Colony out-lasts Wasilla in 2OT

PALMER — Colony High seniors John Palmer and Bryce Jacobson found a little extra in their energy reserves Friday, combining for 16 points in a pair of overtime periods of a hard-fought 77-73 win over Valley rival Wasilla.

Through four quarters and two overtimes, the Knights and Warriors traded leads while playing up-tempo, physical basketball. For Wasilla, the loss was another close game on the heals of a heartbreaking 60-59 loss to Palmer three days before.

In the end on Friday, Colony defended its home court well, said Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen.

“They made the plays down the stretch,” he said, adding both teams played all-out and never showed any signs of quitting. “Both teams gutted it out.”

Although emotionally drained following the game, Engebretsen said he was proud of his team’s play.

“It’s hard to take now, but they’ve got a lot of guts and a lot of courage,” he said.

It was that same never-say-die drive that sparked Palmer to score seven of his game-high 25 points in the second overtime, said Colony head coach Jeff Bowker. That the Knights were tipping off against another Valley rival also helped his players keep their focus as the game’s intensity escalated, he said.

“It is always a rivalry and the games between us are always tough,” he said. “There were lots of big shots made by both teams.”

Those big shots and up-tempo pace saw the teams jump out of the game quickly in the first quarter, with Colony holding a slim 20-17 lead. But the second quarter belonged to Wasilla and senior Adrese LaVern, who hit two of his six three-pointers in the quarter to spark the Warriors to take a 36-32 lead into the halftime break.

LaVern, who also finished with 25 points to lead Wasilla, came up with three more three-pointers in overtime play.

Wasilla then pushed its lead to 10 points at 42-32 with a quick 6-0 run to start the third quarter and go into the final stanza commanding a 52-44 lead.

But the fourth quarter belonged to Colony’s defense, which shut down the Warriors for just three points.

“It was a real impressive effort,” Bowker said of his team. “We knew we had to play early with them. This was really a very good basketball game. We had to play hard all night.”

The win also helps Colony maintain its standing in the Northern Lights Conference at 5-2, while the loss drops Wasilla to 6-4 in league play.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.

Colony 77, Wasilla 73 2OT

Friday, Colony High School

Wasilla 17-19-16-3-9-9—73

Colony 22-10-12-11-9-13—77

Wasilla (73) — Scherman 3 0-0 6, Kroon 2 0-0 4, Kuiper 6 2-2 15, Lavern 9 1-3 25, Orr 3 0-0 6, Mock 1 0-0 2, Knowles 6 3-7 15.

Colony (77) — Gray 4 1-2 9, Lanners 2 0-0 4, Palmer 7 7-9 25, Scott 3 0-0 6, Jacobson 7 6-8 20, Murphy 3 2-2 8, Summers 1 3-4 5.

Three-point field goals: Wasilla 9 (Lavern 6, Orr 2, Kuiper), Colony 4 (Palmer 4); Total fouls: Wasilla 21, Colony 16.