Moose muscle past Knights

PALMER -- Region III wins are never simple.

Palmer jumped out to a 14-0 lead over Colony, and looked like it would notch the Region III win with ease. Despite the early deficit, Colony clawed its way back into the contest and the Moose needed a late surge to preserve the 53-43 win.

"It's never easy," Palmer head coach Brandon Blake said. "We jumped out and you'd hope we have the killer instinct."

Palmer opened with six field goals and a pair of free throws during its run to start the game. Kurtis Devon scored eight of his 14 points during the run, hitting three shots from in the paint and two more from the foul line. Stanley Ratcliff added four points during the run. Ratcliff scored a game-high 19 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for Palmer.

"In the first half he dominated in the paint," Blake said of Devon, who pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. "We should be able to sustain that type of play inside. To their credit, they made adjustments."

The Moose held Colony scoreless for virtually all of the first quarter. Justin Schwartzbauer took a Kyle Coffman feed and gave Colony its first points with just 39 seconds remaining in the first.

The Knights leapt back in the game with an 11-0 run that stretched from the Schwartzbauer bucket to well into the second quarter.

"To their credit they came back," Blake said. "We had a golden opportunity to finish them and we allowed that to happen. Once we get up, we can not relax."

Relaxing after the lead is something the Moose have become accustomed to, as of late. Palmer led Wasilla 31-13 at halftime and had to overcome a Warrior 20-6 run in the third quarter to earn the win. On Saturday Palmer led East, the second-ranked team in the state, after the first quarter and nearly defeated the Alaska hoops power. Blake said it is certainly a worry and a concern that will be addressed in practice. He said maintaining the intensity throughout the entire game is a primary goal as they head toward a region championship and spot in the state tournament.

Right now the Moose, 14-5 overall and 7-0 in Region III play, could be a win away from clinching the region title. Palmer plays at Kenai tonight and Soldotna Saturday, before wrapping up its regular season schedule with a March 5 home date against

Wasilla.

Conner leads

Hawks past Rams

Colton Conner scored 19 points in the first three quarters to lead Houston to a 62-35 win over the Susitna Valley Rams at Houston High School on Tuesday.

Conner hit eight shots from the field, including Houston's only two from behind the arc, in the win. He scored nine points during a 20-4 run in the first quarter.

Carlos Rosas also hit double digits for Houston in the win. Rosas added 11 points.

Cyrus Bee led all Ram scorers with seven points.