Moose shoot down rival Colony

PALMER — The Palmer Moose have spent a good chunk of the 2009-10 season coming up just short.

In key games this season, the Moose would lead in the third, and sometimes even in the fourth quarter, but something would happen and Palmer would fall. It happened against Valley rival Wasilla last week and crosstown foe Colony last month.

But on Friday, Palmer found a way to grab a lead against a rival and keep it.

The Moose took a seven-point lead into halftime and used a 20-point third quarter to score a 57-47 win over the Colony Knights at Colony High School.

“It couldn’t have happened at a better time,” Palmer senior captain Brennan Bohman said after the win. “Now we can go into regions with some momentum.”

Senior Kyle Titus drained four of his seven, three-pointers in the third quarter and junior Christian Odom scored 10 of his 14 points during the final frame to help Palmer score the victory.

Titus scored a game-best 24 in the victory, thanks to a stellar shooting performance from beyond the arc.

“When he’s on, he’s on,” Bohman said. “There’s no stopping him.”

The only thing that did stop Titus was a change to Colony’s defensive scheme. The Knights draped senior standout John Palmer on Titus in the fourth quarter, and the Colony captain managed to keep Titus off the scoreboard for the final eight minutes. But before that, Titus put on a shooting display.

Titus nailed a three-pointer from the left side of the arc early in the third to push Palmer’s lead to nine points, and gave the Moose the double-digit advantage with another long shot at the 6:31 mark. He used another three-pointer to stop a Colony six-point run later in period.

While Titus did the damage in the third, it was Odom who helped preserve the win in the fourth. Odom was 6-of-8 from the free-throw line late in the game, and also found the basket twice during the final period.

“He’s the point guard, that’s what he needs to do,” Bohman said.

While Titus and Odom supplied much of the Palmer scoring, the Moose defense was able to contain Colony’s top threats for most of the evening. Palmer which stuck its top defender, Bohman, right on John Palmer for much of the contest held the Colony captain to eight points.

“That was my job,” Bohman said of the effort to stop the dangerous John Palmer. “I personally think he’s one of the best players in the state right now.”

Senior Scott Herman was scoreless during the first half, but poured in 13 points during the final two quarters.

Palmer improved to 5-5 in NLC play with the win, while Colony dropped to 7-3.

Palmer 57, Colony 47

Friday, Colony High School

Palmer 14-10-20-14—57

Colony 7-10-15-15—47

Palmer (57) — Titus 7 3-5 24, Buresh 2 4-6 8, Bohman 0 2-2 2, Niekamp 4 1-2 9, Odom 4 6-8 14; Totals 17 16-23 57.

Colony (47) — Eisenhower 1 0-0 3, Turner 3 2-2 9, McCann 1 2-2 4, Palmer 3 1-2 8, Enlow 0 2-2 2, Herman 5 3-4 13, Niver 1 0-0 2, Pay 1 0-0 2, Summers 2 0-0 4; Totals: 17 10-12 47.

3-point field goals: Palmer 7 (Titus 7), Colony 3 (Eisenhower, Turner, Palmer 1).

Seniors lead Knights

PALMER — Playing on the home court for the final time in their careers, seniors John Palmer and Scott Herman combined for 40 points to lead the Colony Knights to a 67-57 win over the West Valley Wolfpack at Colony High School on Saturday.

Palmer finished 12-of-14 from the free throw line and scored a game-high 22. Herman hit four, three-pointers and added 18 points.

Colony 67, West Valley 57

Saturday, Colony High School

West Valley 17-20-12-8—57

Colony 16-19-14-18—67

West Valley (57) — Ariola 1 0-0 2, Carson 6 5-6 20, Clark 6 2-2 17, Vealy 2 0-0 4, Renfro 2 0-0 4, Graham 2 4-5 8, Hornsby 1 0-0 2; Totals: 20 11-13 57.

Colony (67) — Turner 1 2-2 4, McCann 5 3-4 13, Palmer 5 12-14 22, Enloe 1 0-2 2, Herman 6 2-3 18, Niver 2 0-0 4, DePriest 1 0-0 2, Summers 1 0-0 2; Totals: 22 19-25 67.

3-point field goals: West Valley 6 (Carson, Clark 3), Colony 4 (Herman 4); Total fouls: West Valley 19, Colony 14; Fouled out: West Valley- Hornsby.

Pats get by Moose

PALMER — Jesse Ward scored 11 of his team-high 15 points in the third quarter to lead the North Pole Patriots to a 63-53 nonconference win over Palmer at Palmer High School on Saturday. Palmer junior Sean Niekamp also had a big third quarter, scoring eight of his game-high 17 in the period. Senior Kyle Titus nailed five three-pointers, and added 15 points.

North Pole 63, Palmer 53

Saturday, Palmer High School

North Pole 17-7-23-16—63

Palmer 18-11-15-9—53

North Pole (63) — Barbaza 3 1-2 8, Thomas 2 0-1 4, Dementieff 5 0-1 10, Sutherland 2 0-0 4, Ward 2 0-0 4, Ward 5 3-5 15, Sponfeller 4 1-2 10, Hale 6 0-0 12; Totals: 27 5-11 63.

Palmer (53) — Fullmer 1 0-0 2, Titus 5 0-0 15, Dean 0 2-2 2, Buresh 1 0-0 2, Bohman 2 2-2 6, Niekamp 8 1-4 17, Odom 4 1-2 9; Totals 21 6-10 53.

3-point field goals: North Pole 4 (Ward 2), Palmer 5 (Titus 5); Total fouls: North Pole 15, Palmer 19.