Post play elevates Knights

PALMER — The Colony Knights boast a luxury fairly rare in Alaska prep girls basketball — a pair of 6-foot sophomores. Add a 5-11 post, and the Knights have a lineup that’s certainly assured to give opponents issues throughout the 2010-11 season.

“I definitely think we have an advantage,” Colony head coach Tom Lincoln said.

With that height, Colony can put together a lineup that includes 6-0 forward Allison Leigh, 6-0 guard Mary Klapperich and a 5-11 post, senior Tess Forstner. The size of Leigh and Forstner allow the Knights to move Klapperich to small forward, and that’s where the matchup advantage can really kick in, Lincoln said.

The versatility of Klapperich, Lincoln said, can lead to issues for other teams. At 6-0, the sophomore can post up or shoot the long-range jumper.

“It makes it tough for teams,” Lincoln said.

The Knights also have senior captain Kaitlyn Klapperich leading Colony along the perimeter. Lincoln said her ability to quickly move the ball up the court, drive the lane, distribute or shoot will be a big aid to the 2010-11 edition of the Knights.

“I think she’s probably got one of the fastest take-off dribbles in the state,” Lincoln said of the senior. “People have a lot of trouble staying with her.”

Forwards Gabrielle Menard and Saige Stefanksi, and guards Pherrari Brumbaugh and Jerica Nelson are also seeing minutes.

Nelson is just a freshman.

“She’s coming right along,” Lincoln said of the ninth-grader.

The Knights also have Melissa Wood, a transfer from Homer.

“I think we’re really eight deep,” Lincoln said.

Like Palmer, Colony’s opponent tonight at CHS, the Knights are working through arguably their toughest stretch of the regular season. Colony scored a lopsided win over Eagle River last Thursday and then played defending state champion Juneau-Douglas and state runner-up Wasilla on back-to-back nights. Following the Palmer game tonight, the Knights host Northern Lights Conference rivals Soldotna and Kenai over the weekend.

The Knights finished as the NLC runner-up last season and were sixth in the 4A state tournament.

Colony (4-2) started off its season by winning its round-robin bracket during the Cactus Jam Hoop Classic in Scottsdale, Ariz. Mary Klapperich was named the tourney’s MVP and Kate Klapperich was selected to the all-tournament team.

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