Eye-opener

PALMER — There are always points during a season in which teams get a bit of a wake-up call. And that normally it comes along with a loss.

On Friday, third-ranked Colony got its wake-up call. But the Knights managed to muscle out the 47-43 win over the visiting Kodiak Bears at Colony High School.

“We’re glad to get out of here with a win,” Colony senior Grant Niver said. “But it kind of refocuses us. It knocks us down a peg or two.”

The Knights, a team that is ranked third according to the latest Alaska Prep Sportswriters 4A Basketball Poll, held a 17-point lead midway through the second quarter, and took a 30-19 advantage into the half.

But sloppy play, uncharacteristic for Colony, combined with a Kodiak third-quarter surge brought the Bears within a single point during the first minute of the fourth quarter.

“We should have just pulled away,” Niver said. “We did a really bad job on the boards, turned the ball over way over our season average. And they’d just go down and make shots.”

Kodiak senior Mike Odell scored six of his 12 points during a third-quarter run in which the Bears outscored the Knights 16-8.

Odell hit an easy lay-up in the opening minute and later in the period he and teammate David Diocares showed a little Kodiak razzle-dazzle as Odell followed a Diocares behind-the-back pass with another easy lay-in to cut the Bears’ deficit to 10.

Kodiak forward Jon Bryant scored five of his team-high 14 points during the final three minutes of the third to help the Bears turn Colony’s 10-point lead into just a three-point advantage.

According to Niver, Bryant was the key piece to the Kodiak comeback attempt.

“He was just awesome, penetrating, getting us on the boards,” Niver said.

But while Kodiak put the pressure on the 2007 4A state runner-up, Colony did just enough to get the victory.

Colony only managed nine points in the final quarter. But while the points were few, the scoring was timely.

Sophomore John Palmer and senior Josh Moseley each hit key baskets during the fourth quarter and senior Jaron Murphy was 4-for-4 from the free-throw line in the final eight minutes.

Kodiak was able to cut the Colony advantage to just one point twice during the fourth quarter, but the Knights kept it at least a three-point game for much of the final period.

Senior Doug Gray helped Colony build the lead in the first half. Gray scored all of his team-high 13 points in the first two quarters.

Six of those points came during a 12-0 Colony run.

“Doug Gray was huge,” Niver said. “That was big getting the lead there. It gave us a cushion to play with. But then we let them back in.”

Colony 47, Kodiak 43

Friday, Colony High School

Kodiak 11-8-16-8—43

Colony 18-12-8-9—47

Kodiak (43) — Cratty 2 2-2 7, Bryant 5 4-8 14, Diocares 4 1-2 9, Galindo 0 1-2 1, Odell 5 2-2 12; Totals 16 10-17 43.

Colony (47) — Huggins 3 0-0 6, Murphy 3 4-4 10, Palmer 1 0-0 2, Scott 2 0-0 4, Niver 3 1-3 8, Gray 5 1-1 13, Moseley 2 0-0 4; Totals: 19 6-8 47.

Three-point field goals: Kodiak 1 (Cratty), Colony 3 (Gray 2); Total fouls: Kodiak 15, Colony 19.