Knights shoot down Stars

PALMER — Soldotna just would not go away.

Colony built a 13-point second quarter lead.

But the Stars stormed back.

The Knights netted an 11-point led in the fourth.

And once again, Soldotna squeezed its way back into the game.

But finally, after the Knights withstood a series of Soldotna rallies, Colony captain John Palmer drained a pair of free throws with nine seconds left to preserve a 62-60 win over the Stars at Colony High School on Saturday.

“(Colony) went on great runs to get there, but I thought our guys responded well,” Soldotna head coach Matthew Johnson said. “We came back and we went on our own little runs, but we could not sustain them.”

Colony senior Chris Scott scored a game-high 21 points to help the Knights improve to 8-2 in Northern Lights Conference play and hand Soldotna (9-1) its first conference loss of the season.

Scott scored nine in the final quarter, and hit 4-of-5 free throws down the stretch to help the Knights earn the victory which guaranteed Colony the NLC North Division’s top seed in the upcoming conference tourney.

Palmer scored six of his 17 in the final quarter, notching a pair of field goals in addition to those pivotal free throws.

Palmer started the fourth by hitting a midrange jumper to push Colony’s lead to seven, and the Knights took their lead to 11 when senior Connor Larson hit a pair of free throws two minutes into the final period.

But Colony’s double-digit lead was only temporary.

After the Stars steadily clawed back, Soldotna’s Matt Grubb slipped in a layup, drew the foul and hit the free throw to complete the three-point play and cut the Knights’ lead to six points with 1:26 left in regulation.

Blaine Carver drove the lane and found the basket for the Stars with just more than a minute left to make it a two-possesion game, and with just 26 seconds left Michael Bowder fired a three-pointer to hack Colony’s lead to 58-56.

Soldotna also hit six free throws in the final 86 seconds to stay within reach of the Knights.

“They made some big shots, that three was a big three, and the big free throws they were making down the stretch,” Colony head coach Jeff Bowker said. “Suddenly we were putting them on the line all the time.”

Colony was able to hold the lead thanks to four free throws by Scott and two more by Palmer in the final 48 seconds, but Bowker gave credit to more than just free-throw shooting.

“It’s just playing hard for 32 minutes,” Bowker said.

After trailing in the first quarter, Colony used a 13-point second-quarter run to take a 29-16 lead late in first half.

“We were executing at that point,” Bowker said. “The guys made plays. We got some of those same looks in the second half, but we didn’t make (the shots).”

After Bowder hit a pair of free throws for the Stars to tie the game at 16-16, Soldotna went about four minutes without a point.

“I think we had a span of five to six possessions where we turned it over every possession but one,” Johnson said. “You can’t do that to yourself.”

Senior Liam Andrus led the Stars with 16 points in the loss, while Grubb added 13 and Carver scored 12.

The game marked the end of the regular season for both teams, and now both squads head into the NLC Tournament as the top team in their respective divisions.

Soldotna will face the fourth seed from the North, Kodiak, during the first round of the tourney on Thursday at Kodiak High School. Colony will face the South’s fourth seed, Skyview.

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

Colony 62, Soldotna 60

Saturday, Colony High School

Soldotna 14-6-16-24—60

Colony 12-18-11-21—62

Soldotna (60) — Blossom 2 2-3 7, Grubb 4 4-7 13, Carver 4 4-4 12, Geller 2 1-2 5, Bowder 2 2-2 7, Andrus 5 6-6 16; Totals: 19 19-24 60.

Colony (62) — Gray 1 2-2 4, Larson 1 2-2 4, Palmer 6 4-5 17, Scott 7 6-7 21, Jacobson 2 2-6 6, Murphy 2 2-2 6, Summers 2 0-1 4; Totals; 21 18-25 62.

Three-point field goals: Soldotna 3 (Blossom, Grubb, Bowder 1), Colony 2 (Palmer, Scott 1); Total fouls: Soldotna 22, Colony 20; Fouled out: Soldotna- Gellar, Andrus, Colony- Gray.