Prep girls' basketball: Post leads Soldotna girls to win over Palmer

Jan. 28, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - During points in their loss to the visiting Soldotna Stars on Friday, it did not matter what the Palmer Moose did defensively. The shots were going to fall for Soldotna.

Soldotna shot 46 percent from the floor, nearly twice that of the Moose, as the Stars earned a key 50-47 Northern Lights Conference win at Palmer High School.

Soldotna junior forward Paige Blackburn scored 17 of her game-high 24 points in the second half to lead the Stars to their first conference win of the season.

&#8220She was huge,” Palmer head coach Paul Reid said. &#8220She had probably her best game of the season tonight.”

Blackburn scored 11 of her team's 15 points in the third quarter, as Soldotna turned a two-point halftime deficit into an eight-point third-quarter lead.

&#8220We tried to mix up some things in the third quarter, tried to disrupt what she was doing,” Reid said. &#8220But everything she shot around the basket, she managed to finish.”

On paper, the match up between the 5-foot-11 Blackburn and Palmer's 6-foot post, Stephanie Houser, looked to be the match-up of the night. But midway between the second period, a collision of the two posts left Houser hobbling.

In a scrum underneath the Palmer net, Blackburn hit Houser hard from behind, and sent the Moose senior forward to the floor.

&#8220It was a hard foul,” Reid said. &#8220(Stephanie) sprained her ankle pretty bad.”

Palmer rallied after the play. Mikaela Bolling, in place of Houser, hit a free throw to tie the game at 24-24. On the following possession, Nicole Kenney hit a jumper to give Palmer its first lead of the game.

The work of Geneva Ratcliff inside helped Palmer build an maintain a lead for the final four minutes of the first half. Ratcliff led the Moose with 15 points and 11 rebounds. She scored eight in the second quarter.

&#8220Geneva had her breakout game,” Reid said. &#8220She hasn't had any big games like she had for us last year. Sometimes she can be that player that kind of surprises teams.”

Palmer was able to grab that lead before halftime, but ultimately Blackburn and a 15-5 Soldotna run in the third quarter proved to be the difference in the contest.

&#8220First and third quarters are pretty pivotal in games that are close,” Reid said. &#8220The won the first and third, and that was the difference in the game.”

Soldotna held Palmer to just a bucket in the third until the final seconds when Bolling hit a long off-balanced three-pointer.

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