Knights win state opener

April 1, 2005

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Frontiersman sports editor

ANCHORAGE - Going into its first round of the 4A First National Bank Alaska Schools Activities Association State Basketball Tournament, Colony knew virtually nothing about its opponent. The only information the Knights had about Ketchikan was a scouting report from a mutual foe.

Now Colony can add grit and hustle to that report.

Colony used key possessions in the fourth quarter to earn a difficult 62-57 win over the tenacious Kings.

"All we knew is they had a pretty strong post player and a talented little guard," Colony senior Cade Dickey said.

That strong post player - Ketchikan forward Tyler Richardson - scored six key points during a 10-3 King run early in the third quarter to propel the Southeastern Conference champions to a 35-31 lead.

Once the Kings erased a three-point halftime deficit and stretched their lead to four, Colony head coach Jeff Bowker called a time out and was ready to read the riot act to his players.

But before Bowker even began to speak, Dickey looked up at the coach and said, "We're going to fix this." Dickey and the senior-laden Knight squad did just that.

Dickey hit 7-of-11 free throws and nailed a key three-pointer midway through the fourth quarter to help the Knights hold on for the victory. With just more than five minutes left in regulation and the Knights holding a one-point lead, Dickey took a cross-court pass, drove the ball toward the baseline and, to avoid the Ketchikan pressure underneath, circled back behind the arc and hit the shot from just beyond the line.

The three-pointer gave the Knights a four-point advantage, and just a minute later the Colony senior hit 3-of-4 free throws after a Ketchikan technical foul to give Colony its first significant cushion of the second half.

On their next possession, the Knights, with Dickey manning the point, held the ball for nearly 40 seconds, and Justin Schwartzbauer drew a Ketchikan foul.

"Smart possessions," Dickey said. "We were looking for good shots and seeing what they would do to us - seeing if they would foul."

The Knights hit their free throws down the stretch and separated themselves from the Kings.

In the first half, Colony shot 46 percent from the field and jumped out to an 18-11 first-quarter lead. Schwartzbauer led the Knights with 11 points during the first-half charge.

"We started out the way we like to play, but we got gassed. We got in foul trouble," Bowker said.

The gritty Kings were able to chip away at the Knights lead and slither their way back into the ball game. But it was the Knights' veteran leadership that drove Colony to the playoff victory, Bowker said.

"Most of these guys are football players, they're not great basketball players, but they want to win," Bowker said.

Ketchikan finished 9-3 against in-state competition this season, with most of its action coming against panhandle rival Juneau-Douglas.

The Kings faced JDHS five times this season, beating the Bears in three games.

Colony swept a midseason series with Juneau. Colony now moves into the 4A state semifinals and faces Wasilla.

The Knights have already faced Wasilla three times this season, beating the Warriors in both the regular season finale and the Northern Lights championship game.