Reserves help WHS boys beat Colony; Wasilla girls score big win

WASILLA — Caden Dudley, Harris Fife, Armondo Dobbs and Levi Houck combined for one point in the second quarter. But with four Wasilla starters in foul trouble, the Warriors reserves came through with key minutes during the second frame to help Wasilla get past rival Colony 60-44 Tuesday night at Wasilla High School.

“They were huge,” Engebretsen said of the reserves. “We were in serious foul trouble. Four starters on the bench with two fouls.”

The group also weathered a Colony run midway through the quarter, and rebounded to help Wasilla take a 31-27 halftime lead.

‘They took a little hit. We were down by four or five, but with that same group, we ended up going up by five at the half,” Engebretsen said.

Sparked by guards Isaiah Nuener and Sullivan Menard, the Knights led by as many as six midway through the qurter. Nuener went to the basket to tie the score at 15. Menard followed with a pair of three-pointers to push Colony’s lead to 21-15.

But with the help of the reserves, Wasilla jumped back on top. The lone Wasilla starter who didn’t find himself in foul trouble in the second quarter, Aeron Milliron, scored nine of his 12 points in the quarter. The junior had a pair of baskets and was 3 of 5 from the free-throw line. Senior Kobe Brown also came through with a big three-pointer, and the go-ahead basket that gave the Warriors the 25-23 lead.

“So many guys bring so many different things to the table,” Engebretsen said.

In the third quarter, with all five of his starters back on the floor, Wasilla used a 14-5 run to take a double-digit lead. Brown scored 11 of his game-high 20 in the second half. Reilly Devine added all 10 of his points during the final two quarters.

Isaac Houck helped spark Wasilla early, scoring half of his team’s 14 first-quarter points. The senior completed a three-point play at the buzzer, an effort that gave Wasilla a 14-12 lead after the first.

Wasilla improved to 6-0 in Northern Lights Conference play with the win.

“This is good for us. We in the middle of the run as far as the conference regular season schedule goes. We’ve got to keep plugging away,” Engebretsen said.

Menard led Colony with 17 points in the loss. Nuener added 13 points and was 11 of 18 from the free throw line. Colony is now 3-1 in the NLC.

Wasilla girls stop Knights

Scoring the lopsided victory has been the storyline for the Colony Knights early in the 2017 Northern Lights Conference season.

Colony opened with a 23-point win over Palmer, posted a 41-point victory over Kenai Central and followed with a 23-point win over the Soldotna Stars. But then came the Wasilla Warriors, and a bit of a change in the script.

Tuesday it was the defending state champions who were on the winning end of a lopsided margin.

Wasilla forced 27 turnovers and held Colony to 9 of 43 shooting en route to a 55-26 victory over the Knights at Wasilla High School.

Wasilla, which improved to 6-0 in the NLC, started the game on a 7-0 run and held Colony scoreless until Alex Carlton went to the basket with 29 seconds left in the first quarter. Colony managed only seven first-half points, with all of the scoring coming from Carlton. The Colony guard led the Knights with 14 points in the loss.

Catherine Baham helped to spark the Warriors, hitting a three-pointer during Wasilla’s early 7-0 run. Wasilla extended its lead in the second quarter with a 15-7 run, and added 30 second-half points.

Olivia Davies led Wasilla with a game-high 20 points. McKenna Dinkel grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds. Baham added 11 points. Davies, Dinkel and Baham finished with three steals each.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Wasilla boys 60, Colony 44

Tuesday, Wasilla High School

Colony 12-15-5-13—44

Wasilla 14-17-13-16—60

Colony (44) — Kizer 1 2-2 4, Nuener 1 11-18 13, Menard 5 5-5 17, Spencer 0 1-2 1, Martin 1 1-2 3, C. Pead 0 2-2 2, Oathout 1 2-4 4, No. 14 0 1-2 1; Totals: 9 25-37 44.

Wasilla (60) — Brown 6 5-5 20, Headdings 1 2-4 4, Devine 4 2-3 10, Fife 0 2-4 2, I. Houck 4 1-1 9, Milliron 4 4-7 12, L. Houck 0 1-2 1; Totals: 19 15-26 60.

Wasilla girls 55, Colony 26

Tuesday, Wasilla High School

Colony 2-7-9-8—26

Wasilla 8-15-14-18—55

Colony (26) — A. Smith 0 4-4 4, Clary 1 0-0 2, Carlton 6 0-3 14, E. Smith 2 2-4 6; Totals: 9 6-11 26.

Wasilla (55) — Davies 7 4-5 20, Drorbaugh 1 0-0 2, Baham 4 2-2 11, Kelly 0 2-2 2, Brandenburg 2 1-2 5, Wheeler 1 0-0 2, Dinkel 4 0-0 8, Green 2 1-2 5; Totals: 21 10-13 55.

3-point field goals: Colony 2 (Carlton 2), Wasilla 3 (Davies 2); Total fouls: Colony 12, Wasilla 11.