Colony boys, Wasilla girls win NLC titles

KENAI — After two straight years of losing the Northern Lights Conference tournament final, the Colony boys are finally headed off to state as champions.

Led by the 12 points of junior Bailey West — who also laid in a pivotal layup in the waning moments of the game — the Knights claimed the NLC title with a 44-39 win Saturday over Valley rival Wasilla on Cliff Massie court in Kenai.

“That was a big win, this is huge for us,” West said. “It’s amazing, the feeling’s great.”

After getting through to the championship final but losing the previous two years, West said it was nice to come out on top for once.

“I saw the open lane and my teammates cleared out, but two guys came over and I was afraid of taking a charge, so I kind of spun it, and laid it up,” West said. “Crowd went wild, that was it.”

In title matchups, Colony lost to Kodiak last year, Palmer in 2013 and Wasilla in 2012. Saturday’s win was also a burden off the shoulders of Colony coach Tom Berg.

“You certainly want to win when you get opportunities,” Berg said. “You try to explain that to your guys, but you can’t really explain it.

“I’m so proud of this group of guys to battle through, with injuries, guys playing new roles down the stretch, it was great to see.”

Robert Sonnenberg chipped in 10 points for Colony and Ethan Selmer added eight.

Isaac Houck and Cameron Brown led the Warriors with 12 points apiece, and Koby Burns added seven.

With the robust Valley crowd cheering on their students and sons, both teams came out of the box executing. Colony led 14-11 after one quarter and 23-15 at halftime.

After Wasilla charged out hard in the second half, West hit a trey to beat the buzzer at the end of the third quarter, giving Colony a 33-26 lead and some much-needed momentum.

West put in a layup with 3:22 to go that gave Colony a lead of 37-33, but Wasilla’s Ryen MillIron was fouled on the ensuing possession and hit both free throws with 3:11 to go, tournament MVP Alex Baham went to the line with 2:12 to go, but missed both shots.

Colony got some relief with a smooth baseline jumper by Anton Chamblee with 1:45 to go, putting the Knights up 39-35, but Brown answered back for Wasilla with a floater with 1:20 remaining.

After Colony’s next possession came up empty, Baham missed a corner 3 for Wasilla. That ultimately set up West for the big bucket.

West took the inbound pass, dribbled the length of the court and into the lane for the layup with 39 seconds left while getting fouled in the process. West converted the free throw for a 42-37 lead.

“We trust him to make plays,” coach Berg said. “He’s a terrific player, and he’s gonna play at the next level, that’s what he does. He’s aggressive, we want him to be aggressive, and that’s why we put the ball in his hands.”

In the moments afterward, Brown put up a trey that missed, and a second-chance layup by Wasilla also was off the target.

Wasilla girls 32, Colony 27

Wasilla’s Leya DePriest is accustomed to banking in layups. But as a right-handed player, she’s just not used to doing it with her left hand.

DePriest knocked in the winning layup with 40 seconds left in Saturday’s title tilt to send the Warriors back to the big dance for the fourth time in five years.

“We’ve been trying to get her to use her left hand all year,” said Wasilla coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax. “It was a big bucket and it was a big free throw.”

DePriest — a 6-foot-3 junior — led Wasilla with nine points in a defensive affair, one in which Colony was held to seven first-half points, and Wasilla was held to 10 second-half points. Azlynn Brandenburg and Cassidy Edwards each netted six points for Wasilla as well.

Chase Stephens led Colony with nine points, while Ashley Turcotte added eight. No player from either team ended with double-digit scoring.

Last year, Wasilla saw its three-year run of state championships come to an end in the NLC tournament. After missing out due to a semifinal loss, the Warriors held out hope for an at-large bid with the Winning Percentage Index, but missed out on that method as well by a slim margin.

Wasilla didn’t have to sweat it out this time, though, as a 40-18 semifinal win Friday over host school Kenai locked up a spot at state.

Saturday, after holding the Knights to two points in the second quarter, Wasilla was on track to win another region crown with a 22-7 lead at halftime. But Colony wasn’t ready to call it quits yet.

The Knights burst out by outscoring the Warriors 12-2 in the third quarter, led by the dangerous shooting duo of Stephens and Turcotte, who nailed three 3s in the frame to close the gap to 24-19.

“You got to bring your best basketball game when playing Colony,” Hebert-Truax said. “They bring it every night, they’re out to win and we’re out to win. It’s gonna be a battle.”

Faith Farris grabbed a steal and laid in the transition bucket with 3:40 to go, putting the Knights within four points of the lead. With 3:33 to go, Sarah Bonn stepped up and hit one of two from the free throw line to make it a one-possession game at 29-26.

While Wasilla continued to find trouble scoring against an increasingly feisty Knights defensive press, Colony kept inching closer. Farris sunk one of two from the line with 1:40 to play to cut the lead to 29-27, and on the ensuing possession, the Knights brought down the rebound after a Wasilla field goal attempt.

However, the Warriors delivered the dagger right in the nick of time, as DePriest received the dish from Stephens under the rim and was fouled as the ball hit net with 40 ticks on the clock. DePriest converted on the free throw for a five-point Wasilla lead.

“The girls worked hard and executed their gameplan, although it worked a lot better in the first half than the second half,” Hebert-Truax said. “My kids stuck with it and kept going, and that’s all you can ask for.”

When asked who she believes represents the biggest threat at the state tournament, Hebert-Truax replied, “Whoever our opponent is.”

Saturday boys

Championship game

Knights 44, Warriors 39

Colony 14 9 10 11 —44

Wasilla 11 4 11 13 —39

COLONY (44) — Selmer 2 3-3 8, Looney 3 0-0 6, West 4 3-3 12, Chamblee 2 1-2 6, Menard 0 0-0 0, Sonnenberg 4 2-3 10, Lincoln 0 2-2 2. Totals 15 11-15 44.

WASILLA (39) — Burns 3 1-1 7, Brown 5 2-2 12, Millron 1 2-2 4, Trotta 0 0-0 0, Baham 0 2-4 2, Garnett 1 0-0 2, Houck 4 2-2 12, Lee 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 9-11 39.

3-point goals — Colony 3 (Selmer 1, West 1, Chamblee 1); Wasilla 2 (Houck 2). Fouled out — Houck.

Saturday girls

Championship game

Warriors 32, Knights 27

Wasilla 11 11 2 8 —32

Colony 5 2 12 8 —27

WASILLA (32) — Kelly 1 0-1 2, Heath 0 0-0 0, Baham 1 0-0 2, Brandenburg 2 1-2 6, Toews 0 2-2 2, Anderson 2 0-0 5, Dinkel 0 0-0 0, Edwards 3 0-1 6, DePriest 4 1-2 9. Totals 13 5-7 32.

COLONY (27) — Smith 0 0-0 0, Farris 2 1-2 5, Carlton 0 0-0 0, Stephens 3 2-2 9, Turcotte 3 0-8 8, Brumbaugh 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Bonn 1 3-6 5. Totals 9 6-18 27.

3-point goals — Wasilla 2 (Brandenburg 1, Anderson 1); Colony 3 (Turcotte 2, Stephens 1). Fouled out — Turcotte.