Top-ranked 3A squad slips past Wasilla boys

WASILLA — In a battle of two of the top boys basketball teams in the state at any level, the Monroe Catholic Rams edged the Wasilla Warriors 52-50 at Wasilla High School on Friday night.

Scooter Bynum supplied the game-winning basket with two seconds left in regulation to lift Monroe, the top-ranked 3A team in the state, to the win over Wasilla, the second-ranked team at the 4A level.

Monroe, a Fairbanks school, has now beaten the top two ranked 4A teams, Dimond and Wasilla. Monroe beat Dimond 47-40 in Fairbanks on Feb. 1.

Wasilla led 17-10 after the first eight minutes, and 27-17 at the half. But Monroe staged a comeback in the third tying the score at 39 in the third quarter, and 50 in the fourth.

Wasilla senior Connor Devine led all scorers with 19 points. John Micheals hit five three-pointers, and had a team-high 18.

Dane Kuiper added 13 for Wasilla.

Knights win in OT

PALMER — Colony settled for five free throws in overtime, but that’s all the Knights needed to edge Chugiak 51-48 in nonconference play Friday night.

Colony was 5 for 6 from the free throw line in overtime and held Chugiak to just a field goal during the tiebreaker. Nearly half of Colony’s points in the game came from the line. The Knights finished 24 of 29 from the stripe.

Colony was held to only five free throws in all of the second quarter, but bounced back to pour in 23 points during the third. Senior Jared Turner hit both of his three-pointers during the third quarter, and guards Tim Smith and Damien Fulp combined for nine points during the frame.

Hunter Eisenhower led the Knights with 13 points. Chugiak’s Skyler Fullmer paced all scorers with 19.

Colony 51, Chugiak 48 OT

Friday, Colony High

Chugiak 14-7-9-6-2—48

Colony 10-5-23-8-5--51

Chugiak (48) — P. Fullmer 1 0-0 2, Puterbaugh 4 2-2- 10, Harris 1 0-0 3, S. Fullmer 7 2-6 19, Spearman 4 0-2 8, Plunks 0 2-4 2, Shell 1 2-4 4; Totals: 18 8-19 48.

Colony (51) — Smith 2 5-5 9, Fulp 1 8-8 11, Turner 2 0-0 6, Umbarger 1 2-4 4, Campbell 1 12- 3, Peltier 0 1-2 1, Hightower 1 2-2 4, Eisenhower 4 5-6 13; Totals: 12 24-29 51.

Three-point field goals: Chugiak 4 (S. Fullmer 3), Colony 3 (Turner 2); Total fouls: Chugiak 22, Colony 16.

Girls’ basketball

Warriors bounce Thunder Mountain, Juneau-Douglas

JUNEAU — The top-ranked Wasilla Warriors earned weekend wins in the Capital City.

No. 1 Wasilla cruised to a 71-34 win over Thunder Mountain in Juneau on Thursday. Senior Alyssa Hutchins scored eight of Wasilla’s 19 first-quarter points and finished with 25 in the game.

Alexis Imoe returned after missing a pair of games due to injury and scored 13 points. Kyla Dinkel chipped in 10, and Alysha Devine contributed seven.

Machia Toews and Angel Garcia finished with five each.

On Friday, Wasilla battled to a 38-26 win over Juneau-Douglas.

Knights tame Mustangs

PALMER — The Colony Knights used a big second half to score a 50-33 nonconference win over Chugiak Friday at Colony High.

Freshman Faith Farris hit a pair of three-pointers in the second half and scored 10 in the game for the Knights. Sophomore Jennifer Solano scored a game-high 12 for Colony. Sophomore Jerica Nelson added seven.