Moose boys see room for growth in victory

PALMER — It wasn’t pretty. But it’s victory.

Palmer opened the 2016 Palmer Elks Showdown with a 62-37 boys basketball win over the Chugiak Mustangs Wednesday evening at Palmer High School. While a 25-point victory may sometimes look good on paper, Palmer head coach Chuck Martin looked at what his team to work on as the Moose move forward.

“We did not play very well tonight. That’s in no way disrespectful to Chugiak,” Martin said after the game. “I thought, especially offensively, we didn’t play well.”

The Moose scored the win, despite poor execution on the offensive end, Martin said, and a struggle handling Chugiak’s pressure.

“We just did not do a very good job tonight of executing offensively,” Martin said. “Chugiak makes you do different stuff. They get after it. They’re going to make you play hard, but that doesn’t mean you have to play bad. That doesn’t mean you have to be sloppy with the ball. They obviously don’t let you run too much stuff. They’re trapping and they’re switching. We didn’t really react to anything very well.”

Palmer was able to utilize specific stretches during the game in which the Moose were able to build a double-digit lead, and add to their cushion. Boosted by a pair of early three-pointers, Palmer put together a 15-point first quarter. The Moose also used a run early in the second half to extend their lead.

“To our credit, that was probably the longest stretch were we played well,” Martin said of his team’s play during the first half of the third quarter. “We had good stretches tonight were we shared the ball, got the ball moving.”

Throughout the first month of the season, Martin has voiced his excitement about the different pieces the Moose have in their varsity lineup, but has also the Moose must truly embrace the team concept in order to reach their goals.

“Obviously we’ve got a few kids who can play, but we’re not a perfect team,” Martin said.

On the defensive said, Martin said he saw some good things, but also saw what needs work.

“We’re not an easy team to score on. I thought when Chugiak did score on us, it’s when we were taking chances, and got sloppy defensively,” Martin said.

As the Moose learn to execute better on the offensive end, Martin said, the play on both ends of the floor will improve.

“It just comes down to offensive execution,” Martin said. “Our defense will be better when we executive offensively. If we’re more patient offensively, our defense will be better than it is.”

Michael Kluting led the Moose with 21 points in the victory and Clayton Southwick added 16. The duo combined for 16 of Palmer’s 22 points in the third quarter.

Payton Martin added nine for Palmer.

Palmer continues Elks Showdown play Friday at 6 p.m. against the Mohawk Indians of Marcola, Oregon. The Moose host Lathrop Saturday at 6:30 p.m.

Palmer High School and the Moose basketball program will also honor Roy Roth, a Palmer High supporter and parent, who died Oct. 4, 2015, during an accident while hunting Dall sheep near Palmer. Roth was a proud parent of a Palmer High athlete and staunch supporter of Moose athletics. Roth will be honored in a ceremony before the boys basketball games. Fans are asked to wear camouflage gear or “Roy Tough,” T-shirts, that will also be available for sale at the game.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.