Moose charge to win over Falcons

PALMER — Since taking the reigns of the Palmer High girls basketball program, first-year head coach Elgin Hollins has not been shy about his desire to see his Moose keep a foot planted firmly on the accelerator. Thursday, the Moose showed glimpses of that fast-paced brand of basketball, and used it to sprint to a late double-digit lead.

After entering the fourth quarter with a five-point lead, Palmer put together four fast buckets, with its quickness on the defensive end and speed down the floor to the basket. The Moose rushed from a two-possession lead to double-digit advantage, and Palmer cruised to a 53-41 win over visiting Thunder Mountain during the second day of the Palmer Elks Showdown.

“It’s huge for our girls to get that much confidence, get that many buckets that fast. It’s a momentum changer,” Hollins said of the run after the win. “That sets the tone for the rest of the game, and they’re playing catch-up for the remainder of the game.”

Kalia Bull, Carly Venzke, Kiana Till and Abrianna Busbey each had quick baskets to push Palmer’s lead to 13 points early in the fourth quarter. Busbey scored six of her team-high 13 in the fourth quarter, and was 4 of 6 from the free throw line to help the Moose maintain their lead late. Venzke added six of her eight during Palmer’s 18-point fourth.

All 11 players in uniform saw time on the court Thursday and nine of the 11 finished with at least a point. Going that deep into the bench was not an anomaly. Hollins said that should be expected from the Moose.

“If I can keep throwing out more fresh bodies that you have, that helps us out,” Hollins said.

That pairs with Palmer’s play to keep the game at a high pace, said Hollins, who served as an assistant at rival Colony last season.

“We want to run. We’re going to put pressure on you. We’re going to make you make a hard decision out there, and when you turn it over, we’re going to score,” Hollins said. “That’s the pace we want to keep.”

Palmer held a slim 22-21 lead at the break, but outscored the Falcons 31-20 in the second half. The Moose also kept Thunder Mountain scoreless for nearly the first half of each of the final two quarters. The Falcons didn’t get their first basket in the third until Siniva Maka drove the lane at the 4:38 mark. Thunder Mountain was scoreless in the fourth until Cyrene Uddipa’s bucket with 4:10 left in regulation.

Ava Tompkins led Thunder Mountain with 14 points. Nina Fenumiai added 10.

In addition to Busbey’s 13 points, Venzke and Kiana Till added eight each.

Palmer continues Elks Showdown play Friday at 7:45 p.m. against Bartlett and Saturday at 4:30 p.m. against Eagle River.

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

Palmer 53, Thunder Mountain 41

Palmer Elks Showdown

Thursday, Palmer High

Thunder Mountain 13-8-9-11—41

Palmer 9-13-13-18—53

Thunder Mountain (41) — Tompkins 4 6-14 14, Uddipa 1 0-0 2, Hayward 1 0-0 2, Echiverri 2 1-2 5, DiCarlo 1 0-0 2, Strong 2 0-0 4, Maka 2 0-0 4, Martin 1 0-0 2, Fenumiai 5 0-0 10; Totals: 17 7-16 41.

Palmer (53) — Busbey 4 4-6 13, Lee 0 1-2 1, Benshetler 1 4-4 6, Bull 3 0-0 6, Venzke 2 2-6 8, King 1 3-5 5, Uschmann 1 2-2 4, Till 4 0-0 8, Dixon 1 0-0 2; Totals: 17 16-25 53.

3-point field goals: Thunder Mountain 0, Palmer 1 (Busbey 1); Total fouls: Thunder Mountain 21, Palmer 17