Valley squads win Region III titles

WASILLA -- It was the rule of threes.

Three different players hit three-pointers during a key third-quarter run, to help the Warriors notch their third straight Region III title and third win over the Colony Knights this season.

Chandice Cronk, Jamie Brown and Laurel Creel each hit three-pointers during a 9-2 run to start the third quarter in the Warriors' 44-37 win over the Knights in the girls' Region III championship game Saturday.

"Everyone stepped up and took good shots," Cronk said.

After leading the Knights by just two points at halftime, Cronk opened with a three-pointer from the corner to give Wasilla a five-point lead. Brown and Creel connected on treys in the following minutes to stretch the Warrior advantage to 29-20.

Wasilla used a group of small, four- and five-point runs in the second half to create a cushion between the Knights. Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax said that was crucial to the victory.

"It made the difference," she said.

Colony utilized its swift guards to try to aggravate the Warrior shooters throughout the game. Knight senior Teresa Hill stayed glued to Cronk, the top scorer in the region, for most of the contest. Colony also used Kristina Klapperich, another skilled guard, to defend Cronk late in the game. The defensive strategy was not a surprise to the Warriors and the Wasilla game plan called to move the ball away from the focus of the defense.

"We did a lot of screening, scrambling, to get players open," Wasilla senior Abby Bulawa said.

Bulawa added the Wasilla strategy not only opened opportunities for several players, but allowed the Warrior post players to draw fouls when the play moved inside.

The Warriors now have a third straight Region III title and have not lost a Region III contest since the tournament consolation finals in 2001. Wasilla has finished undefeated in the regular season for the past three seasons.

Wasilla also earned the top seed in the 4A state tournament. The brackets, released Sunday, match the Warriors with eighth-seeded Service in the first round of the tourney on Thursday.

Colony earned the sixth seed in the state event and a first-round date with third-seeded Dimond.

Dimond defeated Service to win the Region IV tourney on Saturday.

In addition to the team title, the Warriors earned several individual honors. Cronk was named player of the year and Hebert-Truax earned coach of the year honors.

Brown was named first-team all-conference, while Creel and Megan Stearman received second-team honors.

Klapperich and Siena Locke each were named to the first team for the Knights. Jessica Dault represented the Knights on the second team.