Colony offense runs rings around Kodiak Bears

PALMER — Former heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey said famously, “The best defense is a good offense.”

But on Friday, the opposite could have been true for the Colony Knights.

Sparked its intense pressure defense, Colony allowed only six first-half points and scored 17 of its 19 third-quarter points directly off Kodiak turnovers during a 52-30 Northern Lights Conference win over the Kodiak Bears at Colony High School.

“On the defensive end I was really pleased with the intensity all night long,” Colony head coach Don Witzel said after the win. “The intensity level, I thought, was really good.”

Kodiak was held to just a Joanna Garcia lay-up in the first quarter. That score came early in the game and cut Colony’s advantage to 5-2.

The Knights capped the quarter with an 8-0 run and held Kodiak without another basket until the 4:11 mark of the second quarter.

While Colony’s pressure defense smothered the Bears, the Knights missed opportunities on the offensive end as well.

“On offense, we got a little impatient at times working against the zone,” Witzel said. “We were trying to make passes we shouldn’t have made. But it was good for us. We don’t get much of a chance to work against the zone.”

Colony’s defense did spark it’s offense in the third quarter.

The Knights opened the second half on an 11-0 run, scoring all 11 points off steals of Kodiak turnovers.

Senior Jackie Hamann robbed a Kodiak guard and sent a long pass to Tara Garrod, who put in an easy lay-up to give the Knights the 28-6 lead. The Garrod bucket was once of several fastbreak scores for the Knights during the third.

“I was really pleased with the way we got out and ran the ball, the fastbreaks,” Witzel said. “I tell them the ideal fastbreak is when the ball never hits the floor — it goes hands to hands to hands. We had several of those tonight.”

Senior Alex Coon led the Knights with a game-high 16 in the win. She was 5-for-6 from the free throw line during the second quarter.

Garrod added 10.

Garcia and Rachel Norton scored 11 each to lead Kodiak.

On Saturday, Colony scored a 60-29 win to complete the sweep of Kodiak.

The Knights led by only 10 at the half, but broke the game open with a 21-4 third-quarter run.

Coon scored a game-high 19 in the victory.

Colony 52, Kodiak 30

Friday, Colony High School

Kodiak 2-4-7-17—30

Colony 13-12-19-8—52

Kodiak (30) — Yamat 0 2-2 2, Gardia 5 1-1 11, Norton 4 3-3 11, Garner 1 0-1 2, Jones 1 0-0 2, Timpke 1 0-0 2; Totals: 12 6-7 30.

Colony (52) — Garrod 4 2-3 10, Ma. Bowker 3 0-0 7, Grazulis 4 1-2 9, Me. Bowker 2 0-0 4, Coon 5 6-7 16, Eisenhower 0 2-2 2, Larson 2 0-0 4; Totals: 20 11-14 52.

Three-point field goals: Kodiak 0, Colony 1 (Ma. Bowker 1); Total fouls: Kodiak 11, Colony 11.

Senior scores 35 to lead CHS boys

KODIAK — Colony senior Bryce Jacobson scored 35 points to lead the Knights to a 66-48 win over the Kodiak Bears at Kodiak High School on Saturday.

Jacobson, playing in his first season at Colony after three years at Palmer, scored 24 points in the first half. He was also 9-for-10 at the free throw line.

John Palmer added 16 points in the victory.

On Friday, Palmer scored a team-high 14 during a 60-45 win over the Bears.

Colony 66, Kodiak 48

Saturday, Kodiak High School

Colony 17-17-20-12—66

Kodiak 6-14-12-16—48

Colony (66) — Gray 6, Lanners 2, Palmer 16, Scott 2, Jacobson 35, Murphey 3, Summers 2.

Kodiak (48) — Fangonilo 4, Watkins 4, Tacata 2, Cowley 2, Diocares 4, Galindo 5, Garner 3, Andrew Abad 6, Matautia 18.

Colony 60, Kodiak 45

Friday, Kodiak High School

Colony 19-14-9-11-11—60

Kodiak 14-9-11-11—45

Colony (60) — Gray 6, Lanners 3, Larson 4, Scott 10, Palmer 14, Jacobson 9, Murphy 9, Summers 5

Kodiak (45) — Fangonilo 4, Watkins 5, Tacata 4, Abad, Cowley 2, Diocares 2, Galindo 5, Solano 2, Garner 6, Matautia 15.