Colony boys sink free throws, Soldotna in overtime

SOLDOTNA — Now that’s tournament basketball.

The Colony boys survived a furious Soldotna second-half surge, using clutch free-throw shooting in overtime to eke out a 59-54 Northern Lights Conference semifinal win in front of a packed house at Skyview High in Soldotna.

“We kept our composure,” said Colony coach Jeff Bowker, whose team hit 12 of 14 free throws in overtime.

Anyone who watched the first half would have been shocked to find that the game went to overtime. The Knights dominated early, opening the game on a 7-0 run and taking a 23-15 lead into the half.

Soldotna showed some signs of life at the end of the second quarter when Boomer Blossom nailed a long 3-pointer to allow the Stars to head into the locker room on a make.

The Stars nearly couldn’t miss in the third quarter, storming back to take a 29-28 lead on a Blaine Carver 3-pointer midway through the third. Soldotna hit six treys in the game, including four in the second half as the Stars outscored Colony 30-22.

Colony led by five points late in the fourth quarter, but the Stars got a trey from Robbie Smithwick and a tip-in from D.J. Stilchen to tie the game at the end of regulation.

Bowker, whose team beat Soldotna twice during the regular season, said he knew the Stars — last year’s Class 4A tournament runners-up — had a run in them after the half.

“You knew it was gonna happen,” Bowker said. “I thought we did a good job weathering it.”

Colony’s senior leadership stepped up in overtime. Senior guard John Palmer and senior forward Scott Herman scored all 14 of Colony’s points in the frame. Palmer scored eight points in the extra four minutes — making all six free throws – while Herman added six on 6-of-8 shooting from the line.

Palmer finished with a game-high 21 points, while Herman added 18 and Hayden Summers chipped-in seven.

Carver scored 20 points to lead Soldotna, which also got 18 from Blossom.

Soldotna went ice cold in extra time going 3-of-12 from the field – including a meaningless desperation bucket by Carver at the buzzer.

Soldotna coach Matt Johnson refused to comment following the game.

The crowd at Skyview was heavily pro-Soldotna, and Colony’s late free throws came amid a barrage of catcalls and distractions – which Palmer said he relished.

“I love playing against a big crowd,” Palmer said. “It’s nerve-wracking, but it’s fun.”

The win moved Colony into the state tournament for the sixth consecutive season and gave Palmer a fourth trip to the big dance in four seasons as a Knight.

COLONY 59, SOLDOTNA 54 (OT)

NLC semifinals

Friday, Skyview High School

Colony 11 12 16 6 14 – 59

Soldotna 7 8 19 11 9 – 54

COLONY (59) – Eisenhower 1 1-2 3, Turner 1 0-1 2, McCann 0 1-2 1, Palmer 5 8-9 21, Herman 4 10-14 18, Depriest 3 0-0 6, Ray 0 1-2 1, Summers 3 1-2 7. Totals – 17 22-32 59.

SOLDOTNA (54) – Hahn 1 0-0 2, Story 2 0-0 4, Blossom 6 2-3 18, Carver 7 3-5 20, Stilchen 2 1-4 5, Smithwick 1 0-0 3. Totals – 19 6-12 54.

3-point field goals – Colony 3 (Palmer 3), Soldotna 6 (Carver 3, Blossom 2, Smithwick). Fouled out – Stilchen. Total fouls – Colony 18, Soldotna 24.