Su Valley girls make school history, advance to 2A title game for first time

The Susitna Valley Rams will compete for a girls basketball state title for the first time in school history.

The Rams scored a spot in the final with a 55-23 win over Chevak during the semifinal round of the ASAA/First National Bank 2A Girls State Basketball Championships Friday at Palmer High School. Su Valley will face Hooper Bay in the 2A title match Saturday at 5:45 p.m. at PHS.

Su Valley’s India Roderick nearly outscored Chevak by herself with a game-high 21 points. Roderick shot 8 of 12 from the field, including 5 of 6 from beyond the arc. She also added five steals. Kenna Grenier scored 15 ans Alana Barron finished with nine. Emma Kehoe led the Rams with 10 rebounds.

Su Valley held a slim 13-12 lead after the first, but allowed only 11 total points during the final three quarters. That included a 16-2 third-quarter run.

Hooper Bay beat Glennallen 30-23 in the other quarterfinal.

The Rams used a third-quarter run to jump into the state semifinals. Su Valley outscored Unalakleet 13-3 in t third and held on for a 36-24 win during the quarterfinals Thursday at Wasilla High School.

Barron led the Rams with a game-high 14 points and six steals. Roderick added 10 points, a game-high nine rebounds and four steals. Grenier chipped in eight. Su Valley finished with 19 steals in the game.

The Su Valley boys also qualified for the state tournament, and finished 0-2 in the 2A bracket. Unalakleet beat the Rams 74-49 in consolation round action Friday. Tristan Shelby led the Rams with 21 points. Charles Goodman scored 24 and Bryson Jolley added 13.

The Rams suffered a 70-47 loss to Hooper Bay in the 2A quarterfinals Thursday night at Palmer High. Jolley led Su Valley with a double-double, 15 points and 10 rebounds. Goodman scored 10 and Shelby added nine.

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