March Madness: 2005 tourney notes

April 5, 2005

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

ANCHORAGE - Three days of basketball with 32 teams on three courts - March Madness, Alaska style.

With all of that madness, there is always more than enough news. Here are some tidbits to tease your friends.

Represent: The Valley schools brought it to the state tournament. Colony and Wasilla were the only schools at the 4A level to take both its boys and girls squads to the event.

Queens of the Court: It was an all-Valley battle in annual Queens of the Court three-point shooting competition. During halftime of the 4A boys state title game, Colony junior Kristen Robinson and Wasilla junior Ashley Semler put their shooting touch to the test. Robinson's touch was just too much as she edged Semler in the competition.

Floor generals - call them sarge: The Colony and Wasilla boys finished as two of the top three teams in the state. Other than being from the Valley, what do the two programs have in common? Each has one of the top point guards in the state. Colony senior Rhett Magner and Wasilla point guard Jesse Bean tied for the lead with nine assists in the tournament.

They call him Jesse James: They call him Jesse "James" Bean, but this Jesse James is not just a shooter. Not only did Bean lead the tournament in assists, he was third in the field averaging eight rebounds per game. Did I mention Bean is a 5-foot-10 point guard? Bean the only player less than 6-0 in the top 10 rebounders of the tournament, and would have to stand on about a dozen cans of beans to look into the eyes of 6-foot-6 West junior Ramon Harris, who averaged nine boards per game.

Second chances: One reason the Warrior boys were able to notch two wins and third place in the tourney is because the Wasilla offense gave itself second chances. Bean and Schafer combined for 18 offensive rebounds in three games. With 10, Schafer was one of only three players in the tournament to register double digits on the offensive glass.

We are family: Rhett is the fifth Magner to help lead his team to a 4A state title game. Older brother Seth led the Palmer Moose to the championship game in 1991. Sister Amber led the Moose to second-place finishes in 1991 and 1992. Leah helped the Colony girls claim state titles in 1996 and 1997. And Cole was on the Knights 1994 runner-up squad.

We are family, part two: The Knights and Moose have the Magners, but the Warriors have the Schafers. In 2003 Ray, a senior, and Luke, a sophomore, led the Warriors to a second-place finish at state. This season Luke, a senior, and Sam, a freshman, led the Warriors to a third-place finish.

Fab freshman: Wasilla head coach Jason Marvel has to like the idea of having Sam Schafer for another three seasons. Schafer, just a freshman, averaged 21 minutes per game and helped the Warriors earn an upset win over Bartlett by hitting 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch.

Super sophomores: Something must be in the water at Wasilla High. Maybe a potion that turns sophomores into studs. The Warrior girls have six sophomores on varsity, three of which - Ayla Brown, Anne Wesser and Hillarie Putnam - are among the top underclassman in the Northern Lights Conference. The boys have five sophomores on the varsity roster, led by Bean.

Ayla Carumba: Ayla Brown and the Wasilla girls took a roller-coaster ride in the final seconds of regulation in the Warriors' loss to Service in the semifinals. With six seconds left in the fourth quarter, Brown hit a deep off-balance three-pointer to tie the game at 35. But at the buzzer Brown got in front of Service guard Lillian Bullock and was whistled for the foul.

Clutch or not clutch? Clutch - Sam Schafer hitting 5-of-6 free throws in Wasilla's win over Bartlett. Not clutch - Bullock missing all three free throws at the end of regulation against the Wasilla girls.

Second chances, part two: Both the Wasilla boys and Wasilla girls faced overtime during the tournament. The Wasilla girls were not able to take advantage of a second chance, falling to Service in the extra period. The Warrior boys used a third chance to slip past East in double-overtime in the consolation finals.

Late entrance: The Kodiak boys nearly didn't make it off Kodiak Island Thursday. That lovely Kodiak weather kept the Bears' flight on the ground for most of the day, and the team didn't arrive until just minutes before its first-round game with West Anchorage.

Not so grand entrance: The late arrival of Bartlett senior Mario Chalmers couldn't help his Golden Bears. The two-time state player of the year first checked in just before halftime, as the Warriors held a big lead. Chalmers finished the game for the Bears, and the Warriors finished with a big lead.

In the numbers:

12 - Consecutive appearances by Don Witzel and the Colony girls in the state tournament.

16 - Number of state titles for West Anchorage coach Chuck White.

After midnight: Surprise, surprise - the 4A boys' title game did not start on time. Tip-off was just before 10:45 p.m., the second half started at midnight, and the Alaska Schools Activities Association rolled out the awards about 1 a.m.

Repeat offenders: Wasilla seniors Megan Stearman and Matt Crane were named to the all-tournament squad for the second straight season.

Warrior up!: The Warrior girls placed a player on the all-tourney for the fifth straight year. The Warrior boys were represented for the fourth straight year.

Still looking for first: Colony became the fifth Valley boys squad to advance to the state title. But the Valley is still looking for its first boys 4A state championship.

You always remember your first: In just his first appearance in the state tournament as a head coach, Colony mentor Jeff Bowker led his team to the state title game.