Palmer boys, girls left out of state tourney by fractions of a percentage point

PALMER — Without an automatic bid to the 4A state tournament, after their third-place finishes in the Northern Lights Conference Championships, all the Palmer boys and girls could do was wait and see if they could grab one of the final spots on the state tournament bracket.

When the news broke Sunday night, and the at-large bids for the state tournament were revealed, members of both Moose basketball programs were left disappointed and frustrated. Both the Palmer boys and Palmer girls fell just short of spots in the tournament. A fraction of a point separate each Palmer team from a trip to state.

On the boys’ side, Palmer entered the NLC tournament ranked seventh in the state according to the 4A boys Winning Percentage Index, the formula the Alaska Schools Activities Association uses to rank the 3A and 4A basketball programs. But when the final WPI rankings were released on Sunday, it was revealed that East Anchorage had jumped Palmer in the standings. West Anchorage and East scored the 4A boys at-large bids and final two tickets to state. Now, Palmer is left out of the eight-team state tournament despite ranking eighth in the final standings. Juneau-Douglas, ranked 10th, is the eighth team in state, after securing an automatic bid for winning the Southeast Conference.

ASAA awards two automatic bids to the NLC and Cook Inlet Conference, and one bid to the Mid-Alaska Conference and Southeast. The at-large bids are based on WPI, which factors in both a team’s winning percentage and the winning percentage of its opponents. East finished with a WPI of 0.544, 3/100 better than Palmer’s 0.541.

The Moose were ninth in the final 4A girls WPI, one hundredth of a percentage point behind West Anchorage, which secured the final spot in state. West’s final number is .555, Palmer is at .554.

Both the Palmer boys and girls finished 2-1 during the NLC tourney.

“Feeling like you’re one of the best eight teams in the state and to not get in at all is disappointing,” Palmer boys head coach Chuck Martin said. “It’s frustrating.”

Palmer finished 19-8 overall and 2-1 in a region tournament that featured two of the top 3 teams in the state, according to the WPI. Palmer has only one player on its roster, senior Clayton Southwick, who has had the opportunity to play in a state tournament.

“We spend all year long working to get to the state tournament. The fact that this group of kids don’t have that opportunity is hard to swallow,” Martin said.

Martin said the fact that Palmer fell shot by 3/100 of a percentage point is most frustrating.

“It’s heartbreaking,” Martin said. “I really wish we could still play. I want to coach this team for another two weeks. They want to play for another two weeks.”

Martin suggested, when teams finish this close in the standings, settle it on the court.

“We’ve got two weeks,” Martin said of the time until the state tournament, which starts March 22 in Anchorage. “Why not have a play-in system?”

Martin said East and Palmer could play for the final spot in the tournament.

Palmer girls head coach Elgin Hollins said it was also difficult for those in his program to take the news that the Moose were a hundredth of a percentage point shy of a trip to the tournament. Palmer, which finished 16-10 overall and 8-3 in its last 11 games, was in the hunt for its first trip to the state tournament since 2012.

“It’s tough, given the percentages,” Hollins said.

Both coaches praised the work of their teams throughout the 2017-18 season.

“They’re just a joy to coach. They play hard,” Martin said of his boys. “This team was such a gifted team defensively. They’re tough. They worked hard. They executed.”

Hollins said he’s proud of the progress of his program, which has not produced a state tournament team in six years.

“Just the girls’ will to improve every single day, work hard every single day,” Hollins said. “These girls worked hard every single night.”

The Wasilla boys and girls, and Colony boys and girls earned the four automatic berths from the NLC. Wasilla is seeded second on the boys bracket and third on the girls. Colony is third on the boys bracket and fifth on the girls.

For more on Colony and Wasilla, see frontiersman.com/sports.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.