NLC tourney: Palmer-Wasilla boys, Wasilla-Colony girls set for rematches in title games

The Palmer boys must like the No. 4 seed.

The fourth-seeded Moose upset top-ranked Grace Christian 50-48 during the Northern Lights Conference Championships semifinal round Friday evening at Grace Christian School in Anchorage.

It’s the second straight year that Palmer entered the tourney as a fourth seed, and used a victory over the bracket’s No. 1 to grab an automatic berth to the 4A state tournament. The Moose capped the come-from-behind victory on a 5-0 run, and drained a pair of free throws during the final 6.7 seconds. Lukas Owen hit a free throw with 6.7 left to give the Moose the 49-48 lead, and Logan Rolston added another free throw with 4.3 seconds left.

Palmer secured a steal near midcourt with 1.2 seconds remaining to end it.

Palmer trailed for most of the game. Grace hit threes on consecutive possessions late in the first quarter to break a 9-9 tie, and used another trio of three-pointers in the second quarter to take a 28-17 lead into the break.

Palmer was able to pull within three points with a KJ Henry jumper toward the end of the third quarter. Grace extended its lead to five points twice in the fourth, but Palmer managed to keep it close.

Rolston and Nolan Garner led the Moose with 15 points each.

The Moose now move forward to face second-seeded Wasilla Saturday at 5 p.m. in the NLC boys final. It’s a rematch of the 2024 conference title game, won by the Moose.

Wasilla punched its state tournament bid with a 56-45 win over third-seeded Colony in the other semifinal.

The Warriors outscored Colony 39-27 during the final three quarters. Deegan Van Dussen scored 12 of his 14 during that span. Barak Wagle was 6 of 8 from the free throw line during the fourth. Noah Kroon led Wasilla with a game-high 18 points.

The rivals kept it close early, with Colony leading 18-17 after the first quarter. Colony hit four of its seven three-pointers during the opening frame. Mylz Mongeau, Malik Balmes, Ridge Spencer and Leyton Lockard each had one from beyond the arc in the first eight minutes.

Mongeau led Colony with 17 points.

The Knights face Grace Saturday at 1:30 p.m. in the bracket’s third-place game.

The NLC girls final will also feature an all-Valley matchup, and another rematch. Top-seeded Wasilla will meet second-seeded Colony Saturday at 6:45 p.m. at Grace.

Wasilla stormed to a 73-29 win over fifth-seeded Soldotna. Wasilla led 22-6 early, and added 20 -points in both the second and third quarters.

Savannah Kroon led all scorers with 27 points. All of her scoring came in the first three quarters, including 18 in the first half.

Mylee Anderson added 16 points, and Layla Hays chipped in a dozen.

Colony used the second and third quarters to earn a 50-41 win over third-seeded Mountain City Christian. MCC led 7-6 after the first and outscored Colony 22-16 in the fourth. But the Knights had a 28-12 run during the middle two frames, which proved to be the difference in the win.

Annelise Larson scored early in the second to give Colony an 8-7 lead. Hallie Clark followed with seven of her game-high 23 points in the second quarter for the Knights.

The Knights stayed ahead in the fourth with their work at the free throw line. Tonya Karpow was 6 for 6, Larson was 4 for 4 and Clark was 4 for 6 at the line in the final quarter for the Knights. Ally Shelley accounted for Colony’s only field goal during the fourth.

The Palmer girls kept their season alive with a 51-15 win over Kodiak in an elimination game. Presley Wright led Palmer with 10. The Moose will play either MCC or Soldotna Saturday at 3:15 p.m. in the tournament’s fourth-place game.

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