Retiring teacher, coach urges Colony grads to ‘find their 68’
By Jeremiah Bartz Frontiersman.com A football coach using a hockey reference as the centerpiece for his keynote address may
1 min read
Feb. 25, 2007
By MATT TUNSETH/ Frontiersman
HOUSTON - Houston's boys basketball team is starting to find itself.
The Hawks capped a successful week of play with a 59-38 win over Susitna Valley Thursday that coach David Porter said shows his team is finally starting to figure itself out.
“They're starting to bloom,” Porter said following the Hawks' second impressive Southcentral Conference win of the week.
The Hawks also beat defending 3A state champion Heritage Christian Tuesday in Anchorage. With the two wins, the Hawks now sit in a tie with Anchorage Christian for third place in the conference.
On Thursday, Houston used a steady diet of short-range jump shots and layups to wear down the smaller Rams. That's in keeping with the style of play Porter would like to see the Hawks employ - something his squad struggled with early in the year.
“I told the kids we're going to have to get out of the habit of throwing up threes,” Porter said.
Aaron Conn did the most damage inside against Su Valley, racking up 16 points and seven rebounds, while Donovan Parker scored 17 points on a variety of short jumpers and drives to the basket.
Early on Thursday, it looked as if the Hawks were going to revert to their old ways, playing an up-tempo style that allowed the Rams to take a 16-15 lead through the opening quarter.
But Houston's man-to-man press and tenacious half-court defense eventually began to pay dividends as the game wore on, leading to 33 Su Valley turnovers.
“Our turnovers have been the story all season,” Su Valley coach Mike Matthews said.
Houston outscored Su Valley 30-14 in the second half to pull away down the stretch.
“I felt like we did what we needed to do in the first half, then in the second half for whatever reason we fell behind, and the kids started to get discouraged,” Matthews said.
Colin Olner and Travis Clark each scored 12 points to lead Su Valley, which shot just 27 percent in the second half.
The Hawks wore out Su Valley with high-percentage shots that resulted from patience on the offensive end.
“We're a family,” Parker said. “If we don't play together, we aren't going to win.”
Contact Matt Tunseth at
352-2265 or matt.tunseth@
frontiersman.com
Read next
Going home sore and soggy
By Kyle Wilkinson Kyle in the outside Our spring bear hunt was bittersweet this year. We’re heading home without
Valley athletes earn region track and field titles
Frontiersman.com Valley athletes earned titles during the Region III Championships track and field meet last week at Colony High
Athletes of the week
Leila Petersen Palmer Moose Leila Petersen, a member of the Palmer track and field team, has been named a Frontiersman
The end of an era
By Jeremiah Bartz J’s World August would have been the start of my 25th year as an editor at