Colony, Wasilla girls finish in top four of 4A state tourney

The Wasilla Warriors entered the 4A state girls tournament with four straight trips to the 4A girls state title game. Colony advanced in back-to-back years. The Valley rivals split their meetings in the 2024 and 2025 state championship games.

Those streaks came to an end over the weekend with both Valley powers falling during the first two rounds, but each Mat-Su squad was able to cap its season on a winning note.

Colony finished third in the bracket with a 60-37 win over Service. Wasilla placed fourth after a 72-51 win over West Anchorage.

Freshman phenom Taylor Passard ended her tremendous first season with a game-high 17 points against the sixth-seeded Cougars. Colony was the No. 4 seed.

Morgan Ainsworth, an Air Force Academy recruit in her final game in a Knights uniform, netted a dozen. Emma Bailey and Bella Shelley added seven each.

Wasilla’s senior standout Savannah Kroon, who will play for UAA next season, scored 19 in her final game with the Warriors. Katie Jackson scored 11 and Kinley Lynch added 10. Wasilla broke the game open with a 19-10 second-quarter run.

The win also marked the final game of the illustrious career of longtime Wasilla girls head coach Jennie Hebert-Truax, who is retiring. For more on the Hebert-Truax, see an upcoming edition of the Frontiersman.

Colony and Wasilla played both Service and West during the four-day, three-round tournament,

Wednesday, the Colony Knights started fast and finished strong. Colony used big runs in the first and fourth quarters to score a 59-47 victory over the Eagles during the first round. 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. Passard led the Knights with 25 points. Bri Parrent added 10.

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. Kroon had 16 for Wasilla. Jackson finished with 12.

The Mountain City Christian Lions, who won their third state title in five years, got past Colony 62-54 in the semifinals. Passard led Colony with 23 points. Ainsworth added 11.

The Wasilla boys and Houston boys both finished 0-2 at state, and both opened with losses to eventual state champions.

Grace Christian, which captured its first 4A state crown, beat Wasilla 80-52 in the first round. The Warriors were eliminated with a 61-49 loss to Dimond,

In the 3A boys tourney, top-seeded Mount Edgecumbe beat Houston 79-35 in the first round. Delta scored a 64-39 victory over the Hawks the following day.

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