Sophomore class expected to be key for Moose boys, girls

PALMER — Both Palmer High School basketball programs changed head coaches during the offseason. But you can’t exactly call the current Moose mentors new.

Palmer girls head coach Lyle Busbey and boys head coach Brandon Blake are both back for their second tour of duty with their respective program. Busbey, who led the Moose girls to a 1999 state championship during a 10-year run with the program, served as head coach of the Moose from 1994-2003. Blake is back, nine years since he capped his nine-year run as head coach of the Moose.

Both coaches remained active in athletics. Busbey was an assistant at Colony High School and spent last season the C-team coach of the Palmer girls. Blake spent time as the Palmer High activities director, and was most recently an assistant coach on the Palmer girls’ varsity squad.

With their familiarity to their respective programs, both are eager to work with their young teams.

Busbey boasts a Palmer girls squad that could start as many as three sophomores on any given night. Last Thursday, Palmer made its season debut and used three sophomores in the starting lineup (Leya DePriest, Carly Venzke and Kiana Till) to score a lopsided win over Nome.

“Four of our top 8 are sophomores,” Busbey said.

DePriest, senior Kalie DePriest and junior Molly Osiensky are the only current Moose players who saw significant varsity time last year. Both DePriest sisters were starters and Osiensky averaged single-digit minutes off the bench.

All three will shoulder a major role this season. Leya DePriest, who posted 26 points and 11 rebounds against Nome, will be a go-to player for the Moose.

“She definitely has the potential to go for 25 (points) every game. She’s so much farther beyond where she was last year,” Busbey said of DePriest, a 6-foot-1 center. “The touch around the basket, and she’s a little quicker than last year.”

Kalei DePriest is the leader of the program, Busbey said, and a force on defense.

“The most significant thing is her leadership,” Busbey said of Kalei DePriest. “She’s the leader of the whole program.”

Osiesnky moved into Palmer’s starting point guard spot.

“She’s played very good defensively. She’s probably one of our better shooters,” Busbey said of Osiensky.

Busbey said seniors Taylor Ledger and Elliot Perkins are also among the upperclassmen who could help as the season continues. Ledger is new to Palmer High School. Perkins is a PHS volleyball and soccer standout who is making a return to the basketball court as a senior.

Sophomore Katie Bowman should be one of Palmer’s top players off the bench, Busbey said.

Overall, Busbey said, the faster the Moose can build chemistry, the better off Palmer will be.

“Aside from chemistry, confidence in the biggest thing,” Busbey said. “When these younger players, all these players that didn’t play varsity last year, get more confidence, we’ll be solid.”

The Palmer girls capped play in the East T-Bird Classic on Saturday and will also compete in the Mt. McKinley Bank Holiday Classic at Monroe Catholic in Fairbanks Jan. 2-4. The Moose begin Northern Lights Conference play with games against Kenai (Jan. 10), Soldotna (Jan. 11) and Wasilla (Jan. 14) during the first two weeks of January.

Much like Busbey’s team, Blake will be working with a squad that also features a bulk of talent new to the varsity game. Only seniors Adam Ramoth and James Nisbett saw significant varsity minutes for a Palmer team that captured the program’s first NLC crown in a decade. A third senior, Cody Wells, joins Ramoth and Nisbett as Blake’s three team captains. Blake said that senior trio is expected to be the heart of the Palmer team.

Ramoth, who scored 29 and 20 during his first two games of his senior season, is the team’s natural scorer.

“He can flat-out score,” Blake said. “He’s confident. He’s very good attacking off the dribble, very good at spotting up and stroking threes.”

Nisbett, Palmer’s returning starting point guard, is also expected to score more as a senior, Blake said. Blake said he expects Wells to be his defensive standout.

A key for the Moose, Blake said, is to mix that solid senior leadership, with its crop of young talent. Much like the PHS girls, the Palmer boys could start multiple sophomores on any night.

Brady Southwick, Jared Yanez and Chase Ferris are among the sophomores who are already contributing for the Moose. Blake said all three are very athletic.

Junior Adam Christiansen will also play a key role off the bench, Blake said.

“He works his tail off, a kid that does all the little things,” Blake said of Christiansen.

Overall, Blake said the Moose will have to use their athletism to push the action up and down the floor, and will need to play well on defense in order to succeed.

“Night in and night out, we’ll need to be solid as a team defensively,” Blake said. “We’ve got a long way to go, and a lot to prove. If we can focus on being great defensively, we’ll be in a lot of ball games this year.”

** Editor’s note: This is the first piece in a four-part section previewing the girls’ and boys’ basketball seasons at Palmer, Colony, Wasilla and Houston high schools. See upcoming editions of the Frontiersman for previews of the Colony, Wasilla and Houston seasons.