OT win sends PHS to state

For the Frontiersman

PALMER — The Palmer girls punched their ticket to the state basketball tournament with a thrilling 53-50 overtime win over the Soldotna Stars to take third place in the regional tournament.

The Moose got a huge game from senior Ashley Swetzof, who helped set the tone early with nine first-quarter points and three blocks. She finished with a team-high 14 points and five blocks.

“It was very physically draining, playing two games on the same day, but that’s what we had to do to get to state,” Swetzof said. “We did it last year, so why not do it again this year?”

After a disappointing loss to cross-Valley rival Wasilla on Friday, the Moose had to win two games Saturday to qualify for the state tournament. Coach Paul Reid said his team had experience on its side Saturday.

“Three of the last four years, this is the road we’ve taken to the state tournament — coming back through the bracket and having to win twice on Saturday,” Reid said. “We have a lot of experience in this situation.”

Thanks to a Kelsey Campbell three-pointer with just .6 seconds left on the first half clock, the Moose took a 28-24 halftime lead despite shooting 1-7 from the free-throw line. The Moose maintained the lead through three quarters despite the efforts of Soldotna’s Paige Blackburn, who put up seven points in the third quarter.

In the fourth quarter, however, the Stars came shooting back. They went on a 10-run to erase the Palmer lead and take a three-point advantage. Reid said the fourth quarter was eerily similar to the first matchup between Palmer and Soldotna in January.

“Right down to the time left on the clock, the plays, everything,” Reid said. “We were up in that one and they came right back and took the game over from us. It was happening exactly the same way tonight (Saturday).

“During the second timeout we took during their big run, I asked the girls if they were having fun, and they looked at me like I was nuts. I told them that this is what basketball is all about — these types of situations. Every game has peaks and valleys, and you have to learn how to capture that momentum and keep it on your side. I reminded them that we needed five girls playing together and believing in each other out on the court.”

The Moose responded in a big way. Down three with little more than a minute left, Jaimi Cox stole an errant Soldotna pass and laid it in to pull the Moose to within one, 48-47.

“Coach wanted us to remain calm, and we did,” Swetzof said.

Free-throw shooting haunted both teams in the final minute. Palmer senior Matti Cox missed the front end of a one-and-one that could have tied the game, but Soldotna’s Shelly Barker couldn’t ice the game from the line either, missing two shots with 32 seconds left.

On the final Barker free throw, Jaimi Cox grabbed the rebound and was fouled. She promptly hit the game-tying free-throw with 28 seconds left, setting up a wild and frantic finish.

Soldotna inbounded the ball and tried to get a shot off, but Swetzof came up with a huge block and maintained possession. She got the ball up the court quickly, and Geneva Ratcliff had three shots from the paint as the clock ticked down. With a lot of traffic in the lane and a mad scramble, the shots went wide and the game went to overtime.

“I told them you have a four-minute game now to decide who gets to go to state,” Reid said.

Ratcliff earned redemption in the overtime, however. She scored Palmer’s only field goal and converted two crucial free throws, scoring four of her eight points in the extra frame. Matti Cox hit a clutch free throw to ice the game and give Palmer the three-point victory and a trip to next weekend’s state tourney.

The Moose were led by Swetzof’s 14 points, but used a well-rounded approach for a second time on Saturday. Jaimi Cox, Matti Cox and Campbell all contributed nine points, while Ratcliff had eight.

In addition to Blackburn’s 20, the Stars got nine points from Karen Senette and six from April Heffner.

Palmer 53, Soldotna 50 OT

NLC third-place game

Saturday, Palmer High School

Soldotna 15 9 11 13 2—50

Palmer 15 13 11 9 5—53

SOLDOTNA (50) — Senette 4 0-0 9, Stenga 1 2-3, Dykstra 0 0-0 0, Heffner 3 0-2 6, Duffy 2 0-0 4, Barker 2 0-3 5, Blackburn 6 8-10 20. Totals 18 12-20 50.

PALMER (53) — Swetzof 6 1-4 14, J. Cox 3 3-5 9, Campbell 2 4-4 9, M. Cox 4 1-6 9, Bolling 1 0-0 2, Tzou 1 0-4 2, Ratcliff 3 2-2 8. Totals 20 11-25 53.

Three-point goals — Senette, Barker, Swetzof, Campbell. Total fouls – Soldotna 19, Palmer 16. Fouled out — none.