Girls NLC Tourney: Knights upset in first round

March 9, 2007

By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman

KENAI - Colony's bid for a 14th straight trip to the 4A state tournament became a bit more difficult Thursday.

The Knights fell victim to an upset-minded Skyview team in the first game of the Northern Lights Conference basketball tournament at Kenai Central High School.

Colony entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed from the North Division, but lost 41-38 to the No. 3 seed from the south.

In the loss, the Knights had no answer for Skyview's Nicole Van Ryzin, who scored a game-high 34 points.

Van Ryzin was one of only three points Van Ryzin hit 12 shots from the floor, and finished 10-of-14 from the free-throw line.

Colony was forced to play without junior guard Hayley Hotchkiss, who suffered a concussion in the Knights' final regular season game against Wasilla and is out for the tournament.

Hotchkiss is one of just two upperclassmen on the team, and has been relied on for both scoring and ball-handling duties throughout the season.

Colony coach Don Witzel said the loss of Hotchkiss was a big blow for his young team.

&#8220She's been our leader,” he said.

Jackie Hamann led Colony with 13 points, while Allie Grazulis added 12. The loss dropped the Knights into the consolation round, where they will face Kodiak today at 9 a.m.

Colony was 2-0 against the Bears during the regular season.

While Colony moved backward, Palmer continued forward.

The Moose advanced to the semifinals with a 52-46 win over Homer.

Kelsey Campbell led a balanced Palmer attack with 14 points. The sophomore sharp-shooter hit all four of Palmer's three-pointers.

Amy Tzou added nine for the Moose, Matti Cox had eight and Stephanie Houser chipped-in seven.

Palmer held off a late Homer rally with strong free throw shooting down the stretch.

&#8220That's what keeps you in it in those situations,” Palmer coach Paul Reid said afterward.

Palmer only made 12-of-22 free throw attempts on the game, but the Moose were 8-for-11 in the final quarter.

The Moose advanced to Friday's semifinals, where they will play top-ranked Wasilla, a team that has now won 87 consecutive conference games.

Reid said he believes the Moose have a good shot at knocking off the Warriors, if they can get past the intimidation factor that playing the state's top-ranked team brings.

&#8220It's going to be about confidence and having composure,” Reid said. &#8220We've just got to come in ready to battle.”

Wasilla earned a spot in the semifinals with a 60-19 beating of Kenai.

The Warriors, led by senior Anne Wesser who scored eight of her 11 points in the first quarter, ran out to a 25-7 lead. Wasilla led 45-13 at the half.

Wesser was one of three Warriors to score in double digits.

Jenna Johnson posted a game-high 13, while Ayla Brown added 10.