Knights crush Homer

PALMER — If a basketball team shoots 77 percent from the floor during the first two quarters and 63 percent from the field during the game, that team is probably going to win.

And if a team holds an opponent to a mere 17 points, that squad is also most likely going to win.

So imagine what happens if a team does both.

That’s what the Colony Knights did on Thursday in their 80-17 win over the Homer Mariners during the first round of the Northern Lights Conference Championships at Palmer High School.

Attack would probably be the best word to describe Colony’s style on both sides of the floor. Smothering defense prevented the Mariners from hitting double digits in points in any of the four quarters. Colony’s defense also held the Mariners without a point during the final eight minutes of play.

And Colony’s aggressive game plan didn’t change on the other side of the floor either.

“We attacked their zone,” Colony senior Antone Zagars said. “We didn’t really rely on the outside shot. We were getting to the basket, getting close shots.”

Zagars scored 14 of his game-high 17 points in the first half and was one of six Knights with eight or more points. Zagars also collected five rebounds and three steals in the win.

Colony’s well-rounded effort also included Grant Niver’s 11 points, four rebounds and two steals; Cody Huggins’ 10 points and three rebounds; John Palmer’s nine points and three steals; Chris Scott’s eight points and six rebounds; and Matt Stearman’s eight points and six boards.

Colony’s defense prevented Homer from doing much of anything on offense. Josh Gilbert posted a game-high five points and Michael Pane (four points) was the only other Homer player to score more than two.

The Knights also forced 30 Homer turnovers and held the Mariners to just 25 percent shooting.

With the win, Colony — the runner-up at the 2007 4A state tourney — moves into a semifinal match with the Kodiak Bears, which upset Soldotna 50-47 early Thursday morning.

Colony finished the regular season 10-0 in NLC play and its biggest test came against the Bears, which took the Knights to four overtimes in January.

“We’ve got to focus and not take them for granted,” Zagars said of the Bears. “We really didn’t see it coming (last time).”

The Knights are slated to face the Bears at 4:45 p.m. today.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Colony 80, Homer 17

Northern Lights Conference Championships

Thursday, Palmer High School

Homer 7-6-4-0—17

Colony 18-25-22-15—80

Homer (17) — Gilbert 1 1-2 5, Parker 1 0-0 2, Tutt 1 0-0 2, DeVaney 0 2-2 2, Wolford 1 0-0 2, Pate 2 0-0 4.

Colony (80) — Zagars 8 0-1 17, Huggins 5 0-0 10,J. Murphy 2 1-1 4, Larson 0 2-2 2, Palmer 4 0-0 9, Scott 4 0-0 8, Niver 5 0-0 11, Gray 1 1-2 3, C. Murphy 1 0-0 2, Moseley 2 1-2 5, Stearman 4 0-0 8.

Three-point field goals: Homer 0, Colony 3 (Zagars, Palmer, Niver); Total fouls: Homer 9, Colony 11.