-2 5, Reilly 1 3-5 5, Knudsen 2 0-0 4, Arbelovsky 2 0-0 4, Canady 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 13-18 38.

PALMER (31) Callison 6 0-0 12, L. Lee 2 1-4 7, Pasquale 2 0-0 6, Williams 2 1-2 5, West 0 1-2 1, Knapp 0 0-0 0, Peck 0 0-0 0, Bynum 0 0-0 0, Thomas 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 3-8 31.

Total fouls Kenai 14, Palmer 21. Fouled out Callison. Three-point goals L. Lee 2, Pasquale 2, Hershberger.

PALMER GIRLS 65, SKYVIEW 36

Skyview9128736

Palmer2510131765

SKYVIEW (36) St. Clair 1 0-1 3, McGee 1 2-6 4, Galic 3 0-0 8, Hudson 1 1-5 3, Davis 0 0-2 0, Freeman 0 0-0 0, Arbucci 0 0-0 0, Bauer 3 2-2 8, Bixby 2 0-0 6, Demaris 1 2-2 4, Kier 0 0-0 0, Carlon 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 7-18 36.

PALMER (65) Callison 3 0-0 6, L. Lee 9 2-4 21, K. Lee 0 0-0 0, Knapp 1 0-2 2, Pasquale 2 0-0 5, Hillis 0 0-0 0, Williams 4 2-2 10, Peck 1 0-0 2, Bynum 3 0-0 6, Thomas 3 5-6 11. Totals 27 9-16 65.

Total fouls Skyview 14, Palmer 19. Fouled out none. Three-point goals Galic 2, Bixby 2, St. Clair, L. Lee 2, Pasquale.

WASILLA GIRLS 52, SOLDOTNA 31

Wasilla1310141552

Soldotna51041231

WASILLA (52) McLean 6 4-10 16, Lavin 4 2-3 11, Dudley 3 0-0 7, Wininger 2 1-2 5, Hulse 2 1-4 5, Goodwin 0 2-2 2, James 0 2-3 2, Minnick 1 0-0 2, Ruck 1 0-0 2, Jenks 0 0-2 0, Williams 0 0-0 0, Kroon 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 12-26 52.

SOLDOTNA (31) Howard 2 3-6 8, Fosse 2 2-2 6, Meacham 1 3-4 5, Besse 1 3-5 5, Vansandt 0 2-2 2, Hollier 1 0-0 2, Dittrick 1 0-1 2, Kimbrell 0 1-2 1, Gensel 0 0-0 0, Kerrone 0 0-0 0, Sizemore 0 0-0 0, Gilbert 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 14-24 31.

Total fouls Wasilla 19, Soldotna 19, Fouled out none. Three-point goals Howard, Lavin, Dudley.

HOMER GIRLS 52, WASILLA 48 (OT)

Homer 4131215852

Wasilla 3121613448

HOMER (52) Scalzi 0 1-2 1, High 4 0-0 8, Trimble 1 3-4 5, Bucher 3 1-2 7, Case 0 0-0 0, Brooks 1 0-2 2, Cundiff 5 7-7 18, Stapel 0 0-0 0, Cloud 0 0-0 0, Gaethle 0 0-0 0, Mack 0 0-0 0, Budge 4 3-7 11. Totals 18 15-24 52.

WASILLA (48) Goodwin 0 0-2 0, James 0 0-0 0, Lavin 5 3-4 13, Dudley 3 1-2 7, Minnick 7 3-3 17, Jenks 0 0-0 0, Ruck 0 0-2 0, McLean 3 5-10 11, Wininger 0 0-1 0, Hulse 0 0-0 0. Totals 18 12-24 48.

Total fouls Homer 18, Wasilla 19. Fouled out Budge. Three-point goals Cundiff.

COLONY BOYS 57, WASILLA 50

Colony515152257

Wasilla1312121350

COLONY (57) Gray 4 10-11 20, Williams 2 0-1 4, Johnson 3 3-4 9, McGowan 5 5-6 15, Boyd 2 2-6 6, Magner 1 0-2 3, Foster 0 0-0 0, Moore 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 20-30 57.

WASILLA (50) J. Buzby 3 4-5 10, Nunley 2 3-5 7, Faeo 0 0-0 0, Tatum 0 0-0 0, Luer 4 0-2 8, N. Buzby 1 0-0 2, Leeds 4 5-10 13, Hewitt 3 2-4 10. Totals 17 14-26 50.

Total fouls Colony 19, Wasilla 26. Fouled out J. Buzby, Nunley, Luer. Three-point goals Gray 2, Magner, Hewitt 2. T

COLONY BOYS 73, PALMER 61

Palmer 712192361

Colony2311182173

PALMER (61) Larson 0 0-0 0, Doerr 7 7-7 21, Jones 2 1-2 7, Forsyth 0 3-4 3, Dwyer 0 0-0 0, Caldera 3 2-3 8, OShea 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 3-4 3, Hooker 3 0-0 6, Stringer 2 3-4 7, Neilson 2 0-0 4, Pettit, 1 0-0 2. Totals 20 19-24 61.

COLONY (73) Gray 4 1-2 12, Williams 3 0-0 8, Johnson 5 12-15 22, McGowan 6 5-6 17, Boyd 1 5-7 7, Magner 0 0-0 0, Youmans 0 0-0 0, Foster 0 0-0 0, Reza 0 0-0 0, Moore 3 1-4 7, Wright 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 24-34 73.

Total fouls Palmer 26, Colony 24. Fouled out none. Three-point goals Jones 2, Gray 3, Williams 2.

COLONY BOYS 66, SKYVIEW 51

Skyview1210141551

Colony1218231366

SKYVIEW (51) McGarry 5 0-0 12, Hofseth 0 2-4 2, Norman 0 1-2 1, Kier 1 0-0 2, Reynolds 0 0-0 0, Baldridge 8 6-10 22, Heatherly 1 0-1 2, Rose 1 1-2 3, Burdett 0 0-0 0, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Davis 2 3-3 7. Totals 18 13-22 51.

COLONY (66) Gray 2 4-4 9, Williams 3 0-0 6, Johnson 6 0-4 14, McGowan 8 4-6 20, Boyd 2 2-3 6, Magner 2 0-0 4, Youmans 0 0-1 0, Foster 1 2-2 4, Reza 0 0-0 0, Moore 1 0-0 2, Wright 0 1-3 1. Totals 25 10-23 66.

Total fouls Skyview 21, Colony 23. Fouled out none. Three-point goals Gray, Johnson 2.

WASILLA BOYS 68, KODIAK 61

Kodiak1018181561

Wasilla1014202468

KODIAK (61) Kreta 2 1-4 5, Wisher 2 0-1 4, Spalinger 0 0-0 0, Fulp 2 0-0 4, Horn 1 0-0 2, Newgaard 13 2-2 28, Go. Agmata 3 1-2 7, Benjamin 1 0-1 2, Mortensen 0 0-0 0, Geo. Agmata 0 9-10 9, Williamson 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 13-20 61.

WASILLA (68) J. Buzby 7 3-5 17, Nunley 2 1-1 5, Tatum 0 0-0 0, Luer 2 7-11 12, N. Buzby 2 3-4 7, J. Lund 0 0-0 0, Leeds 3 8-8 14, Hewitt 4 4-6 13. Totals 20 26-35 68.

Total fouls Kodiak 24, Wasilla 20. Fouled out God. Agmata, Benjamin, Leeds. Three-point goals Luer, Hewitt.

WASILLA BOYS 68, HOMER 50

Homer 6 7 10 27 50

Wasilla 21 10 18 19 68

HOMER (50) Garcia 2 0-0 5, Steiner 1 8-8 10, Boone 2 4-4 10, Haynes 0 0-0 0, Garvey 2 4-6 8, Crum 2 1-2 5, Burns 1 0-0 3, Chambers 1 1-2 3, Szajawski 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-2 0, Turner 2 0-0 4. Totals 14 18-24 50.

WASILLA (68) J. Buzby 6 2-2 14, Nunley 2 7-7 11, Rucker 0 0-0 0, Faeo 0 0-0 0, Watts 0 1-2 1, Tatum 1 1-4 5, Luer 7 0-0 15, N. Buzby 5 1-2 11, Lund 0 1-2 1, Leeds 2 3-4 7, Hewitt 1 0-0 3, Smith 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 17-23 68.

Total fouls Homer 14, Wasilla 20. Fouled out Faeo. Three-point goals Garcia, Burns, Boone 2, Luer, Tatum, Hewitt.

PALMER BOYS 58, KODIAK 56

Kodiak10 10 19 17 56

Palmer9 9 20 20 58

KODIAK (56) Newgaard 7 2-4 16, Benjamin 5 2-2 12, Go. Agmata 4 0-2 10, Kreta 4 2-3 10, Wicher 1 0-0 2, Fulp 1 0-0 2, Horn 0 2-2 2, Ge. Agmata 1 0-0 2, Spalinger 0 0-0 0, Hill 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 8-13 56.

PALMER (58) Doerr 5 2-4 16, Jones 7 0-1 15, Hooker 6 0-0 12, Larson 2 3-4 7, Caldera 2 0-0 4, Stringer 2 0-0 4, Forsyth 0 0-0 0, Dwyer 0 0-0 0, OShea 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 0-0 0, Neilson 0 0-0 0. Totals 24 5-9 58.

Totals fouls Kodiak 14, Palmer 14. Fouled out Stringer. Three-point goals Go. Agmata 2, Doerr 4, Jones.

PALMER BOYS 66, HOMER 62

Palmer622172166

Homer1616121862

PALMER (66) Doerr 8 1-2 23, Caldera 6 2-2 14, Jones 3 4-6 13, Forsyth 2 2-4 6, Larson 0 4-4 4, Dwyer 1 0-1 2, Stringer 0 2-2 2, Neilson 1 0-0 2, Hooker 0 0-0 0, Scott 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 15-23 66.

HOMER (62) Crum 9 1-3 19, Haynes 5 2-2 13, Turner 4 3-4 11, Garcia 3 1-1 8, Chambers 2 1-2 5, Garvey 2 0-0 4, Steiner 1 0-0 2, Boone 0 0-0 0. Totals 26 8-12 62.

Total fouls Palmer 17, Homer 19. Fouled out Turner. Three-point goals Doerr 6, Jones 3, Garcia, Haynes.

PALMER BOYS 57, SOLDTONA 51

Soldotna910102251

Palmer513221757

SOLDOTNA (51) Kelley 2, Williams 7, Christensen 10, Hrdina, Steadman 15, Metteer 4, Gardner, Demske, Zobeck 13, Blouin. Totals 19 11-15 57.

PALMER (57) Larson, Doerr 30, Jones 10, Forsythe, OShea 3, Scott, Hooker 10, Stringer 2. Totals 20 11-13 57.

Total fouls Soldotna 15, Palmer 13. Fouled out Hrdina. Three-point goals Jones 2, Christensen, Steadman, Doerr, OShea.

Photo: Celebration is in order after the Palmer girls basketball team rallied from an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to down Colony 44-43 and take the state championship Saturday at the Carlson Center in Fairbanks.

Photo by CASEY RESSLER.