Rematch set: Knights and Warriors will play in the 4A girls state title game for the second straight year

Their semifinal storylines were different, but they led to the same result. A pair of Valley rivals are back in the state championship game for a rematch.

The Colony Knights cruised and the Wasilla Warriors won in overtime during the ASAA/First National Bank 4A Girls State Basketball Championships semifinal round Friday in Anchorage. The wins set up a Colony-Wasilla final for the second straight season. The Knights and Warriors will play for the crown Saturday at 5:30 p.m. at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

Defending state champion Wasilla, the No. 3 seed in the 2025 bracket, got past second-seeded Mountain City Christian 59-54 in overtime.

Wasilla capped overtime with a 7-0 run sparked by Savannah Kroon, who hit a go-ahead three-pointer with 2:20 left in the tiebreaker. Kroon’s three gave the Warriors a 55-54 lead. Kroon added a free throw with 45 seconds left, and Mylee Anderson was 3 of 4 from the free throw line in the final 15 seconds to help cement the win for the Warriors.

Katie Jackson and Layla Hays also pulled down pivotal offensive rebounds for the Warriors during the final 45 seconds to keep possessions alive.

Wasilla trailed MCC by as many as five points in the fourth quarter. Mielee Merchant hit two big three-pointers in the fourth. One cut MCC’s lead to 43-41, and another gave Wasilla the 46-43 lead. The Merchant threes and a pair of Kroon baskets were part of a Wasilla 10-0 run.

Kroon scored eight of her 12 points in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Hays led Wasilla with 17 points and 20 rebounds in the win. MCC only had six more rebounds than Hays in the game, and Hays supplied her 17 points while she was double and triple-teamed for the majority of the contest.

Anderson and Merchant added nine points each.

There was not the same drama during top-seeded Colony’s 56-34 win over Juneau-Douglas earlier in the day. It was close during the opening minutes, but the Knights quickly stretched it to a 31-17 lead at the half and 43-23 advantage after three quarters.

Tonya Karpow led Colony with 19 points and seven rebounds. Hallie Clark added 16.

The Knights shot 57 percent in the first half and 47 percent from the field in the game.

Colony is 2-1 against the Warriors this season. The rivals split a pair of regular season contests, and the Knights edged Wasilla in the Northern Lights Conference title game two weeks ago.

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