Retiring teacher, coach urges Colony grads to ‘find their 68’
By Jeremiah Bartz Frontiersman.com A football coach using a hockey reference as the centerpiece for his keynote address may
2 min read
So close.
Defending 3A boys state champion Nome held on for a 68-63 double-overtime win over Houston during the ASAA/First National Bank State Basketball Championships Thursday night at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
Nome, the No. 2 seed, outscored third-seeded Houston 7-2 in the second overtime. It was a rematch of a 2022 state semifinal game.
Houston held a five-point lead at halftime, but Nome went on a 22-13 run in the third. Houston forced overtime with a 12-8 run.
Hayden Howard led Houston with 21 points. Keldin Nicoll finished with 15 points and seven rebounds. Cole Taylor scored 14, and Noah Whitted added a dozen. Deegan VanDussen led Houston with 13 rebounds.
The Hawks will face Eastern Conference rival Mount Edgecumbe Saturday at 9 a.m. in the third-place game.
One Mat-Su team will compete for a state basketball championship.
The Wasilla and Colony girls squads scored victories during the first round of ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Basketball Championships Wednesday at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.
The second-seeded Warriors and third-seeded Knights will meet for the fourth time this season Friday at 4:45 p.m. in the state semifinals.
Wasilla, the 2022 state runner-up, beat seventh-seeded Lathrop 60-33. The Warriors started the game on a 16-5 run and outscored the Malemutes 17-4 in the third.
Layla Hays led the Warriors with a monster effort and double-double. Hays scored 24 points on 11 of 17 shooting, and added 19 rebounds. She also grabbed six steals. Mylee Anderson added 15 points on 7 of 14 shooting.
Colony held on to beat sixth-seeded Juneau-Douglas 53-46. The Knights held the Crimson Bears to single digits in scoring in each of the first two quarters, but Juneau made it interesting with 20 points in the fourth.
Hallie Clark led Colony with 22 points. Skylar Tuckwood scored 30 for the Bears.
In other action, fourth-seeded Monroe Catholic beat fifth-seeded Colony 45-30 in the 4A boys semifinals.
The Rams held Colony to only four points in the first half. Blake Dinkel led Colony with 11.
The Knights will face eighth-seeded Juneau-Douglas Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the consolation semifinals.
Contact the Frontiersman at sports@frontiersman.com.
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