Defensive pressure leads CHS into Alaska Prep Shootout semifinals

ANCHORAGE — Showing off some of the grit that helped fuel their run to the state title game last season, the Colony Knights controlled the tempo in the second half to wear down Eagle River in the opening game of the Alaska Prep Shootout at Dimond High School in Anchorage on Thursday.

Colony clung to a 26-25 lead at the half, but held Eagle River to just 34 percent shooting in the second to pull away. The Knights outscored the Wolves 12-5 in the third quarter, capping the quarter with a perfectly executed set play that senior forward Josh Moseley finished with a clean jumper.

Senior guard Jaron Murphy led Colony with 11 points, while Moseley and senior forward Grant Niver each added 10.

Niver led the Knights with six rebounds.

Murphy said the key to the game was Colony's ability to force Eagle River's ballhandlers into mistakes with a tenacious full-court press.

“That helped out a lot,” Murphy said.

Colony forced the Wolves into 25 turnovers. The Knights were also much better distributing the ball than Eagle River. Led by four assists each from Murphy and senior guard Cody Huggins, Colony had a 17-5 edge in assists.

The win helped the Knights erase some of the memories of a trip to Kentucky that saw the team drop three straight games. Murphy said that experience may have helped the Knights because it exposed them to teams with superior speed than what most Alaska teams can bring.

“That definitely was a very good thing about down there,” Murphy said. “The teams were fast, so it helped with our quickness.”

Dewane Taylor led all players with 12 points and eight rebounds for Eagle River, but the lanky forward was kept in check most of the afternoon by a rotation of defenders that included Niver and Moseley — Colony's most effective post defenders — as well as Murphy, who also did damage offensively by using his compact 5-foot-11 frame to get inside the taller Eagle River defenders.

The win advanced the Knights into the tournament's semifinals today, where they'll face Wasilla in a rematch of the 2007 4A state title game.

Contact Frontiersman sports reporter Matt Tunseth at matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com.

KNIGHTS 57, WOLVES 47

Alaska Prep Shootout

Thursday, Dimond High School

Colony (57) - Zagars 1 0-0 2, Huggins 0 4-4 4, Murphy 5 1-2 11, Palmer 2 0-1 4, Scott 3 2-2 8, Niver 4 1-2 10, Gray 1 0-1 2, Moseley 5 0-1 10, Stearman 3 0-0 6. Totals: 24 8-11 57.

Eagle River (47) - Dye 1 0-0 2, Garcia 2 0-0 5, Taylor 6 0-0 12, Hall 2 2-4 7, Williams 2 0-1 4, Harvey 4 2-4 10, Smith 3 0-0 7. Totals: 20 2-5 47.

Three point goals: Colony 1 (Niver), Eagle River 5 (Harvey 2, Garcia, Hall, Smith). Total fouls: Colony 13, Eagle River 12; Rebounds: Eagle River 34 (Taylor 8), Colony 32 (Niver, Murphy 6).