Underdogs: Moose basketball squad keeps battling

March 18, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

PALMER - Not only were the Palmer Moose the underdogs of the 2007 Northern Lights Conference Basketball Tournament, they were sick as dogs.

When head coach Greg Fullmer talked about his team that erased all thought of a losing record during the regular season with a third-place finish in the conference tourney, he was still feeling the effects of a flu bug that zapped he and at least six of his players.

Fullmer has needed a regiment of antibiotics and the use of an inhaler to help him get well. And in the last week the Moose have concentrated on getting healthy, because they've got a big week coming up. The Moose are one of three NLC teams competing in the large-schools state basketball tournament.

Palmer's Cinderella - or George Mason-like - run through the region tourney could prove to be the best antidote for anything making the Moose ill.

&#8220When you win, you don't feel as tired. And when you win when you're sick, you don't feel as sick as when you lose,” Fullmer said.

And the Moose are winning, piecing together victories for basically the first time since they opened the season 3-0 and won the Palmer Elks Showdown.

Palmer suffered through a tough NLC regular season, finishing 2-8 in conference play, and did not enjoy that much more success in nonconference games. But that's strictly looking at wins and losses.

The Moose are a mere 11-15, and endured a seven-game losing streak midway through the season. But rarely were the Moose blown off the court.

Palmer's ability to work and fight through adversity could be its biggest attribute, and reason why the Moose will be playing in their first state tournament game in four years when they take on Valley rival Wasilla at Service High School on Thursday.

But if there was a statistical category for adversity, Palmer would likely lead the league.

Palmer suffered through injury and later sickness.

The day before the tourney, the Moose even had to work to find another place to stay in Kenai.

The team's hotel reservations had been worked, and PHS coaches and administrators had to scramble to find 16 rooms.

&#8220Another challenge,” Fullmer said.

The Moose opened the region tourney with a 50-44 loss to Soldotna.

Feeling sick and tired after a first-round loss on the heels of a season in which they only won two region games, the Moose could have very well just folded.

&#8220These guys didn't want to go home,” Fullmer said. &#8220They wanted to see what its like to go to state.”

The Moose followed that loss with their biggest run of the season.

On the second day of the tournament, Palmer edged Skyview 50-44 in the consolation quarterfinals.

And on the final day, Palmer scored arguably its biggest win of the season, a 67-40 victory over Kenai in the consolation semifinals, and solidified its place in the state tourney with a 40-33 win in the third-place game.

Nobody outside of the Palmer basketball circle gave the Moose a chance to score one of the three tickets to the state tourney, but Palmer relished the role of the underdog.

&#8220There wasn't any pressure on us,” Fullmer said.

If there was pressure, it was on Kenai in the consolation semifinals - the school hosting the 2007 tourney.

But with the outside shot of junior T.J. Fullmer and the Moose presence in the paint, Palmer posted a 27-point win over the Kardinals.

Palmer out-rebounded the Kardinals 37-18 in the game, and senior forward Nate Svedin and Quinton Fiscus combined for 34 points in the paint.

T.J. Fullmer hit five three-pointers in the win.

T.J. Fullmer was out of the Moose lineup for a chunk of the middle part of the season, but came back and played his best basketball of the year in the region tournament.

He averaged 16 points per game during the tournament, and hit 11 three-pointers in four games.

&#8220He did a really nice job not getting too excited and taking good shots,” the elder Fullmer said. &#8220He's our long ball guy.”

The work of Svedin, Fiscus and Fullmer showed on the scoresheets, but Greg Fullmer stressed a variety of players factored into the success.

&#8220There are really no super stars on this team. The guys really have to play together,” Fullmer said. &#8220The theme all year has been ‘band of brothers'.”

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