Colony boys top 3A power

PALMER — The Colony Knights scored a big win over a non-conference opponent on Saturday. Led by junior guard Damien Fulp, the Knights came back in the fourth quarter to defeat 3A powerhouse Anchorage Christian 59-56.

ACS has been a state title contender at the 3A level for years, and this year is no different. The Lions boast a strong squad of size and talent led by Gus Simmers. But the Knights didn’t shy away from an ASC team that regularly goes deep into the 3A state tournament and is considered one of the better squads in Alaska, large schools or small.

“They want to play in big games. They like that atmosphere and we’ve been through a few battles now,” said Colony head coach Tom Berg of the Knights after watching his team fight to overcome a second-half deficit.

Colony started with a fast-paced offensive tempo led by Nathan Umbarger’s eight first-quarter points, and the Knights found themselves in a battle, leading 19-17 at the end of the first quarter.

Colony went on a 14-4 run to build their lead starting the second quarter. The Knights got contributions from their bench in the first half with seven players scoring in the second quarter, and the Knights lead 34-27 at halftime.

While Colony went into the break strong, it was the Lions who came out of the locker room with authority, outscoring the Knights 20-6 in the third quarter. Calvin Hoffman caught fire from beyond the three-point arc, and Simmers was strong inside the paint for the Lions.

Both teams fatigued and the heavyweight’s haymakers turned into body shots and strategic jabs. ACS used full court pressure on and off with some success, slowing the push of Fulp considerably. The battle raged on the glass, as both teams used their size for crucial rebounds to make the most out of each possession.

“Antonio Bush is kind of our secret weapon on the glass. He gets a lot of tough rebounds,” Berg said.

The fourth quarter alone was worth the price of admission. With five minutes left in the fourth quarter, Colony was charging, using free throws to chip away at the Lions lead. Then the Colony leaders took the game into their own hands. Hunter Eisenhower hit a tough contested layup and the free throw after he was fouled to complete the three-point play. ACS countered when Simmers went to work on the low post and scored two of his game-high 20 points.

Fulp, who had been quiet most of the game, found himself on the right wing. He raised, fired and hit a clutch three-pointer. Fulp turned toward the Colony bench, flexed and let out a mighty yell as he had just cut the lead to one and ignited the home crowd.

Umbarger posted a strong performance for the Knights. He scored 13 points and stayed out of foul trouble matched against the bigger and taller ACS forwards.

“Nate’s a lunch pail guy, as we like to say. He’s not as big as everybody else, but uses his body really well, and every day he’s got to put on his hard hat and bring his lunch pail and go to work. He certainly did that today,” Berg said.

Both teams were fairly evenly matched. Eisenhower fouled out, putting his 6 feet, 4 inches of length helplessly on the bench.

The game played on with 2:30 left. A loose ball was taken all the way to the rack for Colony, but swatted away by Immanuel Lopez. The Lions reversed court and took it all the way under their own basket, but could not score. The level of intense defense played by both teams was high, and no defender was left an inch of court open.

When Colony finally came away with control of the ball, Fulp floated through the lane and sank a runner to give the Knights their first lead since early in the second half. It came down to foul shooting and defense down the stretch, and the Knights executed both well. The Knights went an impressive 25-31 from the free throw line for the game, including 10-15 in the fourth quarter. With just under 20 seconds left, Simmers took the ball through the lane and put up a contested layup between Umbarger and Bush. The ball fell into the hands of the Knights and the victory was secured.

“Antonio got there late, but he got there. My heart skipped a beat a little, but that’s the play you want. You’d rather be up than down in that situation,” Berg said.

Colony improved to 9-4 on the season with the win.

Colony 59,

Anchorage Christian 56

Saturday, Colony High

ACS 17-10-20-9— 56

Colony 19-15-6-19— 59

Anchorage Christian (56) — C. Lopez 0 6-6 6, Hoffman 7 0-0 18, Arnes 1 0-0 2, I. Lopez 3 1-2 8, Simmers 8 4-7 20, Terry 0 2-2 2.

Colony (59) — Compton 1 2-2 4, Gray - 1 4-6 6, Fulp 4 2-2 12, Menard 2 2-2 6, Umbarger 3 7-8 13, Huffman 0 1-2 1, Bush 2 1-2 5, Eisenhower 3 6-7 12.