On fire!

WASILLA — Look out, Alaska. The Wasilla Warriors are back in business.

The defending 4A state champions played like the Warriors of old Saturday night, running a highly-regarded Kenai Central team right out of the gym with a dominant 89-60 win at Wasilla High School.

“We knew it was a big game, so we just came out focused,” Wasilla guard Dexter Pearce said.

Pearce was unstoppable for Wasilla, scoring 30 points, including 11 in the first quarter as the Warriors raced to a 23-12 run over the Kardinals, which entered the game undefeated in Northern Lights Conference play.

“He was unconscious,” Kenai coach Jim Beeson said of Pearce’s virtuoso performance.

Pearce wasn’t the only Warrior lighting up the scoreboard Saturday night. Four Warriors scored in double figures, including Adrese LaVern (16 points), Tyler Johannes (12 points) and Tillerman Kroon (12 points). The Warriors shot a blistering 60 percent from the field in the game and made 10 of 17 three-point field goal attempts.

“If there was a way for me to get that every night, I’d do it,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said afterwards.

Pearce was hot from the get-go. The senior scored the first eight points of the game — including two threes — as the Warriors started on a 10-0 run. From then on it was all Warriors.

Wasilla ended its best half of the season with back-to-back dunks by Dexter Pearce and John Knowles, igniting the home crowd and sending the Warriors sprinting into the locker room with a 45-31 lead.

Of the few shots Wasilla did miss, the Warriors were more likely than not to grab the rebound. The Warriors out-rebounded Kenai 15-9 in the first half and grabbed seven offensive boards — including four during a single possession that ended with a Wasilla bucket. Wasilla finished the game with a 28-16 edge on the boards.

“They just came to play and we didn’t,” Beeson said.

Things didn’t change much in the second half as the Warriors continued to hit shots, grab rebounds and generally dominate the stunned Kardinals, which tried to force the action as Wasilla pulled further ahead.

“We tried to win the game with one possession,” Beeson said.

Daniel Gustkey led the Kards with 15.

Cory Toombs and Nate Byrd each scored 14 points for Kenai, which entered the game with a reputation as one of the state’s better shooting teams. Kenai shot 47 percent from the floor and hit five threes, but the Kardinals got just six points from all-conference guard Nate Saltzgiver.

Engebretsen gave his team credit for coming into Saturday’s game focused and determined not to let Kenai’s offense get rolling.

“Those guys worked their tails off knowing what we were coming up against this weekend,” he said.

Kenai’s Beeson said the Kardinals are hoping to put Saturday’s beating behind them as quickly as possible and, hopefully, give the Warriors a better game the next time around.

“They were just better than us,” Beeson said. “Hopefully we get a chance to play them again and show we’re a little bit better than we were tonight.”

The win improved Wasilla to 5-1 in the NLC and 8-10 overall, while Kenai fell to 5-1 in the conference and 14-4 overall.

While Wasilla’s big win is likely to put the rest of the Northern Lights Conference on notice that the Warriors are back (at least one NLC coach was in attendance for Saturday’s game), Engebretsen said he thinks his team can still get

better.

“We still have some room to grow and execute,” he said.

Even bigger than the final score, he said, Saturday’s win showed Wasilla’s players are beginning to have faith in each other as a team.

Shane Green added six points for Wasilla, John Knowles had five points and three blocked shots, Tim Gray added four points, and Jimmy Sliwa and Cody Pfeifer each had two. The only Wasilla player not to score was David Green, who pulled down five rebounds.

“I’m so proud of them because it was from all of ‘em, and they’re excited for each other,” he said. “That’s a huge stepping stone.”

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@frontiersman.com

Wasilla 89, Kenai 60

Saturday, Wasilla High School

Kenai 12-19-12-17—60

Wasilla 23-22-19-25—89

KENAI (60) — Ferguson 1 0-0 3, Rabung 1 0-0 3, Saltzgiver 2 2-3 6, Chimphalee 1 0-0 2, Byrd 5 4-4 14, Toombs 6 0-1 14, Beesn 0 2-4 2, Lazaro 0 1-2 1, Gustkey 6 2-3 15; Totals: 22 11-17 60.

WASILLA (89) — Gray 1 2-2 4, Kroon 5 0-1 12, Sliwa 0 2-2 2, LaVern 5 2-2 16, Pearce 12 2-2 30, Johannes 6 0-0 12, Pfeifer 1 0-0 2, Green 3 0-0 6, Knowles 2 1-1 5; Totals: 35 9-10 89.

Three-point field goals — Kenai 5 (Toombs 2, Ferguson, Rabung, Gustkey), Wasilla 10 (LaVern 4, Pearce 4, Kroon 2). Total fouls — Kenai 12, Wasilla 15. Fouled out — none.