Role players help Warriors roll past Dimond

For the Frontiersman

ANCHORAGE — Wasilla proved it’s more than just a one-woman show Thursday in the first round of the ASAA Alaska First National Bank class 4A girls state basketball tournament at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

Though the fifth-seeded Warriors were led by all-state senior guard Jenna Johnson’s 20 points, it was the Wasilla supporting cast that was turning heads in the Warriors’ 61-46 romp over the fourth-seeded Dimond Lynx.

“When you play Wasilla, Jenna’s going to get hers, but they had some role players really step up,” Dimond coach Jim Young said following the game.

Sophomore center Kelsey Cottle — the tallest girls’ player in the state — was a monster inside, scoring 14 points and pulling down 15 rebounds as the Warriors stormed into Friday’s semifinal round against Valley rival Colony.

“It’s not an individual sport,” Wasilla coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax said. “Jenna’s not going to win it by herself, and I think the kids are realizing it at the right time.”

It wasn’t just Cottle giving the Lynx fits Thursday. Junior guard Carlee Naczi scored 12 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the field and nailed two big three-pointers in the first half to help Wasilla run out to a 34-19 lead at the intermission.

Wasilla started out hot and never slowed down. After the teams traded early baskets, Wasilla exploded for a 9-2 run to end the first quarter with a 21-11 lead.

Cottle was a big reason for Wasilla’s dominance, using her long arms to continually nab offensive rebounds and net second-chance put-backs.

“We just clicked today,” the sophomore said.

Cottle said Thursday’s game proved that Wasilla is capable of playing the kind of solid team basketball needed to make an impact in the state tournament.

“We’ve been sharing the ball, and that’s helped us a lot,” she said. “It’s nice not to have to rely on one person.”

Junior Skyler Nuss added seven points for Wasilla, which got scoring from seven different players as all 12 Warriors in uniform saw playing time. Leisl Brown, Celeste Colegrove and Jillian Troisi each chipped-in two points for Wasilla.

The Warriors finished the half shooting 40 percent from the floor, a trend that would continue in the second half.

Wasilla also benefited from some tough defense early on, forcing Dimond to turn the ball over 14 times in the first 16 minutes of play.

“We were doing things we normally don’t do,” Young said of his team, which beat Wasilla by four earlier this season.

Wasilla pushed its lead to 41-21 in the third quarter, then fended off several brief Dimond attempts at the rally to cruise to victory.

Keihanna Engle led Dimond with 21 points in the game, but she had to work for every one of them, finishing just 6-for-21 from the floor.

Brown helped the Warriors equal their biggest lead of the game with a pair of free throws with less than four minutes to play in the game, putting Wasilla up 55-35 with 3:11 left. Dimond then went on a mini-run, cutting the lead to 57-45 with under two minutes left.

But that was as close as the Lynx would get, as Wasilla made its free throws down the stretch to ice the game.

Hebert-Truax said that the contributions from players other than Johnson was nice, but what she was most proud of Thursday was her team’s attitude. Wasilla players were laughing and smiling throughout the game, which she said bodes well as the tournament goes on.

“The biggest thing right now is to have fun,” she said. “They’re out there laughing and smiling even when they’re dog tired.”

Matt Tunseth is a freelance writer from Kenai.

WASILLA GIRLS 61, DIMOND 46

ASAA 4A quarterfinals

Thursday, Sullivan Arena

Wasilla 21 13 13 14 — 61

Dimond 11 8 15 12 — 46

Wasilla (61) – Nuss 3 1-2 7, Naczi 6 2-2 14, Brown 0 2-3 2, Johnson 6 6-11 20, Colegrove 1 0-0 2, Troisi 0 2-4 2, Cottle 7 0-1 14. Totals: 23 11-21 61.

Dimond (46) – Fairchild 2 1-2 5, Engel 6 8-10 21, Hanley 3 0-0 7, Bagsby 3 1-4 7, Anderson 3 0-2 6. Totals: 17 10-18 46.

Three-point field goals – Wasilla 4 (Naczi 2, Johnson 2), Dimond 2 (Engel, Hanley). Total fouls – Wasilla 15, Dimond 17. Fouled out – Nuss.