Kenai run kills Palmer rally

SOLDOTNA — Palmer couldn’t finish what they started Thursday, as the Moose wasted a spirited second-half rally to drop a 55-49 decision to an inspired Kenai Central squad in the opening round of the Northern Lights Conference Championships basketball tournament at Skyview High in Soldotna.

“I think they were tougher than we were,” said Moose coach Jason Marvel.

Palmer opened the game on a 10-2 run, but Kenai fought back to take a 32-25 lead at the break. The third-seeded team from the North Division, Palmer stormed out of the locker room in the third, outscoring the South No. 2 seed 12-3 in the quarter. The Moose capped an inspired eight minutes of play with a steal and lay-up from Brennan Bohman to take a 37-35 lead into the final quarter.

Enter Tyler Spalding.

The 6-foot-4 junior center exploded for nine straight points to open the fourth, scoring on a variety of post moves inside to stake Kenai to a lead it would not relinquish. Palmer pulled to within five points on a late 3-pointer by Trey Fullmer, but could get no closer as the Kardinals clamped down on defense to close out the game.

“That’s been the story of our season,” Marvel said. “We can’t finish.”

Spalding had 11 of his team-high 15 points in the fourth. Bo Reilly added 10 for the Kardinals, who also got nine from Billy Kiefer and seven from A.J. Hull.

Junior guard Christian Odom scored a game-high 19 points for Palmer, including eight of Palmer’s 12 in the third quarter. Junior forward Sean Niekamp had 12 for the Moose, while Bohman, Jackson Burseh and Kyle Titus each added five.

Kenai coach Ken Felchle credited his team for coming up with its best basketball at the right time Thursday. He said that before the game, he told his squad to think of their classmate at Kenai, freshman Ivy Howland. Howland is battling cancer, but said that her only wish is to record a song she wrote in honor of Felchle, a National Guard member who took 18 months off teaching at Kenai Middle School to serve in Iraq two years ago.

“Here you have a girl that is fighting for her life, and she wants to do something for somebody else,” Felchle said. “I told the boys, ‘Play like that tonight. Play for each other.’”

Kenai will play in Friday’s 8:15 p.m. game against the Wasilla. Palmer will face Skyview in Friday’s 1:15 p.m. consolation round game.

Like Palmer’s girls team, the Moose boys must now win three in a row to continue playing in the post season.

Marvel said his team must show more fortitude late in games if it wants to advance to the state tournament.

“We have to have our senior leadership step up,” he said.

KENAI 55, PALMER 49

Kenai 15 17 3 20 – 55

Palmer 13 12 12 12 – 49

KENAI (55) – Lowe 0 4-6 4, Hull 3 0-4 7, Keifer 3 3-6 9, Spalding 7 1-2 15, Risung 1 0-0 2, Reilly 3 4-5 10, Rouswell 2 0-1 4, Rogers 2 0-0 4. Totals – T21 12-24.

PALMER (49) – Fullmer 1 0-0 3, Titus 2 0-0 5, Burseh 1 3-6 5, Bohman 2 0-0 5, Niekamp 5 2-2 12, Odom 9 0-1 19. Totals – 20 5-9 49.

3-point field goals – Kenai 1 (Hull), Palmer 4 (Fullmer, Titus, Buresh, Odom). Fouled out – Bohman. Total fouls – Kenai 14, Palmer 21.