State hoops: Warrior boys head to state title game

March 23, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

ANCHORAGE - The Wasilla Warriors had played the Dimond Lynx twice this season before the state tournament.

The Lynx used a buzzer-beater to slip past Wasilla in the title game of the Dimond Prep Shootout in January, and a month later the Warriors used defense to bury the Lynx in a nonconference contest at Wasilla High School.

Friday's rubber match would send one program to the state title contest, and bounce the other into the tourney's game for third place.

Thanks to a 46-35 win over the Lynx, it's Wasilla that is moving forward.

The Warriors now face Valley rival Colony in an all-Mat-Su title bout at the Sullivan Arena Saturday at 8 p.m.

Wasilla led throughout, and after a 10-0 run in the first quarter, the Warriors never trailed by less than four.

But the Lynx kept hanging around.

The Warriors would be up by eight, and the Dimond would cut the advantage to six.

Then the Warriors would go up by nine, and Dimond would bring it to seven.

&#8220Coach said dig that dagger deep, don't let up, don't let them come back,” Wasilla senior Jesse Bean said.

Wasilla always had the cushion, but Dimond prevented the Warriors from delivering that knock-out blow. But the Warriors didn't allow a miraculous comeback either.

&#8220I wish we kept extending it. I don't feel like we totally controlled the game,” Wasilla head coach Jason Marvel said. &#8220I kept looking up at that clock, hoping that sucker would tick a little bit faster.”

Bean and Matthew Stearman each posted a game-high 11 points for the Warriors. Dexter Pearce added 10.

Wasilla shot just 38 percent from the floor, and had an uncharacteristically poor shooting night from beyond the arc going 1-for-12. But the Warrior defense held Dimond to just 31 percent shooting.

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