Moose move on

WASILLA -- Just a few weeks ago, the Palmer Moose handed Kenai a 43-29 drubbing on the Kardinals' home court. On Thursday Kenai used arguably its best shooting performance of the season and almost knocked Palmer into the consolation side of the Region III tournament bracket.

The Moose forced three Kenai turnovers in the final minute of the contest to hold on and defeat the Kardinals 42-40 in the first round of the Region III championship tournament at Wasilla High School on Thursday.

"That is pretty typical for the region tournament," Palmer head coach Lyle Busbey said. "Everyone feels they have a shot."

The Moose and Kardinals played neck-and-neck for nearly the entire contest. Palmer led by two after the first quarter, Kenai had the one-point advantage at the half and the teams were deadlocked in a 30-30 tie at the end of three quarters.

Kenai took few shots in the contest, but rarely missed.

"I think it's the best they've shot all season," Busbey said. "We had three defensive rebounds in the second half. They weren't beating us on the offensive boards, they hit everything."

To contend with the hot shooting Kardinals, Palmer needed crucial baskets of their own to stay in the contest. Though the Moose hit just three three-pointers in the game, each came at a pivotal time. Keisha Hooker drained a three-pointer early in the third quarter to give the Moose a 22-20 lead. Minutes later Brittany Heck nailed a trey of her own to break a 24-24 tie. Early in the fourth quarter sophomore Leslie Berberich hit a three-pointer from the top of the arc to give the Moose a six point lead.

"A lot of people contributed," Busbey said. "We hit some big threes, enough to give us a little cushion."

Emily Bolling led the Moose with a game-high 23 points, but one defensive play proved key to the Palmer win.

With just a few ticks left in regulation, Kenai point guard Breezy Saltsgiver held the ball at half court near the scorers table. Bolling provided the pressure and eventually wrestled the ball away from Saltzgiver, preventing Kenai from taking the game-tying or game-winning shot.