Warrior girls hold off Stars’ second-half surge

WASILLA — Maybe somebody forgot to tell Soldotna the Wasilla girls are the defending state champions. Perhaps the Stars overlooked the Warriors’ front line dominated by 6-footers. If could have been an inspired halftime pep talk.

Whatever the reason, the Stars found their rhythm in the second half, outplaying the Warriors for the final 16 minutes of a 62-52 loss Friday at Wasilla High School. Unfortunately for SoHi, the Warriors were dominating for the first two quarters.

“The were very intense, good hustlers and they kept working, working, working,” WHS head coach Jeannie Hebert-Traux said of a second half that saw the Stars outscore Wasilla 36-26. “That showed us we need to work harder now in practice. We almost had them, and the brought themselves back in the game. Offensively, we just didn’t run our stuff. They got some shots to fall and we missed, and it was a snowball effect. You have to be lucky sometimes and win the ugly ones.”

On the Stars’ bench, head coach Doug Blossom said he was proud of his team’s effort, adding that his girls may have allowed themselves to be intimidated by Wasilla’s reputation early on.

“You saw how many shots we missed in that first half,” she said. “Those were easy shots. I thought we threw the ball around instead of shooting the ball. In the second half, we relaxed and shot the ball. I think our girls came out a little tentative, but for that second half I’m proud of them. I felt a couple times near the end we had a chance to win.”

It’s tough enough to edge the Warrior girls for two quarters, let alone a full game. Wasilla started fast, running out to a quick 10-0 lead to start the game and seemed to be on the way to a blowout. But SoHi woke up to put 10 points on the scoreboard and trail by single digits 19-10 after the first. The second was a defensive battle that saw both offenses struggle to a combined 18 points, but Wasilla’s 12-6 advantage in the quarter gave them a comfortable 31-16 lead at the break.

That lead would extend to a game-high 19 points off a pair of Kyla Dinkel buckets to start the third quarter. Dinkel led all scorers with 18 points and was a solidifying force for a Wasilla squad that at times lost some focus Friday, Hebert-Traux said.

“She had a good game,” she said. “She ended up with (18) points, she going a bunch of rebounds. I think she was our most solid, our most down-to-earth calming factor. She took good shots.”

While Dinkel was the rock for Wasilla, Soldotna’s Kailee Skjold was a sparkplug for the Stars, scoring a team-high 14 — all in the second half.

“She plays with some of these (Wasilla) girls in summer league, and I thought she was trying to prove herself a little,” Blossom said about Skjold. “She relaxed that second half.”

That’s what the Stars needed to do from the start, he said.

“We need to relax and make our shots early in the game, not dig ourselves a hole. I thought their (full-court) pressure intimidated us a little for the first minute or two. We want to play Wasilla-style basketball.”

For Wasilla, Friday’s game may have been a win, but could also be a wake-up call, Hebert-Traux said.

“We pretty much have a target on our back, and that’s what we’re competing against,” she said. “It’s probably easier to get to No. 1 than to stay at No. 1.”

Wasilla 52, Kenai 29

The Warriors shook off the rust they had in the second half of Friday’s game by cruising to a 52-29 win over visiting Kenai.

Alyssa Hutchins led all scorers with 21 points for Wasilla, while Dinkel added 16.

Contact Greg Johnson at greg.johnson@frontiersman.com or 352-2269.

Wasilla 63, Soldotna 52

Friday, Wasilla High School

Soldotna 10-6-19-17—52

Wasilla 19-12-10-16—63

Soldotna (52) — Skjold 6 0-0 14, Zitchfield 5 0-0 10, Westerman 3 4-4 10, Benson 2 3-7 7, Weng 2 1-1 5, Kerkvliet 2 0-1 4, Kress 1 0-0 2; Totals: 21 8-13 52.

Wasilla (63) — Dinkel 9 0-0 18, Hutchins 7 2-4 17, Imoe 2 6-8 10, Devine 2 3-4 7, Kuso 1 2-2 4, Burke 2 0-1 4, Brumbaugh 1 1-2 3; Totals: 24 14-21 63.

Three-point field goals: Soldotna 2 (Skjold 2), Wasilla 1 (Hutchins); Total fouls: Soldotna 15, Wasilla 13.

Wasilla 52, Kenai 29

Saturday, Wasilla High School

Kenai 4-11-6-8—29

Wasilla 10-14-13-18—52

Kenai (29) — Kiefer 3 3-4 9, Wensley 4 1-3 9, Tieaskie 2 1-2 5, Beeson 2 0-0 4, Taylor 1 0-0 2; Totals: 12 5-9 29.

Wasilla (52) — Hutchins 6 6-8 21, Kinkel 8 0-1 16, Burke 2 2-2 6, Imoe 1 3-4 5, Brumbaugh 2 0-0 4; Totals: 19 11-16 52.

Three-point field goals: Wasilla 3 (Hutchins 3); Total fouls: Kenai 13, Wasilla 15.