Moose win at buzzer

PALMER — Connor Looney watched his teammate, Jared Straight, hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 33 seconds left. Then Looney watched an opponent, Colony sophomore Damien Fulp, bury another go-ahead trey with nine seconds to go.

But with 4.6 seconds left on the clock, Looney took care of things himself.

Looney knocked a deep shot off the glass from beyond the top of the three-point arc off at the buzzer to lift the Palmer Moose to a 59-57 win over the Colony Knights at Palmer High on Tuesday.

Palmer called a timeout with 4.6 seconds left and scripted a play for Looney. After the win, Looney said you have to greet the moment with confidence.

“You gotta know it’s going in, you’ve gotta feel it,” Looney said.

And Looney felt it, then he felt his teammates swarm and fans from the student section spill onto the court after the big shot.

“Connor Looney, making a play like that and the end of the game, you can’t coach that,” Palmer head coach Jason Marvel said.

Marvel praised the clutch efforts of both Looney and Straight.

“I always say, players make plays,” Marvel said. “Connor Looney and Jared (made plays). You’ve got to love Jared. Jared turns the ball over on one possession, then he comes down and hits a three, makes up for it.”

Looney’s three followed two other three-pointers that could also have been called game-winners. With the Moose trailing late, Straight hit a shot from deep in the left corner to give the Moose a 56-54 lead with 33 seconds left.

But Colony answered.

Fulp, Colony’s lone sophomore on the varsity roster, looked like a veteran, nailing a three-pointer with nine seconds to go. Fulp and his teammates celebrated like they were winners.

But the Knights left too much time on the clock.

After Fulp’s shot, Palmer inbounded the ball, moved across midcourt and quickly called a timeout. Looney said the Moose tried to keep their composure in the back-and-forth action.

“You’ve just got to keep your head up, no matter what,” Looney said. “There’s going to be those moments in the game when you’re down, but you’ve just got to fight through it.”

Looney not only hit the last shot, but scored a game-high 24 points to help the Moose erase an early double-digit deficit and earn the victory. The junior guard hit four three-pointers in the win.

Colony led Palmer 27-10 at one point, and carried its advantage deep into the second half. But the Moose clawed their way back.

“There’s no 15-point play,” Looney said. “You’ve just got to work at it, get defensive stops, smart plays on offense. We’re a team. We’ve got good chemistry. We knew we could do it.”

Colony used a balanced attack to build an early lead. Six different players contributed to Colony’s 21-point first quarter, with three players scoring four points each in the first.

Nate Umbarger led the Knights with 16 points and Hunter Eisenhower added 12. Eight players scored, and six scored at least five.

Jackson Buresh added 13 points to Looney’s game-high 24. Brian Selmer chipped in eight.

Palmer did suffer a loss in the win. During the third quarter, Selmer injured his knee and had to be helped off the court.

The injury left Looney with mixed emotions after the win.

“I feel bad for my bud over here,” Looney said as he looked toward Selmer. “It’s a big loss, but we came back and made the big shot.”

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him at twitter.com/matsu_sports.

Palmer 59, Colony 57

Tuesday, Palmer High School

Colony 21-14-11-11—57

Palmer 10-16-17-16—59

Colony (57) — Smith 2 1-1 5, Fulp 3 0-0 8, Turner 1 2-2 5, Umbarger 6 4-5 16, Campbell 1 1-2 3, Peltier 2 2-2 6, Eisenhower 6 0-0 12; Totals: 22 10-12 57

Palmer (59) — Nisbett 1 5-6 7, Looney 8 4-6 24, Straight 2 0-0 6, Buresh 5 3-4 13, Selmer 4 0-1 8, Niekamp 0 1-2 1; Totals: 20 13-19 59.

Palmer 45, Eagle River 44

PALMER — A night after hitting a buzzer-beater, the Palmer Moose avoided one.

With his team down by three, Eagle River’s Chris Parker hit a long shot before the buzzer, but his foot was on the three-point line and the Moose held on for a 45-44 win over the Wolves.

Connor Looney led the Moose with 21 points in the win. Jared Straight added 13.

Palmer 45, Eagle River 44

Wednesday, Palmer High

Eagle River

Palmer 10-9-17-9—45

Eagle River (44) — Parker 3 0-0 7, Rohads 5 0-0 10, Madubuko 2 3-4 8, Jones 1 0-0 3, Jenkins 1 1-2 3, Waterman 6 1-2 13.

Palmer (45) — Nisbett 0 1-2 1, Looney 5 9-11 21, Straight 4 2-2 13, Matik 1 0-0 2, Buresh 2 -1 4, Niekamp 2 0-0 4.