Fast start to Wasilla’s quest to 3-peat

WASILLA — If the Wasilla girls have missed a beat since winning their second straight state title last season, it’s not apparent as the Warriors start their bid to three-peat.

After an opening season win at West Anchorage earlier last week, the Warriors treated Juneau-Douglas to a pair of lopsided losses this weekend, beating the Crimson Bears 65-27 Friday, then following up with a 57-25 blowout Saturday to cap the double-header.

The Warriors five senior starters led the charge Friday with suffocating defense while Alysha Devine filled up the stat sheet with a game-high 19 points.

Alexis Imoe started the fireworks with a pair of three-pointers, two of four treys for the senior guard, who finished with 14 points.

While Devine and Imoe sparked Wasilla’s offense, it was the team’s signature pressure defense that stifled the Crimson Bears. The Warriors reflected head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax’s favorite aspect of the game: tough defense. They scored following Devine steals, Savanna Burke blocks, Amanda Hutchins blocks and Imoe steals. Just five minutes into the game, the Crimson Bears found themselves down 12-4 and a drought of nearly two minutes between baskets.

Burke took over in the second quarter, scoring 10 of her 13 points. Burke went over, through and around Juneau defenders for baskets. She also finished with three blocked shots and five rebounds while going a perfect 5-for-5 from the free throw line.

“That’s probably the best game I’ve seen Burke play in the four years she has played for me,” Hebert Truax said.

Devine picked up loose rebounds and turned them into a stuffed stat sheet. Devine was 8-for-15 from the field, including one bucket from beyond the three-point arc. She also pulled down a game-high eight rebounds and stole six Juneau passes.

Hutchins, a junior, brought defensive energy off the bench. Hutchins scored just two points, but stole six passes and dished out five assists, tied with Kyla Dinkel for the team lead. Dinkel scored 10 points.

The Juneau combination of guard Marissa Brakes and forward Gabi Fenmiai accounted for much of the team’s offense. Fenumiai scored 11 points, while Brakes dished out seven assists and had three steals.

Juneau had some success to start the second half. Brakes had an easier time moving the ball around the court on the offensive end, and the Crimson Bears put up multiple shot attempts on each possession.

Wasilla is led by five senior starters, but the bench iced the game for the Warriors. Sparked by Hutchins’ defense, Machia Toews and Cassidy Edwards boosted the Warriors score up above 50 points. Juneau’s third quarter scoring was put on hold until Fenumiai hit a layup at the buzzer.

In the fourth quarter, Juneau started shooting three-pointers like they were going out of style. Hebert-Truax countered that attack by letting her state champion Warriors run free. After sprinting up and down every corner of the floor, Wasilla did the improbable and pushed an even faster pace.

“We condition specifically for this. They know they’re going to have to run hard for 32 minutes,” Hebert-Truax said.

Wasilla 65,

Juneau-Douglas 27

Friday, Wasilla High School

Juneau-Douglas 4-10-6-7—27

Wasilla 18-14-18-15—65

Juneau-Douglas (27) — Fenumiai 5 1-3 11, Brakes 1 0-0 3, Fogg 1 1-3-3, Winters 1 0-0 3, Kelly 1 0-0 3, Fitka 1 0-0 2, Fagerstrom 1 0-0 2. Totals: 11 2-10 27.

Wasilla (65) — Devine 8 2-4 19, Imoe 4 2-4 14, Burke 4 5-6 13, Kinkle 4 2-2 10, Towes 2 1-2 5, Hutchins 1 0-2 2, Edwards 1 0-0 2. Totals: 24 12-20.

Three-point field goals: Juneau-Douglas 3 (Brakes, Kelly, Winters), Wasilla 5 (Imoe 4, Devine). Totals Fouls: Juneau-Douglas 12, Wasilla 14.

Wasilla 57,

Juneau-Douglas 25

Saturday, Wasilla High School

Juneau-Douglas 9-2-10-4—25

Wasilla 15-20-10-12—57

Juneau-Douglas (25) — Fenumiai 6 2-5 14, Winters 0 3-4 3, Kelly 1 0-2 2, Brakes 1 1-2 3, Gros 0 2-4 2, Fogg 0 1-3 1. Totals: 8 9-21 25.

Wasilla (57) — Dinkle 3 12-14 18, Imoe 4 7-8 15, Hutchins 5 0-0 11, Edwards 3 0-0 6, Burke 2 1-2 5, Towes 1 0-0 2. Totals: 18 20-24 57.

Three-point field goals: Juneau-Douglas 0, Wasilla 1 (Hutchins). Total fouls: Juneau-Douglas 14, Wasilla 18.