Rhett Magner buzzer-beater beats Warriors

March 22, 2005

JEREMIAH BARTZ/Frontiersman Sports Editor

SOLDOTNA - Rhett Magner buried a buzzer-beating three-pointer to give the Colony Knights a 38-35 win over the Wasilla Warriors and the Northern Lights Conference title on Saturday in the championship game of the Northern Lights Conference Tournament at Soldotna High School.

With the score deadlocked at 35-35 tie and less than 30 seconds remaining in regulation, Colony swiped a Wasilla pass and quickly called a timeout to set up one last shot.

"We called something on the sideline and Wasilla played it really well," Colony head coach Jeff Bowker said.

Bowker said Colony's first option was to go to small forward Justin Schwartzbauer, but the defense of Wasilla guard Brad Hobbs completely took the option away. With Schwartzbauer covered, Colony moved the ball over to Magner and the senior guard hit the 22-footer to win the game.

"Rhett made a good decision," Bowker said. "I'm not sure how many of those he could have made."

Magner hit the shot despite being blanketed by Wasilla's Robbie Champion.

Wasilla slipped out to an early 13-11 lead after the first quarter and led just 18-16 at halftime. Luke Schafer hit three early shots for Wasilla, scoring six of his team-high 14 points in the first quarter.

"(The Warriors) were doing their high-low stuff, being deliberate about it, and playing terrific defense," Bowker said. "We tried to change the tempo, and at times had a couple of little runs. We had a hard time finishing at times. We didn't shoot the ball very well and that slows things down."

Colony used a 13-7 run in the fourth quarter to get past the Warriros. Magner and Cade Dickey combined for 11 points in the final frame.

Bowker was named coach of the year in a ceremony following the tournament. Bowker, surprised to receive the award, gave credit to his squad.

"It takes players making plays," Bowker said. "My guys worked hard all year - hats off to them."

Wasilla senior Matt Crane, who scored 11 points in the championship, was named the conference player of the year.

Colony and Wasilla each earned spots in the 4A ASAA State Tournament. The Knights enter the event as the second seed and face Ketchikan in the first round on March 31 at the Sullivan Arena. Wasilla, the six seed, meets Bartlett in the first round.

Kodiak slipped past Palmer in the consolation semifinals and advanced to the state tourney with a win over Soldotna in the third-place game.