Prep hoops: Youth producing for Colony girls

JEREMIAH BARTZ/ Frontiersman sports editor

PALMER - With 10 of the 15 players on the varsity roster of the Colony High School girls' basketball squad underclassman, longtime head coach Don Witzel knew he would need production out of that group.

Those younger players are producing. And because of that, Colony is off to a 5-2 start.

When Colony traveled to Palmer for its first game of the season earlier this month, its starting lineup included a sophomore and a freshman. That freshman, Allie Grazulis, ended up scoring a team-high 12 points in the important road win over the Moose. And Jamie Christensen, a sophomore, hit a late three-pointer to help the Knights maintain the momentum in the win.

Since, Grazulis has been the leading scorer in most of Colony's games, and Christensen has stayed a part of the starting unit. Freshman forward Kara Larson has looked un-freshmanlike coming off the bench. And sophomore Haley Hotchkiss has provided the Knights a threat from the outside.

It has been a while since Witzel, a coach who has led the Knights to seven Region III championships and 12 straight trips to the state tournament, has had this month production from this many young players. Witzel said the last player to start for him as a freshman was Kristina Klapperich, a member of Colony's class of 2004 who is currently playing college basketball at Central Washington University. Klapperich initially found herself in the starting lineup to fill in for another injured Knight, but her play kept her there. Kelly Quinn, a 2003 graduate, was the last player to make her Colony debut as a freshman in the starting lineup, Witzel said, by just earning it. Grazulis, Witzel said, has also earned it.

&#8220She's an excellent player,” Witzel said. &#8220Three of four year's down the line, she's going to be one of the better ones.”

Grazulis, Witzel said, could already be the best shooter on his team.

Christensen and Hotchkiss are both shooters with the potential of hurting opponents from the outside.

&#8220Jamie's been really consistent in practice hitting threes,” Witzel said. &#8220Hotchkiss is pretty deadly with the three.”

Larson has been putting in key minutes for the Knights in the paint.

&#8220Once she really begins to assert herself, she going to be a major contributor,” Witzel said.

The Knights have that youth, but Colony is not taking the court with a lineup completely filled with underclassmen. Colony also has set of seniors that will factor heavily into its success.

&#8220I am really happy with the leadership provided by the seniors,” Witzel said. &#8220That class has made a lot of improvements.”

The Colony senior class includes guard Kelcy Joynt, the Knights' leading scorer from a year ago, and forwards Adrienne Class and Sarah Walsh.

Witzel said the Knights' relied heavily on Joynt at the offensive end last season, but there should be a much wider range of scoring this season.

Colony (5-2 overall, 1-1 in Northern Lights Conference play) has already earned key wins over Palmer, East Anchorage and Chugiak. The Knights also swept Sitka in a two-game road series. The only losses against in-state competition for Colony came against Service, who finished third at the state tourney last year, in the final game of the East T-Bird Classic, and Wasilla, the three-time defending Northern Lights Conference champions.

Colony also played four games, finishing 3-1, at a tournament in Las Vegas during the holiday break.

Today, the Knights are traveling to the Kenai Peninsula for games against region rivals Soldotna and Kenai.