Redington girls enjoying recent success

WASILLA — After losing three of their of their seven varsity players, including their leading scorer, following the 2017-18 season, the Redington Huskies expected some growing pains as they entered the 2018-19 girls’ basketball season.

Redington did have those moments early in the season. Opportunities to learn. And now the Huskies are on a late-season run, enjoying their best stretch in school history. After starting the season 4-8, the Huskies are 8-2 in their last 10. As Redington head coach Tim Maki looks back on his team’s late season success, he said a narrow loss has everything to do with what the Huskies have been able to accomplish in recent weeks.

Southcentral Conference foe Homer edged Redington by two points in its second game of the season, the championship game of the Service Tip-Off in Anchorage.

“Losing a couple of close games early in the season, specifically that loss to Homer by two,” Maki said. “The kids felt like if they executed better, we would have won that game.”

That turned into a teaching moment for Maki, and his assistant coach Dawn Seymour.

“Losing that game got us to focus on the end of the game,” Maki said.

Redington also focused on basic fundamentals throughout the season, and lauded Seymour’s role in helping to add to the skill set of each of their players.

“She’s done a fantastic job,” Maki said of Seymour. “She’s kind of been our specialist, being able to each fundamental skills.”

Maki said the success is a combination of the focus on fundamentals and the attitude of his players.

“The kids’ willingness to buy into that,” Maki said. “Ball handling every day in practice, we work on different type of shooting drills. We really are focusing on the fundamentals this year.”

Junior Abbie Fuller is among the leaders on team this season. Fuller, a forward, is averaging about 14 points and nine rebounds per game. Shooting guard Marian Aparezuk has also stood out, with a pair of 27-point efforts in recent games. The Huskies also have a freshman, Lexi Seymour, leading the squad at the point.

“She’s done a great job of handling the pressure,” Maki said.

Maki said Seymour is the type of player Redington build around for the next three years of her career. Redington is also graduating only one senior, Harley Lytle.

The Huskies have had success against a handful of Southcentral Conference opponents this year. Redington has three wins against Houston, two over Seward and also beat Homer.

Redington enters the Southcentral Conference Championships as the No. 3 seed from the North Division, and will play Kenai, the second-seeded squad from the south, Thursday at 3:45 p.m. in Seward. Redington and Kenai share the top side of the bracket with Anchorage Christian and Seward.

Houston is the north’s fourth seed and meets Nikiski, the top seed from the south, Thursday at 8:15 a.m. The top two teams from the tourney receive automatic berths to the state tournament.

In the boys’ field, Houston is the No. 3 seed and will face host Seward Thursday at 9:15 p.m. Fourth-seeded Redington will face Kenai, the top seed from the south at 10 a.m.

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