Defense sparks Moose

PALMER — Palmer head coach Greg Fullmer used a single word to described his team’s second-quarter surge that helped the Moose secure a Northern Lights Conference win over Skyview.

“Defense,” Fullmer said.

Solid defensive play fueled a 23-10 second-quarter run, and the Moose posted a 63-47 win over the Panthers at Palmer High School on Friday.

Thanks to their defensive efforts, the Moose grabbed extra opportunities on offense and capitalized.

Junior Mitch Swetzof, all alone behind the arc, opened the second quarter with a three-pointer to spark a Palmer 10-2 run.

Swetzof gave the Moose, who played a tight first eight minutes with Skyview, the 15-10 lead during the opening ticks of the second.

And Palmer padded that lead with a few buckets of turnovers.

Swetzof hit an open jumper to put Palmer up 19-12. On the ensuing Skyview possession, Swetzof swiped the ball at midcourt and fed junior Shaq Odom, who converted the easy lay-up.

While defense was key for the Moose, passing was also paramount for Palmer.

The Moose fluidly moved the ball around in the offensive zone, and senior T.J. Fullmer recorded four assists in the second quarter alone.

“We passed the ball well. We ran the floor,” Palmer junior Bryce Jacobson said of Palmer’s second-quarter efforts.

Palmer’s recent success — the Moose have won four out of their last six — could be at least partly attributed to the success Fullmer, the team’s sharpshooter, is having passing the ball, particularly to Jacobson inside.

“They play so well together,” Greg Fullmer said. “Bryce runs the floor hard, which always seems to get him open. T.J.’s got good vision. He finds open guys.”

The elder Fullmer said T.J., a senior guard, routinely finishes with double-digit numbers in assists.

“He’s pretty much had a double-double every game,” the Palmer head coach said.

Jacobson scored a team-high 16 for the Moose, while Fullmer added 12.

Skyview center Richie Schirnberg scored a game-high 24 for the Panthers, and kept the Soldotna area school in the contest.

Schirnberg scored 10 of his team’s 12 points in the first quarter.

“He’s a good ball player,” Jacobson said. “Someone you really have to respect.”

Although the Moose held a healthy 35-20 lead at the intermission, Skyview kept fighting in the second half.

“In the third we kind of got away from that,” Greg Fullmer said, referring to his team’s defensive success in the second quarter. “And that let them get back into it a little. We had a similar game with them last year. We got up big, and let up; let them get back into it.”

Schirnberg also scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. Early in the final frame, Schirnberg hit a pair of free throws to cut Palmer’s advantage to eight points.

T.J. Fullmer was 5-of-6 from the free-throw line down the stretch and junior Jake Hillis scored seven of his 10 points in the fourth quarter to help the Moose maintain a lead.

Although the win puts Palmer at just 2-5 in NLC play, the Moose remain confident about the steady improvement of their team. The Moose are 6-4 in their last 10 games, and in situation similar to last season. Palmer finished 2-8 in the conference during the regular season last year, but fought its way to a third-place finish in the conference tournament and earned a berth into the state tournament.

It’s a feat the Moose believe they can repeat.

“If anybody takes us for granted in regions, I think we’re going to make them pay,” Jacobson said.

Palmer 63, Skyview 47

Friday, Palmer High School

Skyview 10-10-11-16—47

Palmer 12-23-10-18—63

Skyview (47) — Thorton 1 0-1 2,West 4 2-2 10, Dallmann 1 0-0 2, Hatten 3 0-0 6, Schadle 0 1-2 1, Cook 1 0-0 2, Schurnberg 10 4-4 24; Totals: 20 7-9 47.

Palmer (63) — Draughon 3 2-3 9, Gatto 2 0-0 5, Fullmer 3 7-8 12, Hillis 4 1-2 10, Swetzof 3 0-0 7, Odom 1 0-0 2, Jacobson 7 2-3 16; Totals: 23 12-16 63.

Three-point field goals: Skyview 0, Palmer 5 (Draughon, Gatto, Fullmer, Hillis, Swetzof 1); Total fouls: Skyview 14, Palmer 16.