Nevada squad rallies past Knights in Doc Larson tourney

WASILLA — After losing 10 players from a squad that placed third in the state last season, the Colony Knights walked into Wasilla High School just as much as an unknown as their opponents, the Corando Cougars, a team visiting from Henderson, Nevada. Coronado needed a late rally to get past Colony’s tenacious bunch of newcomers to the varsity level to score an 80-72 win over the Knights during the first round of Doc Larson’s Roundball Classic Thursday at Wasilla High School.

“I was happy with our energy and effort in the first half. That’s something we need to focus on,” Colony head coach Tom Berg said after the loss.

Colony shot 54 percent in the first half, took a three-point lead into the break and led by double digits in the second half.

“Shooting it in provides some energy as well,” Berg said. “I think pace is going to be a big thing for us, tenacious, five guys playing as one. Five guys on the floor, five guys seeing the ball. Play a quick pace that allows us to accentuate what we have.”

Alex Nygard scored a team-high 21 points for the Knights and Anton Chamblee, Colony’s lone veteran with significant varsity experience, added 16 points in the loss. Nygard hit 8 of 12 shots, including 4 of 5 from behind the arc.

“He was terrific today,” Berg said. “He’s got to play at that high level for us to be good. If he plays well, it’ll take some pressure off of Anton.”

Chamblee shot 6 of 13 and 3 of 6 from three-point range.

Tyler Boyer, a transfer from Bartlett, added 10 points for Colony.

Coronado is one of three out-of-state teams in the 2015 Doc Larson boys’ bracket. Berg said he didn’t know much about the team, but expected a quality opponent. Coronado’s two losses this season came to squads ranked second and third in Nevada, according to maxpreps.com.

“I knew they were good,” Berg said. “But they’re high school basketball players. That’s what I kept telling my guys. They’re going to be dudes just like you are. They’re taller dudes, but they’re just dudes. I think our guys responded well to that, and we had some confidence.”

Coronado needed 46 second-half points to overcome Colony’s double-digit lead. The Knights allowed only a single Cougars bucket during the first two minutes of the third quarter, and used a Boyer basket to grab a 10-point lead with 6:12 left in the third quarter. Coronado didn’t own a second-half lead until Jake Dejardins drained a three-pointer with 1:29 left in the third. That bucket gave the Cougars a 57-56 advantage.

Coronado outscored Colony 23-16 in the fourth.

Berg said, as much as it stings to lose the season-opener, he saw many good things in the loss.

“I think we’re going to keep getting better, figure out exactly how we want to play,” Berg said. “There are some good things to come.”

With the win, Coronado moves forward to face Juneau-Douglas in the semifinals Friday at 5 p.m. at Wasilla High. The Knights meet defending 4A state champion West Anchorage Friday at noon. Juneau edged West 63-62 in the quarterfinals.

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

Coronado boys 80, Colony 72

Doc Larson’s Roundball Classic

Thursday, Wasilla High School

Colony 20-17-19-16—72

Coronado 16-18-23-23—80

Colony (72) — James 3 12- 7, Nygard 8 1-1 21, Neuner 1 3-4 5, Chamblee 6 1-2 16, Martin 0 4-6 4, Nicholson 1 3-4 5, Reed 1 2-2 4, Boyer 4 2-3 10; Totals: 24 17-24 72.

Coronado (80) — Hurlburt 3 2-6 10, Davis 0 4-4 4, Boman 5 0-0 10, Savoy 5 2-4 12, Desjardins 11 4-7 29, Koehler 6 1-4 15; Totals: 30 13-27 80.