Knights race past Wasilla in title game rematch

ANCHORAGE — It wasn’t state, or even a conference game, but Colony finally got a little revenge for last season.

In a showdown between last year's two Class 4A state finalists, the Knights trounced Valley rival Wasilla 61-44 Friday night in the semifinals of the Alaska Prep Shootout at Dimond High in Anchorage.

The Knights completely shut down Wasilla's attack in the first half, then cruised to victory after building a lead of as many as 24 points.

Colony's dominance of the first half was total. The Knights took a 36-15 lead into the locker room after holding the Warriors to just 28 percent shooting from the field — all of which came either inside or at the free throw line as the Warriors failed to make a jump shot in the opening two quarters.

The Knights had no such worries. Led by the red-hot shooting of sophomore guard John Palmer and senior forward Grant Niver, Colony rained down points on their Valley rivals, hitting four three-pointers in the half and shooting an even 40 percent from the field. Palmer and Niver combined for 18 points in the second quarter alone.

The Knights also made 12 of their 13 first-half free throw attempts and committed half as many turnovers as the Warriors heading into the break.

Niver and Palmer led Colony with 12 points each on the game, while senior guard Doug Gray added nine, senior guard Cody Huggins had seven and junior forward Chris Scott and senior guard Jaron Murphy each chipped in six.

Wasilla junior guard Adrese LaVern, who hit six three's in the tournament's opening game, was held scoreless until the third quarter, when he finally found his stroke. LaVern finished with a game-high 20 points, but it was much too little and far too late for the Warriors, who were never able to put together any kind of legitimate threat down the stretch.

LaVern was the only Wasilla player in double figures. Senior guard Tyler Johannes and senior forward Shane Green each had six points, while senior guard/forward Dexter Pearce — one of the Warriors' most reliable offensive weapons — was held to just two points on 0-for-8 shooting from the floor.

Colony's defensive pressure was relentless all game long, and it paid off in easy buckets at the other end as the Knights scored 23 points off 19 Wasilla turnovers. The Knights also held a 32-25 advantage on the boards.

Colony will face Dimond tonight at 7:15 p.m. in the championship game of the tournament. The Lynx beat SoHi Friday night in the tournament's other semifinal. The Warriors will face the Stars at 5:15 p.m. in the third/fourth place game.

Colony 61, Wasilla 44

Colony 16 20 12 13 — 61

Wasilla 8 7 11 18 — 44

Colony (61) - Zagars 0 2-2 2, Huggins 2 3-5 7, J. Murphy 2 2-4 6, Palmer 4 3-4 12, Scott 3 0-0 6, Niver 4 2-2 12, Gray 1 6-6 9, Moseley 2 1-1 5, Stearman 1 0-0 2. Totals: 19 19-24 61.

Wasilla (44) - Kroon 1 0-0 3, LaVern 6 5-5 20, Pearce 0 2-2 2, Johannes 2 2-3 6, Green 3 0-0 6, Flowers 1 0-2 2, Knowles 1 3-4 5. Totals: 14 12-16 44.

Three point goals — Colony 4 (Niver 2, Gray, Palmer), Wasilla 4 (LaVern 3, Kroon 1). Total fouls — Colony 18, Wasilla 21. Fouled out — J. Murphy. Rebounds — Colony 32 (Gray 5), Wasilla 25 (Pearce 5). Assists — Colony 11 (Palmer 4), Wasilla 6 (Johannes 3).