Early run sparks Colony girls over rival Palmer

PALMER — Earlier this year, the Palmer Moose used an early run to grab a win on rival Colony’s home court. Friday, the Knights returned the favor.

Sparked by seven straight first-quarter points, the Knights scored a 59-33 win over the Moose at Palmer High School.

“I feel like from the very beginning of the game, that’s the most important thing. It’s setting the tone, the rhythm, the tempo,” Colony senior Mary Klapperich said of her team getting the good start against the Moose. “As soon as we were up 7-0, our girls were so confident.”

Colony didn’t allow a Palmer point until Kalei DePriest found the basket at the 5:15 mark of the first, and the Moose didn’t see another basket until Leya DePreist scored with two minutes left in the first quarter.

Colony led 13-6 after the first quarter.

“We kind of put Palmer were they were playing catch-up the whole time,” Klapperich said.

Klapperich drained seven three-pointers and scored a game-high 27 points in a win that lifted Colony to 5-4 in Northern Lights Conference play. Jennifer Solano added 16 in the victory. Klapperich said Solano played a big role in the win.

“She was crucial,” Klapperich said.

Not only did Solano help Colony slow down Leya DePriest, a 6-foot-2 Palmer freshman who has established herself as a big inside presence for the Moose, but Solano was also a consistent contributor on the offensive end.

“(Defending) Leya was one of our key points. She’s big and uses her size so well. We were like, Jen, you have to step up, you have to play well tonight,” Klapperich said. “She shut (Leya) down a little bit, and offensively she was finishing.”

Klapperich said the work of Solano inside helped her have success outside.

“I let Jen do her thing, and I kind of stayed outside,” Klapperich said. “I felt relaxed and let (the shots) go.”

Palmer, which hosts Soldotna Friday, dropped to 4-5 in NLC play. Colony hosts undefeated Wasilla Friday.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Colony girls 59, Palmer 33

Friday, Palmer High School

Colony 13-19-10-17—55

Palmer 6-10-10-7—33

Colony (55) — Klapperich 9 2-4 27, Farris 1 1-2 4, Tweed 0 1-2 1, Turcotte 1 1-2 3, Brumbaugh 1 2-2 4, Michaelson 1 2-2 4, Solano 7 2-2 16; Totals: 20 11-15 55.

Palmer (33) — Southwick 1 0-0 3, K. DePriest 1 0-0 2, Scott 2 1-2 5, Blake 3 5-7 13, L. DePriest 4 2-6 10; Totals: 11 8-15 33.