Late run gives Knights win over Wasilla

WASILLA — With the score locked at 43-43 late in the fourth quarter, Ryan Engebretsen and the Wasilla Warriors were looking at two options.

The Warriors could either play conservatively down the stretch or put the pressure on the crosstown rival Colony Knights.

The Warriors chose the latter.

“You’ve got to make decisions,” Engebretsen, Wasilla’s first-year head coach said after the game. “You can milk and run out the clock, or you can scramble and run the risk of possibly giving something up. We had a couple of great traps, but the ball bounced the wrong way.”

Colony fought through the Wasilla pressure and used a 10-0 run to cap a 53-43 win over the Warriors at Colony High School on Tuesday.

Senior Josh Moseley and sophomore John Palmer combined for eight points down the stretch to lead the Knights to the win over their Valley rival in each team’s Northern Lights Conference opener.

“Josh made some big layups and Cody (Huggins) made some big passes,” Colony senior Grant Niver said. “We just took advantage of the opportunities they gave us.”

The game marked the second meeting in less than a week for the Knights and Warriors. In a rematch of the 2007 4A state title game, the Knights ran past the defending state champion Warriors 61-44 in the semifinals of the Alaska Prep Shootout at Dimond High School.

But on Tuesday, the NLC opener was much more like the 2007 state title game, a tough, low-scoring contest that could have gone either way.

Wasilla threatened to even the season series at 1-1 when senior Tyler Johannes hit an off-balanced, fall-away baseline jumper to tie the score at 43-43.

But unfortunately for the Warriors’ Johnannes’ shot would mark Wasilla’s final points of the contest, and preceded Colony’s game-ending 10-0 run.

Moseley hit a short baseline jumper to break the 43-43 tie, and Huggins scored two of his eight points to give the Knights the four-point lead.

With less than a minute remaining in regulation, the ball bounced free and Moseley got an open look at the basket. The put in the shot to stretch Colony’s advantage to six.

“When it mattered, Josh hit the shots,” Niver said.

Palmer sank four free throws in the final seconds to ice the game for the Knights.

Colony (3-4) started both the first and the third quarter with significant runs, but Wasilla (3-5) fought back each time.

The Knights opened the game with a 7-0 run and led 12-3 midway through the first, but Wasilla senior Shane Green completed the three-point play to bring the Warriors within two points at the end of the first quarter.

A Green layup forced a 23-23 halftime tie.

In the opening minutes of the third, Colony used a 7-2 run to take a 32-25 lead, but Wasilla junior guard Adrese LaVern hit a pair of deep three-pointers to bring the Warriors within one.

LaVern lined up for his first shot at least two feet from behind the arc, and drained the attempt to cut the score to 32-28.

On Wasilla’s next position, LaVern unloaded a shot from even further back, and converted.

“Those were huge,” Engebretsen said. “Especially at a moment where they’re trying to make a run, and we were trying to wear them down.”

Palmer led the Knights with a game-high 13 points, and was one of three Knights to hit double digits. Moseley scored 12 points and Niver added 10.

Johannes led the Warriors with 11, while LaVern scored 10.

Regardless of the outcome, Engebretsen said he was certainly proud of his Warrior squad, that rebounded from a 17-point loss to the Warriors less than a week ago and was within reach of a win on Tuesday.

“I felt like we definitely stepped up to the challenge,” Engebretsen said. “My guys played with a tremendous amount of heart. They played hard and brought it all the way down to the wire. Colony made the shots when they had to.”

Colony 53, Wasilla 43

Tuesday, Colony High School

Wasilla 12-11-12-8—43

Colony 14-9-13-17—53

Wasilla (43) — Johannes 11, LaVern 10, Pearce 3, Flowers 6, Green 7, Knowles 4, T. Gray 2.

Colony (45) — Moseley 12, Palmer 13, Niver 10, Huggins 8, Stearman 2, Scott 2, D. Gray 6.

Knights storm

past Bartlett

PALMER — In a game capped by a fast-paced fourth quarter, the Colony Knights earned a 66-51 nonconference win over the Bartlett Golden Bears at Colony High School on Thursday.

Sophomore John Palmer scored six of his team-high 15 points in a an action-packed fourth-quarter in which the Knights outscored Bartlett 23-19.

Parker was one of three Knights to hit double digits in the win. Senior forward Josh Moseley added 14 points, while senior guard Doug Gray chipped in 10.

Damone Newsome scored 16 for Bartlett, while Kevin Winford was held to 10.

Bartlett’s loss came just two days after upsetting previously undefeated Dimond on the first day of Cook Inlet Conference action in Anchorage.

Dimond defeated Colony in the title game of the Alaska Prep Shootout last week.

Following big wins over Wasilla and Bartlett, Colony is done for the weekend. The Knights were slated to play East Anchorage on Saturday, but that game has been canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date

Colony 66, Bartlett 51

Thursday, Colony High School

Bartlett 10-8-14-19—51

Colony 14-14-15-23—66

Bartlett (51) — May 2 0-0 5, Roan 2 0-0 5, Griebe 0 2-2 2, Winford 4 0-0 10, King 1 0-0 3, Newsome 7 0-0 16, Devoe 1 0-0 3, Rolling 1 1-2 3; Totals: 20 3-4 51.

Colony (66) — Huggins 2 0-0 5, J. Murphy 4 3-6 11, Palmer 5 3-4 15, Scott 1 4-4 6, Niver 1 0-0 3, Gray 2 5-6 10, Moseley 7 0-0 14, Stearman 1 0-0 2; Totals: 23 15-20 66.

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