Colony boys grind past Wasilla in first round of state tourney

ANCHORAGE —Colony’s first three games against the Wasilla Warriors this season have come down to the final possessions.

The fourth meeting wasn’t any different.

Colony junior Bailey West hit a pair of three-pointers in the fourth quarter to help Colony score a 42-36 victory over Wasilla during the first round of the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Basketball Championships Thursday at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

Colony’s six-point victory marked the largest margin of victory in the four games between the Valley rivals this season. Colony beat Wasilla 49-47 early in the year and 44-39 in the Northern Lights Conference title game earlier this month. Wasilla posted a 54-50 victory over the Knights.

Thursday was also the lowest scoring game between the two teams.

“Certainly when you play here, the arena, it’s a little bit different. Certainly, there’s the intensity of the state championship atmosphere, the rivalry atmosphere,” Colony head coach Tom Berg said after the win. “There’s a lot of missed shots in the rivalry games. But I think both teams did a real good job of playing through those stretches.”

Aside from an early Colony run, neither team held a big lead. Colony led 11-9 after the first quarter, and the teams were tied at 21 at halftime. Both teams struggled to score consistently inside, but both squads hit big three-pointers throughout the game. Colony finished with seven three-pointers, Wasilla hit five.

“Both teams did a good job of getting guys open,” Berg said.

West led the Knights with a game-high 23 points. The junior scored eight of his team’s first 11 points, a stretch that included a pair of deep three-pointers. In the fourth, West had nine of Colony’s 13 points.

Wasilla, behind three-pointers by Ryen Milliron and Isaac Houck, took a third-quarter lead, and held an advantage in the fourth.

West hit his fifth three-pointer of the game midway through the final period to give Colony the 34-32 lead. Moments later, West drained another shot from beyond the arc to push Colony’s advantage to four points.

“That’s what he does,” Berg said of West’s ability to shoot the ball. “For him, where he’s really come into his own is realizing there are times and places.”

Late in the game, Wasilla pulled back within a possession. Sophomore Koby Burns hit a three-pointer to cut Colony’s lead to 39-36 with 42 seconds left.

West and Ethan Selmer hit free throws late to ice the game for the Knights.

Selmer added 10 points to West’s 23. Robert Sonnenberg led Colony with seven rebounds. Baham led Wasilla with 10 points.

With the win, second-seeded Colony moves forward to face third-seeded East Anchorage Friday at 6:50 p.m. in the semifinals. East downed Ketchikan 75-68. Wasilla moves backward and will face Ketchikan Friday at 11:20 a.m.

Colony 42, Wasilla 36

4A boys quarterfinals

Thursday, Sullivan Arena

Wasilla 9-12-11-4—36

Colony 11-10-8-13—42

Wasilla (36) — 1 0-0 3, Brown 3 0-2 7, Milliron 1 0-0 3, Baham 3 3-4 10, Garnett 3 1-2 7, Houck 2 1-2 6; Totals: 13 5-9 36.

Colony (42) — Selmer 4 2-5 10, Looney 1 1-2 3, West 7 3-4 23, Chamblee 2 0-0 5, Sonnenberg 0 1-4 1; Totals: 14 7-15 42.