Palmer boys 2nd at shootout

ANCHORAGE — Heading into the championship game of the Alaska Prep Shootout at Dimond High School Saturday night, Palmer head coach Jason Marvel knew, win or lose, his team has made tremendous strides this month.

After suffering back-to-back heartbreaking losses to Valley rivals Wasilla and Colony in early January, the Moose put together a four-game winning streak. Two of those victories — wins over Juneau-Douglas and Cordova — powered Palmer into the Shootout title match.

On Saturday, Bartlett needed 44 second-half points to snap Palmer’s four-game run and score the Alaska Prep Shootout title at Dimond High.

Palmer moved into Saturday’s match with a 60-53 overtime win over 3A power Cordova. Marvel said his senior class proved pivotal in the win.

“The seniors stepped up and made some big plays,” Marvel said before his team tipped off against Bartlett on Saturday.

Seniors Sean Niekamp (15 points) and Trey Fullmer (13 points) each hit double digits in scoring. Senior point guard Christian Odom dished off six assists without a turnover, and senior Hunter Dean hit a big three-pointer down the stretch.

“Trey hit some critical shots, Hunter hit a big shot,” Marvel said.

Niekamp, Odom, and Fullmer also combined to hit six free throws during Palmer’s 14-point overtime.

Palmer trailed Cordova 24-13 at halftime, but Marvel said the Moose were able to make adjustments at the intermission.

“We weren’t hitting shots (in the first half),” Marvel said. “We talked about it halftime, get close to the basket, easy buckets, get into a rhythm.”

It worked. Palmer scored 33 points in the second half and another 14 in overtime.

“Everyone pulled together, it was really a team effort,” Marvel said.

On Saturday, Bartlett needed a big second half of its own to get past Palmer. The Moose used a 21-point second quarter to take a 29-26 lead into half, but the Bears rallied in the second half.

Bartlett managed to win the game despite a monster outing for Niekamp. Palmer’s all-conference forward scored a game-high 22 and pulled down a game-best 19 rebounds. The senior also shot 9-for-12 from the field.

Odom added 11 points for Palmer.

A trio of scorers hit double digits for Bartlett. Trenton Anthony tallied a team-high 17, Treshawn King-Dunbar added 16 and Damon Sherman-Newsome added 15 points and seven rebounds.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/matsu_sports.

Bartlett 70, Palmer 54

Alaska Prep Shootout championship

Saturday, Dimond HIgh School

Bartlett 14-12-24-20—70

Palmer 8-21-12-13—54

Bartlett (70) — Anthony 7 1-3 17, King-Dunbar 6 4-4 16, Jones 1 0-0 3, Rialo 6 0-0 13, Deng 2 0-0 4, D. Sherman-Newsome 6 2-3 15, I. Sherman-Newsome 1 0-1 2; Totals: 29 7-11 70.

Palmer (54) — Odom 5 1-2 11, Looney 2 2-2 6, Nesbett 1 1-2 3, Straight 2 0-0 4, Buresh 2 0-0 4, Montgomery 1 0-0 2, Niekamp 9 4-11 22, Fullmer 1 0-0 2; Totals: 23 8-17 54.

Three-point field goals: Bartlett 5 (Anthony 2), Palmer 0; Total fouls: Bartlett 16, Palmer 11.

Palmer 60, Cordova 53 OT

Alaska Prep Shootout semifinals

Friday, Dimond High School

Palmer 8-5-15-18-14—60

Cordova 13-11-8-14-7—53

Palmer (60) — Odom 3 2-2 8, Looney 3 0-0 6, Nesbett 1 0-0 2, Dean 1 0-0 3, Straight 2 2-4 7, Buresh 3 0-0 6, Niekamp 6 3-4 15, Fullmer 4 2-2 13; Totals: 23 9-12 60.

Cordova (53) — Brockert 7 5-6 21, Meyer 7 3-4 20, Maxwell 1 0-0 2, Nolan 2 0-0 4; Johnson 3 0-0 6; Totals: 20 8-10 53.

Three-point field goals: Palmer 5 (Fullmer 3), Cordova 5 (Meyer 3); Total fouls: Palmer 14, Cordova 14.