Prep hoops: WHS girls back in the top five

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

After being snubbed by the sportswriters last week, the Wasilla Warriors girls' basketball squad is once again ranked in the latest Alaska Sportswriters Poll.

The Warriors, who earned wins over fourth-ranked West Valley and North Pole last week, are now ranked second among the state's 4A programs. Wasilla (10-4) also received two first-place votes. Prior to its loss to Wasilla, North Pole had been the second-ranked team in the state.

Wasilla has bounced up and down in the polls, in many weeks going from an unranked program to a spot in the top three. The Warriors battled through a tough stretch of games earlier this month. Wasilla played top-ranked Wasilla twice, losing in both games, just days before taking on West Valley and North Pole. But Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax has welcomed the tough opponents.

&#8220I'd rather play 19 games against Juneau or North Pole, the tough teams, rather than playing games were we're blowing teams out by 30. In those games you don't learn anything,” she said after a loss to Juneau.

Wasilla has another tough task tonight, as it hosts fifth-ranked Colony.

Tip-off is scheduled for 5:45 p.m. at WHS.

The Knights (16-5) earned six total points to hold onto the fifth spot. Colony also beat North Pole last week and dominated Lathrop. But the Knights suffered a tough loss to West Valley, who slipped ahead of Colony in the poll.

Palmer (17-3) also beat North Pole and Lathrop last week, but was left out of the top five.

The Colony boys continued its run toward a second-straight appearance in the state championship games with three more wins last week.

The Knights (14-1) are in the second spot after receiving 27 total points.

Colony has a pair of games against its Valley rivals this weekend. Tonight the Knights travel to WHS to face the Warriors at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Colony hosts Palmer at 7:15 p.m.

The Knights are the lone boys squad from the Valley to be ranked. Only one other, Houston, received points. The Hawks got two points in the 3A boys poll.

Most of the first-place teams in the rankings stayed the same.

West Anchorage earned all eight of the first-place votes, and is at the top of the 4A boys' class once again. Juneau got five of the eight first-place votes, and is ranked first in the girls' 4A class.

Defending state champion Heritage Christian edged Barrow for the top spot in the boys' 3A class. In one change, Nikiski and Barrow flopped spots in the girls' 3A class. The Bulldogs are now in first

place.