Colony girls advance during first day of the 4A state basketball tourney

The Colony Knights started fast and finished strong.

The Colony girls used big runs in the first and fourth quarters to score a 59-47 victory over the West Anchorage Eagles during the first round of ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Basketball Championships Wednesday at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

Colony jumped to a 17-7 lead and capped the game with a 23-9 run. The fourth-seeded Knights trailed by a point entering the fourth quarter.

The Colony girls grabbed the lone Mat-Su victory during a rough start to the 3A and 4A tournaments for Valley teams. The Wasilla girls and boys, and Houston boys fell during the quarterfinals.

Third-seeded Wasilla was upset by sixth-seeded Service 63-50 in the first round of the girls tourney. The Cougars led 28-23 at halftime, and extended the lead to double digits in the second half.

Colony moves forward in the 4A girls tourney to face top-seed and Northern Lights Conference Champion Mountain City Christian Friday at 3:15 p.m. Wasilla plays seventh-seeded Juneau- Douglas in consolation action Friday at 12:30 p.m.

Second-seeded Grace Christian ran past seventh-seeded Wasilla 80-52 in the 4A boys tourney. The Warriors will now face Dimond in an elimination game Friday at 11 a.m.

In the 3A boys tourney, top-seeded Mount Edgecumbe beat Houston 79-35. The eight-seeded Hawks meet Delta Thursday at 10:30 a.m.