Warrior girls dismantle Palmer Moose

March 8, 2005

GENE JANSEN/For the Frontiersman

WASILLA - At first glance, the Wasilla Warriors girls' basketball team does not display an intimidating presence. But after they step on the court, opposing teams soon realize they need to elevate their level of play.

The Wasilla Warriors handily defeated the Palmer Moose 61-30 Friday in a Region III contest in which the Moose never really established an effective game plan. Palmer jumped to a 9-4 advantage early in the first quarter, but the lead was short-lived as the Moose were left on the tailing edge of an explosive Wasilla transition game. The Moose never led after that.

"We're a pretty short team with a lot of intensity," Wasilla coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax said. "What's special about this team is you can have a different star every night."

The Warriors' aggressive play under the basket held the Moose scoreless for more than 10 minutes in the first half, helping them to take a commanding 29-15 lead at the halftime break.

"They went on a 20-0 run," Palmer coach Paul Reid said. "We couldn't get back on track. We're a young team. It's a learning curve for us."

Palmer's Brittany Heck salvaged an otherwise scoreless second quarter by gunning a pair of three-pointers in the last two minutes of the second frame.

Unfortunately for the Moose, every positive action Palmer created, the 19-2 Warriors' team reacted two-fold and the Warriors quickly adapted the threat. They held Palmer's sharp-shooting guard to just three points in the second half.

"The main thing I tell them is to maintain their intensity," Hebert-Truax said. "I want them to play 32 minutes of intense basketball."

As the No. 2-ranked team in the state, Wasilla's focus each game is to execute the basics - box out, rebound and pitch the ball down court. Guards Jamie Brown and Hillarie Putnam did just that.

They ran the floor with precision passes up the court, connecting with Megan Stearman for eight uncontested points off the fast break in the first half.

Stearman was the game's high scorer with 14 points for the Warriors.

Brown added 11 points in the game, but contributions came from nearly everybody. Ten Warriors scored at least two points in the game.

With the Region III tournament scheduled for March 17-19, Palmer has some formidable hurdles to cross and by default, freshman Mattie Cox, Ashley Swetzof and Geneva Ratcliff will be cast into conference fire.

"They are going to be key role players in the region tournament," Reid said.

"We have a real small junior and senior class."

PALMER (30) - Ashley Miranda 0 0-0 0; Leslie Berberich 1 0-2 2; Dani Cox 0 0-0 0; Sarah Svedib 0 3-4 3; Matti Cox 0 0-2 0; Brittany Heck 3 0-0 9; Rebecca Hall 1 0-0 2; Ashley Swetzof 1 1-2 3; Cambria Houtte; Stephanie Houser; 0 0-0 0; G. Ratclif 2 3-4 7. Total - 10 7-14 30.

WASILLA (61) - Ashley Semler 3 0-0 7; Anne Wesser 2 0-2 4; Jamie Brown 5 0-0 11; Lacy Rutherford 0 0-0 0; Hillarie Putnam 3 0-0 6; Ayla Brown 2 0-0 5; Allie Johnson 0 0-0 0; Megan Stearman 7 0-2 14; Ashley Cronk 0 0-0 0; Lindsey Wesser 4 0-0 8; Shelby Fulton 1 0-0 2; Jessica Carter 0 2-2 2. Total - 28 2-6 61.

Three-point field goals - Palmer 3 (Heck); Wasilla 3 (Semler, J. Brown, A. Brown); Technical fouls - Wasilla 1, Palmer 0; Team fouls - Palmer 12, Wasilla 16.

PALMER - 09 06 05 10 - 30

WASILLA - 12 17 15 17 - 61