Colony boys rally to score win over Moose

PALMER — Nolan Martin stayed pretty busy Tuesday night.

The Colony senior drew maybe the toughest assignment on the floor — shadow Palmer all-star Clayton Southwick. Up and down the floor. Inside and out. From one side of the zone to another. Martin stuck with Southwick as if he was — for lack of a better word — his shadow, and helped hold the Palmer junior to a mere 10 points.

And Martin also came through on the offensive side.

With less than a minute remaining in regulation and the Knights trailing by a point, Martin made a quick move to the basket, got the bucket, drew the foul and hit the free throw. The play gave the Knights a lead they wouldn’t relinquish, and Martin helped the Knights rally to a 48-44 win over the rival Moose at Colony High School.

“It really was (a nice win),” Colony head coach Tom Berg said. “Obviously, those games are nip and tuck. That one was no different. A little bit of a grind and we made enough plays late to get out of there with a (win).”

Martin’s play marked one of two pivotal buckets for the Knights during the final two minutes of regulation. With about 1:40 left in the fourth and the Knights also trailing by one, senior guard Isaiah Neuner drove the baseline from the right corner. Neuner missed the initial attempt, but got his own rebound and the putback to give the Knights the 41-40 advantage.

“Getting those extra possessions,” Berg said of the importance of those types of plays. “The grit and grind of this group. They’re starting to find their identity, and this group is starting to produce.”

The field goals were part of Colony’s 18-point fourth quarter that also included a key Martin three-pointer midway through the quarter that cut a Palmer lead to a possession. Parker Kizer and Colton Spencer also hit a late free throw each to help Colony maintain the lead.

Martin scored eight of his game-high 13 points in the fourth. The senior was also 3 for 3 from the free throw line during the final quarter.

“It’s a new year for Nolan. His role for the last couple years, has been a glue guy,” Berg said. “He hasn’t necessarily been the focal point offensively. For us to be successful, he’s got to score some points, and still provide all those other things he’s provided.”

Berg also praised Martin’s work on defense, specifically against Southwick.

“He’s giving up some size, but everybody who guards Clayton is giving up some size,” Berg said of Southwick, Palmer’s 6-foot-7 junior. “We have a lot of respect for Clayton and what he can do, what he has done. You are not going to stop (Clayton) from scoring completely, but I thought Nolan did a good job.”

While Southwick was held to 10, the Palmer junior did score seven of Palmer’s 13 points in the third quarter, and helped the Moose add to its lead. Southwick hit a three-pointer with two minutes left in the third to push Palmer’s advantage to seven.

Colony took an early lead in the game with a seven-point first-quarter run, but Palmer jumped back into the game with 16 points in the second quarter. Jared Hawkins and Payton Martin each hit three-pointers during the second quarter to help the Moose take a lead before halftime.

Sullivan Menard added 13 points for the Knights, who won their second straight after dropping their first two games of the season. Colony finished 1-2 last week at the Mount McKinley Bank Holiday Classic at Monroe Catholic in Fairbanks, but capped the weekend with a victory over fellow 4A foe Lathrop.

Palmer’s Donovan Eiman added 10 points of his own for the Moose. Dae Osiensky led the Moose with 11 points.

Palmer is competing in the Alaska Prep Shootout at Dimond High School this weekend. The Moose played Thunder Mountain Thursday. Results were not available prior to press time.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Colony boys 48, Palmer 44

Tuesday, Colony High

Colony 11-11-8-18—48

Palmer 7-16-13-8—44

Colony (48) — Kizer 2 1-2 5, N. Pead 2 0-0 5, Neuner 2 1-3 5, Menard 3 7-10 13, Spencer 0 1-2 1, Martin 3 6-9 13, Villastrigo 1 0-0 2, Oathoat 2 0-0 4; Totals: 15 16-26 48.

Palmer (44) — Osiensky 5 1-1 11, Martin 1 2-2 5, Hawkins 3 1-1 8, Hughes-Duffy 0 0-2 0, Southwick 4 1-2 10, Eiman 5 0-4 10; Totals: 18 5-12 44.

3-point field goals: Palmer 3 (3 tied with 1), Colony 2 (Martin, Pead); Total fouls: Palmer 21, Colony 16.