Colony senior named 4A girls player of the year for the second straight season

Heading into her final season of high school basketball, Hallie Clark was already a state player of the year and a two-time first-team all-state selection. But the Colony High senior star continued to find ways to get better. And in March, Clark enjoyed the best month of her hoops career.

Clark helped lead the Knights to a Northern Lights Conference title and the program’s first ASAA 4A state girls championship since 2008. She was named the Gatorade Alaska Girls State Player of the Year. Now, Clark has garnered another honor.

Clark has been named the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches 4A Girls Player of the Year for the second straight season.

“She was a scorer more than anything else her first three years,” Colony head coach Tom Berg said. “This year, the biggest evolution, she’s the best player on the floor, not just the best scorer on the floor.”

It’s not that Clark was selfish with the basketball during her first three years, Berg said, that was her job.

“She put the ball in the basket at an unbelievable clip,” he said.

But this year Clark made her teammates better, Berg said.

“Obviously she’s still very involved (on offense). She scored a lot of points,” Berg said. “She made everyone on the floor better, and that helped us at the end of it being a really good team with really good players.”

Berg said other areas of Clark’s game evolved.

“This year I think she guarded better than she did in her first three years. I think she got better at being a leader, opening her mouth and communicating. Her teammates would say we’re better with her on the floor, and it’s not just about her putting the ball in the basket,” Berg said.

Clark is now a four-time first-team all-state selection.

Entering the state tournament, Clark, a 5-foot-7 guard, averaged 25 points, 4.6 rebounds, 3.2 assists and 2.8 steals. She also shot 40.3 from three. Clark is one of two players in school history to be named the girls player of the year twice. Legend Jessica Moore, who went on to play in the WNBA, earned the award in 1999 and 2000.

Clark will play college basketball for Division II Colorado Mesa University next year.

Berg, who capped his first season as head coach of the Colony girls program with a state title, was named the 4A Girls Coach of the Year.

Clark is also one of three Valley players named to the 4A girls first team for the third straight season. Wasilla’s dynamic duo of seniors Layla Hays and Mylee Anderson were also named first-team all-state for the third time. Both were also second-team selections as freshmen. Hays and Anderson led Wasilla to the 4A state championship game in all four years of their careers, which included a state title in 2024. Hays will play basketball at Division I Iowa next year, and Anderson will continue her career at Division II UAA.

Susitna Valley junior Austin Barnard also earned first-team all-state honors in the 2A boys class, after leading the Rams to a fourth-place finish in the state tourney.

A pair of Clark’s teammates were also named to the 4A girls teams. Senior Tonya Karpow was a second-team selection and sophomore Jericho Wuestenberg was named to the third team. Wasilla junior Savannah Kroon was also named to the 4A girls third team.

Wasilla senior Noah Kroon and Colony sophomore Mylz Mongeau were each named second-team all-state for the 4A boys. Palmer senior Logan Rolston was a third-team selection.

Houston senior Noah Whitted was named third-team all-state for the 3A boys. Susitna Valley junior Lily Esmailka was named to the second team for the 2A girls, and Rams senior Miles Osmond was named third-team all-state for the 2A boys.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at editor@frontiersman.com.

Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches All-State Teams

4A Girls

Player of the Year: Hallie Clark, Colony

Coach of the Year: Tom Berg, Colony

First team:

Mylee Anderson, Wasilla

Hallie Clark, Colony

Kennedi Gaines, Bartlett

Layla Hays, Wasilla

Morgan Maldonado, Mountain City Christian

Second team:

Kerra Baxter, Juneau-Douglas

Evan Hamey, Dimond

Tonya Karpow, Colony

Keelie Kronberger, Mountain City Christian Aryanna Watson, Service

Third team:

Wednesday Bithow, West Anchorage

Savannah Kroon, Wasilla

Jasmine Schaeffer, Mountain City Christian

Jade Skipps, North Pole

Jericho Wuestenberg, Colony

4A Boys

Player of the Year: Muhammed Sabally, East Anchorage

Coach of the Year: Eric Stockhausen, Ketchikan

First team:

Deng Deng, East Anchorage

Marek Hajdukovich, Dimond

Jett McCullough, Monroe Catholic

Muhammed Sabally, East Anchorage

Marcus Stockhausen, Ketchikan

Second team:

Noah Kroon, Wasilla

Buob Marial, West

Jayden Miranda, West Valley

Mylz Mongeau, Colony

Bristol Tobin, Grace Christian

Third team:

Amelio Ambrosio, Dimond

Robbie Arnett, Grace Christian

Logan Rolston, Palmer

Armani Smith, Monroe

Logan Zandra, Service

3A Girls

Player of the Year: Sophie Lentfer, Grace Christian

Coach of the Year: Krystyna Park, Grace Christian

First team:

Kylen Burnell, Barrow

Shannel Kovalsky, Monroe Catholic

Sophie Lentfer, Grace Christian

Aiga Unutoa, Barrow

MJ Van Der Horst, Grace Christian

Second team:

Ella Boerger, Grace Christian

Lauren Cedars, Mt. Edgecumbe

Leila Church, Monroe Catholic

Briella Herron, Bethel

Poppy Wiggers-Pidduck, Grace Christian

Third team:

Destiny Day, Valdez

Blakeley Jorgensen, Nikiski

Ally Mayville, Sitka

Trinity Turiel, Monroe Catholic

Zadah Unutoa, Barrow

3A Boys

Player of the Year: Finn Gregg, Nome

Coach of the Year: Steve Compagno, Sitka

First team:

Trey Demmert, Sitka

RJ Didrickson, Mount Edgecumbe

Alex Fruean, Barrow

Finn Gregg, Nome

Orson Hoogendorn, Nome

Second team:

Cohen Booth, Nome

Madden Cockroft, Bethel

Jarrett Gage, Valdez

Trey Johnson, Sitka

Tino Tucker, Valdez

Third team:

Brady Bevard, Delta

Bryce Calhoun, Sitka

Donovan Standifer, Mount Edgecumbe

Ayden Wesley, Kotzebue

Noah Whitted, Houston

2A Girls

Player of Year: Jennifer Nash, Tikigaq

Coach of Year: Jubilee Sutherland, Glennallen

First team:

Lexi Cook, Metlakatla

Cheyenne Fields, Glennallen

Lizabeth Ivanoff, Unalakleet

Ava Jagielski, Seward

Jennifer Nash, Tikigaq

Second team:

Lily Esmailka, Susitna Valley

Laney Green, Chevak

Alianna Stone, Glennallen

Amara Warren, Lumen

Mikinley Williams, Seward

Third team:

Ourea Busk, Unalakleet

Ariel Godinez-Long, Haines

Alana Harrison, Wrangell

Kali Hill, Chevak

Sara Steffen, Craig

2A Boys

Player of the Year: Paxson Commack, Unalakleet

Coach of the Year: Thurman Jack, Unalakleet

First team:

Austin Barnard, Susitna Valley

Brody Booth, Metlakatla

Paxson Commack, Unalakleet

John Itliong, Cordova

Kade McCorison, Ninilchik

Second team:

Daniel Harrison, Wrangell

Felipe Jacob, Cordova

Talon Lemme, Seward

Carter Marsden, Metlakatla

Isaiah Smith, Unalakleet

Third team:

Jonas Carroll, Effie Kokrine

Emerson Cross, Seward

Miles Osmond, Susitna Valley

Liam Pingayuk-Green, Chevak

Van Shank, Seward

1A Girls

Player of the Year: Kylee Carroll, Fort Yukon

Coach of the Year: Josh Cadzow, Fort Yukon

First team:

Kylee Carroll, Fort Yukon

Ida Lester, Newhalen

Summer Sampson, Shaktoolik

Brooke Schaeffer, Noatak

Jane Ward, Fort Yukon

Second team:

Lea Armour, Klawock

Olivia Harvilla, Bristol Bay

Madison Katchatag, Shaktoolik

Renee Kiyutelluk, Shishmaref

Nellie Ward, Fort Yukon

Third team:

Brooklyn Hingsbergen, Selawik

Sierra Lang, Aniak

Faith Mudge, Tri Valley

Jora Savland, Hoonah

Chloe Wassille, Akiuk

1A Boys

Player of the Year: Seth Paniptchuk, Shaktoolik

Coach of the Year: Silas Paniptchuk, Shaktoolik

First team:

Keontay Jackson, Kake

Ian McGarry, Cook Inlet Academy

Jethron Nanalook, Manokotak

Seth Paniptchuk, Shaktoolik

Ian Weyanna, Teller

Second team:

Tyler Hugo, Nunamiut

Alek McGarry, Cook Inlet Academy

Michael Renshaw, Tri Valley

Ray Sagoonick, Shaktoolik

Terrence Titus, Northway

Third team:

Ivan Davis-Nayokpuk, Shishmaref

Jonathan David, Minto

Connor Hootch, Emmonak

William Morgan, Aniak

Nolan Ticket, Buckland