Prep basketball: Palmer boys beat Chugiak in overtime for Showdown title

Dec. 17, 2006

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - For the second-straight season, the Palmer Moose captured the Elks Showdown title. And for the second-straight season, the Moose needed an overtime win to get it.

Guard T.J. Fullmer scored four of his game-high 28 minutes in the final moments of overtime, to secure Palmer's 64-60 win over Chugiak in the final game of the 2006 Showdown at Palmer High School on Saturday.

Following Palmer's 64-49 win over Hutchinson High School on Friday, Palmer head coach Greg Fullmer said there is still a lot to learn about his Moose squad that returned just one starter. He said Palmer's play against Chugiak will be a good indication of where his team is at.

After the performance against the Mustangs, things are looking pretty good.

By jeremiah bartz

Frontiersman

PALMER - Palmer earned the opportunity to play for the 2006 Showdown title with a 64-49 win over Hutchinson, a strong 3A program from Fairbanks, on Friday.

The Hawks stayed with the 4A Moose early, but Palmer used an 11-0 run in the second quarter to create a gap between the two teams.

Key for the Moose was defense and rebounding, Palmer senior Nate Svedin said.

&#8220Our defense will help us a lot this year,” he said.

Svedin and Quintin Fiscus led the charge in the paint both offensively and defensively. The seniors helped the Moose out-rebound the Hawks 44-23, and each scored 18 points in the game.

Svedin scored Palmer's first six points of the contest, and Fiscus scored 13 of his 18 points in the first half.

Palmer won despite a 30-point effort from Hutchinson sophomore Cole Daniel.

Palmer head coach Greg Fullmer said the hard part about playing programs such as Hutchinson is, &#8220you don't really know anything about them.”

Palmer did know Hutchinson has an athletic point guard in senior Felix Wilson, but was surprised by the play of Daniel.

&#8220I thought our kids did a really nice job on some of their guys,” Fullmer said.

Fullmer noted the work of guards Matt Hillemeier and Scott Cottrell against Wilson, holding him to just five points.

But Daniel did some damage. He scored nine of his team's 13 points in the second quarter and all 11 of Hutchinson's points in the third.

&#8220The thing we did wrong is we played behind him too much,” Fullmer said.

Finally, Fullmer said, the Moose had to go to more of a zone in the third quarter and pit two big guys against Daniel.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.