Prep boys basketball: First-half run propels Colony

SOLDOTNA — It was a classic blooper moment, but it was illustrative nonetheless.

With 6:09 to play in the second quarter in a Northern Lights Conference contest at Soldotna on Friday, Colony’s John Palmer hit a pair of foul shots to give the Knights a 24-9 advantage.

After the second shot bottomed out, the ball bounced under the basket a few seconds while Stars players decided who was going to pass in the ball. Colony’s Josh Moseley then grabbed the ball and went under the basket to pass it in.

After a brief gaze of disbelief, officials quickly realized the mistake and rectified it. At the same time, a point had been made about the style of play Colony coach Jeff Bowker drills into his players’ heads: We need extra possessions, and we’ll do almost anything to get them.

Bowker’s ethos paid off as the Knights rolled to a 60-43 victory to improve to 7-0 in the league and 15-4 overall. Colony is currently the top team in the WPI, the formula the Alaska School Activities Association uses for seeding teams at state. The Stars dropped to 4-3 in the league and are 12th in the WPI.

The Colony boys immediately took control of the game with a 14-4 run out of the gate, capped by a layup from Antone Zagars with 3:00 left in the first period.

“We played with a lot of intensity early,” Bowker said. “The guys created extra possessions and that’s key for us. I don’t care how we get them — offensive rebounds, steals, tips, deflections, tie-ups.”

The Knights displayed a rabid desire for the basketball that Soldotna coach Chris Hanson said his squad did not match.

“You have to match their intensity, and we absolutely did not do that,” Hanson said. “You have to have five guys on the floor that won’t back down and that will take it right to them. We did that at certain times, but not enough.”

KNIGHTS 60, STARS 43

Friday, Soldotna High School

COLONY (60) — Zagars 2 1-3 5, Huggins 0 5-6 5, Murphy 5 2-3 12, Palmer 1 6-8 8, Scott 2 0-0 4, Niver 4 0-0 9, Gray 2 5-8 10, Moseley 0 1-2 1, Stearman 2 2-2 6, Summers 0 0-0 0. Totals — 18 22-32 60.

SOLDOTNA (43) — Carver 1 0-0 3, Story 0 2-2 2, Br. Blossom 0 0-0 0, Grubb 0 4-6 4, Bauder 0 1-1 1, G. Blossom 0 0-0 0, Geller 4 2-3 10, Barkman 1 1-2 3, Kohler 3 2-2 9, Griglione 0 0-0 0, Jansen 0 1-2 1, Andrus 2 0-0 4, Bo. Blossom 1 0-0 2, Shelton 2 0-0 4. Totals — 14 13-18 43.

Three-point goals — Colony 2 (Niver 1, Gray 1); Soldotna 2 (Carver 1, Kohler 1). Team fouls — Colony 21, Soldotna 30. Fouled out — Kohler, Griglione, Andrus.

Early run sparks Knights

KENAI — The Colony boys basketball team ran away from host Kenai Central on Saturday in a matchup of division leaders in the NLC. Colony, the leader of the Northern Division with an 8-0 record in the league, notched a 57-31 victory over Kenai Central.

The Knights jumped on the Kardinals, taking a 20-6 lead after the first quarter. Jaron Murphy was the quickest out of the gate, scoring all 10 of his points in the first quarter.Grant Niver had 16 points while John Palmer pitched in 11.

KNIGHTS 57, KARDINALS 31

Saturday, Kenai Central High School

COLONY (57) — Zagars 2 0-0 4, Huggins 0 0-0 0, J. Murphy 5 0-0 10, Larson 0 2-2 2, Palmer 5 0-0 11, Scott 2 1-2 5, Niver 7 2-3 16, Gray 2 1-2 3, C. Murphy 0 0-0 0, Moseley 3 0-0 6, Stearman 0 0-0 0. Totals — 26 6-9 57.

KENAI CENTRAL (31) — Ferguson 1 0-0 2, Rabung 0 0-0 0, Saltzgiver 2 2-2 7, Kiefer 0 0-0 0, Chimphalee 1 0-0 2, Byrd 4 0-0 8, Toombs 1 0-0 2, Libert 1 0-0 3, Beeson 0 0-0 0, Lazaro 1 0-0 2, Gustkey 2 0-0 5, Bisset 0 0-0 0, Duke 0 0-0 0. Totals — 12 2-2 31.

Three-point goals — Colony 1 (Palmer 1); Kenai Central 3 (Saltzgiver 1, Libert 1, Gustkey 1). Team fouls — Colony 10, Kenai 13. Fouled out — none.

Kardinals edge Moose

KENAI — The Kardinals came back from a 29-25 halftime deficit to claim a Northern Lights Conference victory over visiting Palmer. T.J. Fullmer poured in 17 points while Jake Hillis added 11.

KARDINALS 60, MOOSE 53

Friday, Kenai Central

PALMER (53) — Draughon 1 3-6 5, Gatto 0 0-0 0, Fullmer 7 0-0 17, VanHoomissen 0 0-0 0, Hillis 5 0-0 11, Swetzof 3 1-2 8, Bergeron 0 0-0 0, Odom 1 2-2 4, Jacobsen 2 4-4 8. Totals — 19 10-14 53.

KENAI CENTRAL (60) — Ferguson 0 0-0 0, Rabung 0 0-0 0, Saltzgiver 2 0-0 4, Chimphalee 1 0-0 2, Byrd 5 5-7 15, Toombs 4 5-9 14, Beeson 7 1-2 15, Lazaro 2 0-0 4, Gustkey 2 1-2 6. Totals — 23 12-20 60.

3-point goals — Palmer 5 (Fullmer 3, Hillis 1, Swetzof 1); Kenai 2 (Toombs 1, Gustkey 1). Team fouls — Palmer 17, Kenai 17. Fouled out — Fullmer.