Grace beats Wasilla to earn NLC boys title

Grace Christian was a longtime boys basketball power at the 3A level before graduating to 4A level prior to last season.

The Grizzlies found immediate success in their new class, earning the No. 1 seed in the Northern Lights Conference in 2025. But Grace was upset by Palmer during the semifinal round of its first 4A conference tourney.

The Grizzlies once again grabbed the top spot this year, and earned the opportunity to celebrate their first 4A conference title.

Grace scored an 80-64 victory over third-seeded Wasilla during the NLC boys championship game Saturday evening at Wasilla High School.

Grace built an early lead and held it against the Warriors, holding a 10-point advantage in the first quarter and 19-point lead at the half.

Both squads earned automatic bids to the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Championships, which start Wednesday, March 18 at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

And these newfound rivals will meet again. Grace earned the No. 2 seed and faces seventh-seeded Wasilla in the 12:30 p.m. time slot.

Wasilla’s Tristan Horton hit four three-pointers Friday evening. One of those was the biggest shot of the tourney. The junior buried a deep fallaway three as the shot clock expired with less than 20 seconds left in regulation to help cement a 60-54 win over the second-seeded Colony Knights during the boys semifinal round.

Horton provided the final answer to a handful of Colony’s attempts to grab a lead late. The Knights, who trailed by as many as nine in the final quarter, cut the Wasilla lead to a point three times late.

Colony’s Layton Lockard hit a three to cut Wasilla’s lead to 51-50. Wasilla’s Aidan Pharr hit a pair of free throws at the other end. A Charlie Gardner layup made it 53-52, but Pharr followed with two more free throws.

With a minute left, Colony’s Jackson Ainsworth used a basket to made it 55-54. Horton’s three-pointer made it a two-possession game with less than 20 seconds to go.

Pharr, who hit his final six free throws in the game, added two more with 8 seconds left.

Colony was down early — 15-10 after the first and 35-22 at halftime — but was able to grind back with 32 points in the second half. Lockard scored a dozen of his 14 in the final two quarters, including eight in the fourth.

Two of his threes were part of a 10-2 Colony run midway through the fourth. Ainsworth had 17 for Colony.

Horton also helped Wasilla build its early lead. He knocked down a trio of threes in the first two quarters, and had 11 points by halftime. Barak Wagle scored all eight of his points in the first half.

Pharr also scored 14 in the win. John Devine added a pair of threes and had nine points.

Colony rebounded following the tough loss to Wasilla in the semifinals on Friday with a lopsided 76-44 victory over Soldotna in the NLC third-place game Saturday.

Ainsworth scored a game-high 25 in the win. Lockard added 19. The duo combined for 15 of Colony’s 18 first-quarter points.

Ainsworth also had half of Colony’s 24 third-quarter points.

Charlie Gardner added 10 in the win.

Palmer closed its season with a victory over Mountain City Christian in the fifth-place game.

Contact the Frontiersman at sports@frontiersman.com.