NLC semis: Palmer boys get by Knights; CHS girls beat Moose

PALMER — Heading into its game Friday, Palmer held a 16-4 record against in-state programs this season, with the only losses coming to either Colony or Wasilla.

But Friday night, the Moose finally grabbed the elusive win over a Valley rival.

Palmer used a 27-point third quarter and survived a late Colony run to notch a 64-56 victory over Colony during the Northern Lights Conference semifinals at Palmer High School.

“We’ve just been laying an egg for some reason against both of those teams,” Palmer senior Michael Kluting said of the Knights and the Wasilla Warriors, who will meet the Moose Saturday at 5:15 p.m. in the NLC final. “It felt good to finally get a win against Colony. Now we’re going to try to get one against Wasilla.”

After holding a slim 22-20 lead at the break, the Moose broke away from the Knights in the third. Palmer started the second half with a 7-0 run and didn’t allow a Colony point until Joshua James hit a free throw with 5:21 left in the quarter. James gave the Knights their first basket of the quarter at the 3:54 mark.

As the Palmer defense came up with stops, the Moose continued to knock down shots to extend their lead. Payton Martin hit a pair of three-pointers in the quarter. Clayton Southwick hit another, part of his seven third-quarter points. Kluting had nine points in the third.

But just as Palmer built a seemingly comfortable lead, an 18-point advantage after three quarters, Colony came roaring back. The Knights, who trailed by more than double digits for the final five minutes of the third quarter, started the fourth on a 9-1 run, and held Palmer without a field goal for nearly the first four minutes of the fourth.

Knowing the Colony coaches as long as he has — notably head coach Tom Berg and assistant Jon Coon — Palmer head coach Chuck Martin didn’t seem surprised that Colony put together a rally to get back into the game. Martin said it’s not something that his group of players has much experience dealing with.

“I know Tom and Jonny Coon are not going to let their team quit,” Martin said. “My concern wasn’t that (Colony was) going to make a run. My concern is, we haven’t been in that situation a lot this year, because of schedule and other things.”

Palmer also got in foul trouble in the fourth. Two starters were tagged with their fourth foul in the final quarter, and a third starter was hit with his third. But the Moose were able to hang on.

“This time of year, it’s all good. Our guys tried as hard as they can try, they stuck together, and they were in a big ball game, which you could argue this group has never been in. And they found a way to get out of here with a win with all the chips on the table,” Martin said. “The semis in regions, to me, are probably the most pressure-packed games of the year.”

With the win, Palmer not only moves into the championship game, but advances to the state tournament for the first time since 2013.

Payton Martin led the Moose with 18 points in the victory, a total that included four three-pointers. Kluting added 16 and Southwick chipped in 13.

Martin praised the work of Southwick, who saw his first time on the court since injuring an ankle late in a loss at Colony March 4.

“It’s a miracle he played. Not only played, but played well,” Martin said.

In any other game, Martin said Southwick would not have been in uniform. But with a spot in the state tournament on the line, Southwick suited up.

“He’s hurt. But he’s in good hands. He’s not doing any damage,” Martin said. “He’s such as skilled big kid, he doesn’t have to depend on his athleticism to be pretty good at this level.”

Colony senior Tyler Boyer was stellar in the loss, finishing with 32 points and six rebounds. Boyer sparked the Knights rally, scoring 17 of Colony’s 25 fourth-quarter points. Boyer hit a pair of three pointers and had seven field goals during the final eight minutes of the game. Senior Alex Nygard also hit a pair of fourth-quarter three-pointers to help the Knights jump back into the game.

A Boyer basket cut the Moose lead to 10 points with just more than 3 minutes left in the fourth. That marked the start of a 7-0 Colony run. A James basket with 1:49 left sliced Palmer’s lead to 57-54. That’s as close as Colony would get.

With the loss, Colony will not be in the NLC title game for the first time since 2011.

The Knights will play Kenai in the third-place game Saturday at 1:45 p.m. at Palmer High.

Colony girls move into title game

Balanced scoring early sparked the Knights and tough defense carried Colony into its third straight NLC title game.

Five different Knights had a field goal during the first eight minutes and Colony allowed only a pair of Palmer baskets in the first half during Colony’s 40-27 win over the Moose in the NLC semifinals at Palmer High Friday afternoon.

Chase Stephens and Alex Carlton each supplied a game-high 11 points for Colony, which will face rival Wasilla in the NLC title bout Saturday at 3:15 p.m. at Palmer High. Claire Steiner added six for CHS.

Julia Benshetler led Palmer with eight points.

Palmer will face Soldotna in the NLC third-place game Saturday at noon.

Palmer boys 64, Colony 56

Friday, Palmer High

Colony 9-11-11-25—56

Palmer 12-10-27-15—64

Colony (56) — James 3 1-4 7, Nygard 3 0-0 8, Neuner 0 2-4 2, Chamblee 0 2-5 2, Martin 1 0-0 2, Nicholson 1 1-2 3, Boyer 12 6-8 32; Totals: 20 12-23 56.

Palmer (64) — Duffy 1 1-2 3, Martin 4 6-8 18, Ferris 1 5-10 7, B. Southwick 1 0-0 3, C. Southwick 6 1-3 13, Eiman 1 0-0 2, Kluting 5 6-7 16; Totals: 19 18-28 64.

Colony girls 40, Palmer 27

Friday, Palmer High

Colony 10-10-11-9--40

Palmer 5-4-11-7—27

Colony (40) — Duguid 1 0-0 3, A. Smith 0 2-2 2, Clary 1 1-4 3, Stephens 4 3-4 11, Steiner 3 0-2 6, Carlton 5 0-2 11, E. Smith 2 0-0 4; Totals: 16 6-14 40.

Palmer (27) — Busbey 1 2-2 5, Benshetler 4 0-0 8, Goens 1 0-0 2, Bull 1 0-0 2, Alleey 0 2-2 2, King 0 2-2 2, Uschmann 2 1-2 5, Dixon 0 1-4 1; Totals: 9 8-12 27.