Knights win defensive battle, edge rival Moose

PALMER — Mary Klapperich scored 14 of Colony’s 34 points Tuesday, but her biggest impact may have come on the defensive side of the floor.

Klapperich helped shut down the Moose, and leading scorer Taylor Blake, during a 34-20 win over Palmer at Palmer High.

Blanketing Blake for most of the night, Klapperich helped Colony hold the junior guard to only three points in the game. Blake’s only field goal came with 20 seconds left in the fourth.

“It’s no secret Taylor’s one of the better players in the state. You’ve got to deal with her,” Colony head coach Jeff Bowker said. “You have to deal with her before you can get some other things done.”

Bowker said the play of Klapperich was certainly key in the Northern Lights Conference victory.

“I think she’s one of the best defensive players in the state,” Bowker said of Klapperich. “Mary’s really athletic, really smart. Her habits are really, really good.”

All of Klapperich’s points came in the first and the fourth quarters, posting seven in each frame.

“She made a few shots early, a few at the end,” Bowker said.

The Palmer defense held Colony to a combined four points in the second and third quarters. Hunter Payne’s long jump shot marked Colony’s only points of the second. The Knights were held scoreless until the 1:16 mark of the third, when Jerica Nelson knocked down a left-handed floater.

Palmer, which trailed 13-5 heading into the second quarter, had just three points in the second and five in the third.

Senior Rachel Huffman accounted for five of Palmer’s eight combined points in the middle two frames.

Huffman led the Moose with nine in the game. Senior Kasara Brandenburg added five.

Bowker was pleased with his young team’s ability to score the big win. The Knights used only two upperclassmen in the win.

“The most encouraging thing for me, the young kids played with a little urgency,” Bowker said.

The teams return to the court this weekend. Palmer hosts Skyview on Friday at 6 p.m. and Homer on Saturday at 3. Colony hosts Homer today at 6 p.m. and Skyview Saturday at noon.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports.

Colony 34, Palmer 20

Tuesday, Palmer High

Colony 13-2-2-17—34

Palmer 5-3-5-7—20

Colony (34) — Klapperich 5 3-7 14, Farris 2 0-5 4, Tweed 1 0-0 3, Nelson 1 1-2 3, Payne 2 0-0 4, Solano 3 0-0 6; Totals: 14 4-14 34.

Palmer (20) — Scott 1 0-0 3, Jensen 0 0-2 0, Koehn 0 0-1 0, Blake 1 1-4 3, Brandenburg 1 3-4 5, Hoffman 4 1-3 9; Totals: 7 5-14 20.

Three-point field goals: Colony 2 (Klapperich, Tweed 1), Palmer 1 (Scott 1); Total fouls: Colony 15, Palmer 14.