Roundball Classic: Late push sends Enumclaw past the Wasilla boys

WASILLA — The Enumclaw Hornets spent their first two days in Alaska beating up opponents from the 49th state.

The top-ranked team in Washington’s 3A class scored a 22-point win over the Chugiak Mustangs on Monday and followed with a 19-point victory over Juneau-Douglas Tuesday afternoon.

As the Wasilla Warriors prepared for their Wednesday meeting with Enumclaw, Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen thought if the Warriors could hold the Hornets to 44 points or less, good things might happen.

Wasilla fell just shy of that goal and just short of the upset as Enumclaw used a 17-6 run in the fourth quarter to score a 46-33 win over the Warriors during the final day of the inaugural Doc Larson’s Roundball Classic at Wasilla High School.

“We were 13 seconds from holding them to our defensive goal, which is 44 points a game,” Engebretsen said. “We knew we’d have a fighting chance to be in the game if we held them to that. They just made a few more plays than us, and we fell a bit short.”

After junior center John Knowles powered to the basket and tied the score at 29 during the first minute of the fourth quarter, Enumclaw held Wasilla to just a David Green free throw for much of the final seven minutes of regulation.

“They’re as good of a team as we’ll see in the half-court defensively,” Engebretsen said.

Sophomore Braydon Kuiper hit a three-pointer in the final seconds of the fourth to give Wasilla six points for the quarter, but the sturdy Hornet defensive held Wasilla to the Knowles lay-in and Green free throw for much of the period.

On the offensive end, Enumclaw did just enough to keep distance from the Warriors.

The Hornets nailed seven free throws down the stretch, and Terren Hauck scored all four of his points in the fourth quarter to help Enumclaw beat Wasilla, finish 3-0 in the tourney and win the championship of the inaugural Roundball Classic.

Tarren Van Trajen, who averaged 15 points per game in the tourney, led the Hornets with a game-high 17. Coleman Clyde added 11 for Enumclaw.

Sophomore Connor Devine led the Warriors with eight points and Kuiper added seven.

Despite the loss, Engebretsen was pleased with the effort of his team.

“We were much more patient today. We made better decisions today,” Engebretsen said. “They answered every challenge I gave them defensively.”

The had special meeting for Engebretsen and his family. At the helm of the Hornets is Engebretsen’s older brother Phil, a former head coach at Colony High School.

“I had a blast coaching against my brother, watching two good teams go to war,” Ryan Engebretsen said. “I’m really thankful they came up. If I wasn’t going to win, he’s the only other guy I’d have win it.”

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

Enumclaw (Wash.) 46, Wasilla 33

Doc Larson’s Roundball Classic

Wednesday, Wasilla High School

Enumclaw 5-14-10-17—46

Wasilla 12-6-9-6—33

Enumclaw (46) — Lewis 2 1-2 5, Waters 4 2-2 11, Myers 2 3-6 7, Carel 2 0-0 4, Van Trojen 5 6-6 17, Hitch 1 0-0 2; Totals: 16 12-16 46.

Wasilla (33) — Schierman 2 0-0 4, Kuiper 3 0-0 7, Pfeifer 3 0-0 6, Devine 4 0-0 8, Ford 1 0-0 3, Knowles 1 0-0 2, Green 1 1-2 3; Totals: 15 1-2 33.

3-point field goals: Enumclaw 2 (Clyde, Van Trojen 1), Wasilla 2 (Kuiper, Ford 1); Total fouls: Enumclaw 11, Wasilla 14; Fouled out: None.