MAC tourney: Wolfpack rally stuns Houston boys

FAIRBANKS — A rally by the home team stunned the Houston Hawks Thursday afternoon.

Host West Valley erased an 18-point deficit en route to a 53-50 win over the Hawks during the first round of the Mid-Alaska Conference Championships at West Valley High in Fairbanks on Thursday.

Houston led 22-7 in the first quarter and 28-19 at halftime. Houston also held a strong 10-point lead through three quarters, but then West Valley rallied.

The Wolfpack put together 25 points during the final period to sneak past Houston. West Valley didn’t lead until the final minute of the game, when Jacob Carson hit the go-ahead free throw with 40 seconds left on the clock. That gave WVHS the 51-50 advantage. Larenzo Graham capped the Wolfpack win with a pair of free throws.

Scott Kramer scored a game-high 22 points in the loss. Russ Ruta added 10 for Houston.

With the loss, the Hawks now face North Pole Friday at 4:30 p.m. at WVHS.

North Pole suffered a 75-32 loss to top-seeded Lathrop in the first round.

The MAC does have a true double-elimination format, and the Hawks can still work themselves back into the final with a string of wins.

West Valley entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, and Houston is seeded third.

In girls action, top-seeded West Valley beat Houston 52-11. Victoria Baybado led Houston with four points.

The Hawks now face Lathrop Friday morning.