Prep hoops: Valley teams ready for regions

March 6, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

MAT-SU - Alaska's own version of March Madness is about to begin.

This week, 10 varsity basketball teams from five Mat-Su Valley schools will travel to the Kenai Peninsula for conference championship weekend.

The girls and boys squads from Colony, Palmer and Wasilla will compete in the Northern Lights Conference tournaments hosted by Kenai Central High School.

The girls and boys squads from Houston and Su Valley will be at Nikiksi High School for the Southcentral Conference championships.

The top three teams from each of the NLC brackets advance to the large-schools state tourney later this month.

The top two squads from the Southcentral brackets earn spots in the small-schools tourney.

Wasilla High School swept the top seeds of the NLC bracket.

Both the boys and girls enter postseason play with a perfect 10-0 mark in region play, and each is ranked second in the latest Alaska Sportswriters Prep Basketball Poll.

The Wasilla girls needed a come-from-behind victory over Colony Saturday to finish the season perfect in conference play, and extend their NLC winning streak to 86 games.

The Warriors now are eyeing their seventh-straight conference championship.

But to do that, the Warriors will have to pass through a field that includes the state's third-ranked team Soldotna (8-2 in conference play), Colony (7-3) and Palmer (5-5).

&#8220We're feeling good; we're excited,” Wasilla senior Anne Wesser said after Wasilla's 43-39 win over the Knights Saturday. &#8220I think it'll be a good tournament.”

Wasilla meets Kenai (0-10) in the first round at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday at Kenai Central High School.

Colony, the second seed from the north, meets third-seeded Skyview Thursday at 9 a.m. at KCHS.

Palmer, the third seed from the north, will face Homer at 12:30 p.m. on Thursday.

If Palmer and Wasilla both win in the first round, the two Valley programs would meet in the semifinals on Friday.

Although the Moose hoped to be on the end opposite of Wasilla on the bracket, Palmer knows the lineup is tough on both sides.

&#8220Regardless of which side of the bracket we're on, we know it's going to be a dogfight,” Palmer head coach Paul Reid said after his team's double-overtime loss to Colony last week.

For the Knights, that win ensured a spot on the bracket opposite of the seven-time defending region champion Warriors.

&#8220You position yourself for that region tournament,” Colony head coach Don Witzel said after the win over Palmer. &#8220You don't want to be on the same side as that No. 1 team. We like our chances on the opposite, away from Wasilla. Hopefully we get a chance to meet them in the finals.”

In the other first-round contest, Soldotna meets Kodiak at 4 p.m.

The Wasilla boys, winners of 15 straight, enter the NLC tournament as the hottest team in the region.

&#8220We feel really good about our team,” Wasilla senior Jeremiah Collins said after Wasilla's 61-33 win over Palmer on Friday. &#8220We've got good chemistry; everybody's clicking.”

Homer (1-9) is the first team standing between Wasilla and its second straight region title. The Warriors meet the Mariners at 10:45 a.m on Thursday at KCHS.

Colony (6-4) is the second seed from the north, and meets Skyview (2-8) at 2:15 p.m. on Thursday.

Fourth-seeded Palmer (2-8) faces the top team from the South Division, Soldotna (8-2) at 9:15 p.m. on Thursday.

It's been a rough season for the Moose, but Palmer has seen some success in the last month. Palmer scored its first two conference wins of the season during a road trip in February, and played Valley rivals Colony and Wasilla tough.

Even though it is sometimes hard to think about moral victories, Palmer head coach Greg Fullmer said he is proud of his team's effort.

&#8220Every coach says they don't believe in moral victories because they want to win,” Fullmer said. &#8220But if you don't win, you gotta believe in moral victories.”

On the small-schools circuit, the Houston boys are ranked higher than they've been in several seasons.

With a win over Anchorage Christian School on Saturday at HHS, Houston (8-4) locked up the conference's third seed, and will face Valley foe Su Valley (2-10) in the first round at 4 p.m. at Nikiksi High School.

With a win over Su Valley and a victory over the winner of the Nikiski-Heritage first-round battle, Houston can advance to the state tournament.

On the girls' side, Houston (5-5) meets Seward (2-8) in the first round at 2:20 p.m. on Thursday at Nikiksi. Su Valley (0-10) meets Grace Christian (5-5) at 5:30 p.m.

For coverage of each region hoops tournament this weekend, see www.frontiersman.com.

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