Valley products help DII hoops teams win conference titles

WASILLA — A pair of Valley products helped lead their teams to Division II hoops conference titles last weekend.

Alysha Devine, a 2013 graduate of Wasilla High School, helped UAA score a 79-70 women’s basketball victory over Western Washington in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference title game March 4 at the Marcus Pavilion in Lacy, Washington. Devine, a senior and a starter, scored four points in 20 minutes of action, and helped UAA win its third straight GNAC crown. Devine is averaging 8.6 points and 5.0 rebounds per game for the Seawolves, who are hosting the NCAA West Regionals, which starts Friday at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage. Top-seeded UAA (29-1) hosts eighth-seeded Hawaii Pacific Friday at 7:30 p.m.

Connor Looney, a 2013 graduate of Palmer High School, led Hawaii Pacific University to the men’s title in the Pac West Conference. Looney scored 19 points in an 82-73 victory over Point Loma in the finals.

Looney shot 7 of 12 from the field and 4 of 4 from the free throw line in he did. The HPU senior also added a pair of rebounds in 34 minutes of play.

Looney, recently named Pac West Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference, was also named to the Pac West All-Tournament Team. Looney and the Sharks now look forward to the Division II West Regionals, which start Friday at the RIMAC Arena at UC San Diego. The second-seeded Sharks open tourney play Friday at 1:30 p.m. AST against seventh-seeded Sonoma State.

Contact Mat-Su Valley sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.