Standing tall

WASILLA — At 6-foot-5, Kelsey Cottle typically stands out.

But on Tuesday, the Wasilla junior was a standout.

Cottle scored a career-high 30 points to lead the Warriors to a 51-46 double-overtime win over the Ketchikan Kings during the second day of Doc Larson’s Roundball Classic at Wasilla High School.

Cottle posted more than half of her team’s points in overtime and scored another six in the fourth quarter to help erase the thought of her scoreless night during a 40-24 loss to West Valley on Monday.

Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax said after the loss to the Wolfpack, she told Cottle what she expected out of the third-year varsity player.

“I told her, she’s 6-5, she has to demand the basketball,” Hebert-Truax said. “When the ball goes up, she’s got to get a rebound offensively and defensively. I told her if she didn’t do that, she was going to have some pine time. I guess she wanted to play.”

Apparently, Cottle responded to the pep talk.

Cottle accounted for 13 of Wasilla’s 19 field goals, hit 4-of-6 free throws and represented about 60 percent of the Warriors’ scoring.

And when the game was on the line, Hebert-Truax called for Cottle.

“When it came down to crunch time, I said, all right, we’re going inside,” Hebert-Truax. “We’re going to go inside and Ketchikan had to stop her.”

And Ketchikan couldn’t.

Twenty of Cottle’s 30 points came in the second half and the overtime periods. She scored seven of Wasilla’s 12 points during the first and second overtimes.

Hebert-Truax said she saw Cottle improve as the game went on.

“She definitely got more aggressive,” Hebert-Truax said.

And Hebert-Truax saw Cottle’s confidence grow as well.

Cottle said confidence certainly played a factor during her career night.

“Confidence is a huge thing,” Cottle said. “I had a rough first game, but things finally clicked and it worked.”

Alexis Edwardson, who hit five of the Kings’ seven three-pointers, led Ketchikan with 18 points during the loss. Crystal Blair added 15.

Freshman Alexis Imoe scored eight points for Wasilla, and hit 3-of-4 free throws during the overtimes.

Behind Cottle’s eight first-quarter points, Wasilla took the early 13-8 lead and held a 20-18 advantage at halftime. Ketchikan chewed away at Wasilla’s small advantage in the second half, thanks in part to Edwardson’s shooting.

Edwardson four three-pointers during the second half and overtime, and accounted for 12 of Ketchikan’s final 20 points.

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

Wasilla 51, Ketchikan 46 2OT

Doc Larson’s Roundball Classic

Tuesday, Wasilla High School

Ketchikan 8-10-8-13-7—46

Wasilla 13-7-5-14-12—51

Ketchikan (46) — Patton 2 0-0 5, Seirup 2 0-0 4, Edwardson 5 1-3 18, Reno 2 0-0 4, Blair 7 0-0 15; Totals 19 1-5 46.

Wasilla (51) — Apangolook 1 0-0 2, Imoe 2 4-6 8, Dinkel 0 1-2 1, Nuss 1 0-0 2, Naczi 1 0-1 3, Brown 1 0-0 2, Colegrove 0 1-2 1, Troisi 0 2-2 2, Cottle 13 4-6 30; Totals 19 12-19 51.

3-point field goals: Ketchikan 7 (Edwardson 5), Wasilla 1 (Naczi 1); Total fouls: Ketchikan 17, Wasilla 15; Fouled out: Ketchikan- Seirup.