Knights celebrate Soldotna tourney title win

PALMER — A pair of solid tests led to a nice reward for the Colony Knights over the weekend.

Colony used wins over Ketchikan and Bethel on back-to-back nights to win the team title of the Powerade/Al Howard Tip Off at Soldotna High School.

Colony beat Bethel 71-65 in the championship game to finish first in the eight-team tournament.

“We got to play good teams, and kind of figure out what we’re good at, what we needed to work on,” Colony head coach Tom Berg said. “It was a great tournament to go down to and start the season with.”

Damien Fulp scored a team-high 29 points to lead the Knights to the win over Bethel. Fulp, who recently committed to play basketball at UAA next fall, averaged more than 26 points per game during the three-game event, and was named the Tip Off’s Most Valuable Player.

“Every year Damien has played for me, his role has certainly expanded and changed a little bit,” Berg said of Fulp, the reigning Northern Lights Conference Player of the Year. “This year is no different.”

Fulp poured in 28 points during a semifinal win over Ketchikan and started his senior season with 23 points in a victory over Nikiski during the first round of the tournament.

“He’s been the point guard for the last two years. (Damien) will still play a lot of point, but playing Anton (Chamblee) at the 1, it relieves him of his ball-handling duties,” Berg said. “He can truly be a scoring threat all the time.”

Sophomore Bailey West, who was named all-tournament, added 10 points against Bethel. Robert Sonnenberg posted 16 and Chamblee pitched in 13.

Colony capped the game with a 26-15 fourth-quarter run. That helped the Knights overcome the work of Bethel’s Theodore Naneng, who finished with a game-high 37 points. Naneng attacked Colony early, scoring 13 of his team’s 19 first-quarter points.

“He was good early,” Berg said of Neneng. “Not to take anything away from him, but we were not good against him early.”

Neneng and Taylor Hoffman each finished with four three-pointers, and Bethel hit 11 shots from behind the arc.

“They don’t have a lot of size, but they can shoot it in,” Berg said.

Overall, Berg said he was very impressed with Bethel, a 3A program.

“I think if it wasn’t for (Anchorage Christian School) and the Monroes of the world, Bethel would be in the conversation as for as a (3A) state title.”

Fulp and Chamblee were able to answer for the Knights, hitting a trio of three-pointers each.

Fulp scored 10 of his 29 in the fourth quarter. Sonnengard added a half-dozen in the fourth for Colony.

The Knights head Outside for their next action. Colony is slated to compete in the 14th annual Cactus Jam, which starts Thursday in Phoenix, Ariz.