Palmer girls earn win over Colony

PALMER — The Palmer Moose had a lot of time to think about since an overtime loss at home to Wasilla nearly two weeks ago. That may have added to the motivation as Palmer hosted its other Valley rival, Colony, Saturday at Palmer High.

Fueled by an eight-point run to start the game, Palmer never trailed and scored a 41-35 win over the Knights.

“We needed that win,” Palmer head coach Lyle Busbey said after the victory. “Since Wasilla, we’ve had 10 days to practice. We’ve put a lot of practice time in.”

Sophomore guard Carly Venzke scored a team-high 10 points in the win. Junior guard Molly Osiensky didn’t have a point, but was the defensive leader for the Moose, who held Colony to single digits scoring in the first three quarters.

“Our guards are starting to rise to form. We’re starting to mature. Our young guards are starting to figure things out,” Busbey said.

Busbey praised his team’s play on defense. The Moose held Colony standout Faith Farris to a pair of baskets in the first half. One of the conference’s top shooting threats, Izzy Tweed, was held to just three points. Tweed drained a SportsCenter-worthy shot from about 50 feet at the buzzer in the first quarter.

“Defensively, we just controlled the game,” Busbey said. “We didn’t give them anything inside. It was a good defensive win.”

Palmer jumped out to an early 8-0 lead, sparked by a Venzke three-pointer. Considering Colony’s double-overtime loss to Soldotna on Friday, Busbey said it was important for the Moose to come out strong.

“We knew Colony was coming off a tough loss last night. We said we’ve got to control the game,” Busbey said.

In addition to Venzke’s 10 points, Kalei DePriest and Leya DePriest each added seven in the victory. Leya DePriest also pulled down a game-high 14 rebounds. Palmer improved to 2-2 in NLC play. Farris scored a game-high 20, netting 16 of her points in the second half. Farris knocked down a pair of threes and scored 11 points to help Colony cut Palmer’s advantage to single digits. Colony, which faces Wasilla on Tuesday, dropped to 0-2 in NLC play.

Palmer girls 41,

Colony 35

Saturday, Palmer High

Colony 9-5-8-13—35

Palmer 16-12-6-7—41

Colony (35) — Farris 6 5-5 20, Tweed 1 0-0 3, Stephens 1 0-0 2, Turcotte 0 1-2 1, Brumbaugh 2 1-2 5, Solano 2 0-0 4; Totals 12 7-9 35.

Palmer (41) — King 0 3-5 3, Venzke 4 1-2 10, K. DePriest 2 2-4 7, Bowman 2 2-2 8, Ledger 1 0-0 2, Perkins 1 0-0 2, Smylie 1 0-0 2, L. DePriest 2 3-7 7; Totals: 13 12-18 41.

3-point field goals: Colony 4 (Farris 3), Palmer 1 (Venzke 1); Total fouls: Colony 18; Palmer 15.