Prep boys basketball: Warriors rock Kodiak

WASILLA — Kodiak got rocked.

Adrese LaVern, Tyler Johannes and John Knowles all reached double figures as the Warriors completed a two-game sweep in convincing fashion with a 66-42 win over the Bears Saturday at Wasilla High School.

The win was Wasilla’s second double-digit blowout of the Bears in as many nights and helped the defending state champions improve to 12-10 overall and 8-1 in the Northern Lights Conference — a big improvement for a team that struggled for wins in the early season.

“At the beginning of the season we didn’t play a lot of team ball,” Knowles said. “Now that we’ve got going, we’re doing a lot of passing and using more teamwork.”

A powerful 6-foot-7 sophomore center, Knowles had one of his best games as a varsity player Saturday night with 11 points, eight rebounds and four blocked shots. He also had two dunks — although neither went down cleanly, prompting Knowles to note that while he’s big, he’s probably not Wasilla’s best leaper.

“I need to get a little bit higher vertical,” he joked.

LaVern led Wasilla with 17 points, while Johannes added 14 for the Warriors, which trail only Colony (8-0 NLC) in the conference’s North Division. Dexter Pearce added nine points and seven rebounds for a Wasilla attack that also got seven points from Tillerman Kroon, six points and six rebounds from Shane Green and two points from Jimmy Sliwa.

Jon Bryant had game-highs with 18 points and 11 rebounds for the Bears, which opened the game on a 6-2 run.

After that it was all Wasilla as the Warriors went on a 16-0 run to take firm control of the game. Wasilla took a 28-11 lead into halftime and cruised the rest of the way.

While Wasilla’s guard trio of LaVern, Johannes and Pearce have been relied upon heavily for scoring this season, Knowles’ play bodes well for the Warriors’ inside game. The sophomore center said coach Ryan Engebretsen has tried to work him more into the offense in recent weeks, and Saturday showed the work is beginning to pay off.

“I think I’m starting to get there,” Knowles said.

Bryant and teammate Randy Diocares did their best to drag Kodiak back into the game in the third quarter, but Wasilla’s offense was just too much for the Bears to handle. The two Kodiak players combined for all 18 Bears points in the third, but Wasilla still managed to increase its lead by pouring in 26 points in eight minutes to quash any thought of a comeback.

Wasilla’s hot shooting that began with a blowout win over Kenai Central last weekend continued Saturday, as the Warriors shot 51 percent from the floor while holding the Bears to just 35 percent. Wasilla also held a 37-25 advantage on the boards and turned the ball over four fewer times than the Bears.

The win set up a big showdown next weekend between Colony and Wasilla, slated for next Saturday at Wasilla. The two Valley rivals met in last year’s state title game, and Saturday’s match-up could determine which squad takes home regular-season bragging rights in the NLC.

Kodiak fell to 7-11 overall and 3-7 in the conference.

Contact Matt Tunseth at 352-2265 or matt.tunseth@

frontiersman.com

WASILLA 66, KODIAK 42

Saturday, Wasilla High School

Wasilla 14 14 26 12 — 66

Kodiak 6 5 18 13 — 42

WASILLA (66) — Kroon 3 1-3 7, Sliwa 1 0-0 2, LaVern 7 2-2 17, Pearce 4 0-0 9, Johannes 5 3-5 14, Green 3 0-2 6, Knowles 5 1-4 11. Totals: 28 7-16 66.

KODIAK (42) — Cratty 1 0-0 3, Bryant 8 2-8 18, R. Diocares 4 6-10 14, D. Diocares 0 2-2 2, Odell 2 0-0 4, Matautia 0 1-2 1. Totals: 15 11-22 42.

Three-points field goals — Wasilla 3 (LaVern, Pearce, Johannes), Kodiak 1 (Cratty). Total fouls — Wasilla 19, Kodiak 15. Fouled out — none.

Wasilla 62, Kodiak 39

Tyler Johannes was a perfect six-for-six from the free throw line to lead Wasilla to a 62-39 Northern Lights Conference win over Kodiak Friday night at Wasilla High School.

Johannes, a senior, finished with a team-high 14 points. Adrese LaVern added 12, Dexter Pearce had 10, Shane Green scored eight, Tillerman Kroon chipped-in six and John Knowles finished with two.

Jon Bryant led all scorers with 15 points for the

Bears.

WASILLA 62, KODIAK 39

Friday, Wasilla High School

Wasilla 14 15 18 15 — 62

Kodiak 11 9 12 7 — 39

WASILLA (62) — Gray 4 0-0 8, Kroon 3 0-0 6, LaVern 5 0-0 12, Pearce 4 0-2 10, Johannes 4 6-6 14, Mock 1 0-0 2, Green 4 0-0 8, Flowers 1 0-0 2, Knowles 0 0-2 0. Totals: 26 6-10 62.

KODIAK (39) — Cratty 3 0-0 9, Bryant 6 2-2 15, Diocares 2 0-2 5, Tanner 2 0-0 4, Odell 3 0-2 6. Totals: 16 2-6 39.

Three-point field goals — Wasilla 4 (Pearce 2, LaVern 2), Kodiak 5 (Cratty 3, Bryant, Diocares). Total fouls — Wasilla 10, Kodiak 10. Fouled out — Cratty.