Knights come from behind to beat Palmer

PALMER — A standing-room-only crowd and walls covered in paper banners weren’t the only fire hazards inside the Colony High School gym Friday night.

Palmer’s T.J. Fullmer hit seven three-pointers — including four in the first quarter — to help the Moose put a scare into the Colony Knights, Alaska’s top-ranked boys basketball team. Just a scare though, as the Knights rallied to pull out a wild 69-59 win, pushing the team’s record to 9-0 in Northern Lights Conference play.

“Any time you play teams multiple times in a season and they’re cross-town rivals, it doesn’t matter whose gym it’s in it’s going to be a tough game,” Colony coach Jeff Bowker said following the game.

Eight different players had at least six points for the Knights, which withstood a 20-9 first quarter run by the Moose, then flipped the scoreboard in the second to tie things up by halftime.

“If you’re a fan, you’re watching a good basketball game,” Palmer coach Greg Fullmer said of the back-and-forth first half.

Especially good for fans of shooting, as the younger Fullmer put on a clinic in the opening quarter. Following the game, the senior guard said he shot well during warm-ups, which carried over into the game’s opening minutes.

“I was just feeling kind of confident,” the senior said.

After Fullmer’s first-quarter outburst, the Knights assigned the tandem of Cody Huggins and Doug Gray the task of stopping the Palmer gunslinger.

“I think Cody did a terrific job on that, and Doug did, too,” Bowker said.

With Palmer’s top offensive weapon on lockdown, the Knights were able to build a lead in the third quarter, then hold on during a high-scoring fourth.

Antone Zagars led an extremely balanced Colony attack with 15 points.

Jaron Murphy was the only other Colony player in double figures with 11, but the Knights got solid contributions up and down a lineup that went nine players deep.

Sophomore guard John Palmer had nine points, seniors Grant Niver and Matt Stearman each scored eight, and seniors Gray, Huggins and Josh Moseley had half a dozen each.

Colony’s pressure half-court defense also helped to wear down the Moose, which committed 23 turnovers to just 13 for the Knights.

“We got a little hesitant when they would double the ball,” Greg Fullmer said. “That’s what pressure does to you.”

Playing Colony tough, he said, shows his young team (Palmer has just three seniors) is definitely improving. Still, Fullmer said it’s time Palmer starts finding ways to come out on top.

“These guys don’t want moral victories any more, and neither does their coach,” he said of the Moose, which will enter the NLC tournament as the No. 4 team from the south division and likely play Kenai Central in the first round.

Junior Bryce Jacobson scored 11 points for Palmer, senior Justin Draughon had 10, junior Hillis had nine points and seven rebounds and junior Shaq Odom finished with six points and nine boards.

Palmer’s offense came to life again in the fourth, with Fullmer and Hillis combining for four more treys, but the Moose were forced to foul in order to slow down the game. That strategy didn’t work, however, as the Knights made 14 of 16 free throws in the fourth to keep the Moose at bay.

“This is the best group I’ve had from the line,” Bowker said.

Jaron Murphy made five of six free throw attempts in the fourth quarter, while Huggins, Palmer and Gray were all perfect from the line over the final eight minutes.

The win moved Colony to within one game of a perfect regular season, with only the Wasilla Warriors left to play Saturday night. Colony, entered the weekend as Alaska’s No. 1 boys team according to the WPI index used to rank seams for state tournament seeding purposes. The Knights have lost just once to an Alaska opponent this season, falling to Dimond in the championship of the Alaska Prep Shootout earlier this year.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com

KNIGHTS 69, MOOSE 59

Friday, Colony High School

Colony 9 20 17 23 — 69

Palmer 20 9 7 23 — 59

COLONY (69) — Zagars 5 3-4 15, Huggins 1 4-5 6, J. Murphy 2 7-8 11, Palmer 2 4-4 9, Niver 3 0-0 8, 2 2-2 6, Moseley 3 0-0 6, Stearman 3 2-2 8. Totals: 21 22-25 69.

PALMER (59) — Draughon 4 1-3 10, Fullmer 8 0-0 23, Hillis 2 1-2 9, Odom 2 2-2 6, Jacobson 5 1-2 11. Totals: 22 5-9 59.

Three-point field goals — Colony 5 (Niver 2, Zagars 2, Palmer), Palmer 10 (Fullmer 7, Hillis 2, Draughon). Total fouls — Colony 17, Palmer 23. Fouled out — Draughon.