Warriors crowned state champions

ANCHORAGE — The Wasilla Warriors motto for the 2010-11 season is “We Believe.” And Saturday, when the Warriors found themselves behind late, they continued to believe.

Wasilla trailed 27-26 with three minutes left in regulation, but capped the game with a 10-3 run to grab a 36-30 win over the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears during the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Basketball Championships title game at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage.

“We preached region championship, state championship. That’s what we were working for every day,” said Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax, who led the Warriors to their fifth state title game since 2002 and second championship since 2007. “From Day 1, the kids believed they could do it. We did it through hard times and adversity.”

After Wasilla led for much of the contest, Juneau-Douglas senior Sarah Tarver snatched a steal and went the length of the court to the basket to give the Crimson Bears the 27-26 advantage. But even suddenly down a point late to the defending state champions, the Warriors continued to believe.

“There was never a doubt in my mind,” Wasilla senior Kelsey Cottle said. “The whole game I trusted in my teammates and knew we’d get it done.”

Cottle quickly answered the Tarver bucket with two of her game-high nine points with just less than three minutes to go. After that, the Warriors would never trail again.

“We knew it would be a battle back and forth,” Cottle said.

It’s the third meeting of the year between the two Alaska powers. Wasilla beat Juneau in an early season meeting at Wasilla High. Juneau edged the Warriors during the semifinals of the Dimond Lady Lynx Shootout in February.

“(Tonight) was a hard-fought battle,” Hebert-Truax said. “We’ve played them three times, and every time it’s been a hard-fought battle.”

It’s also the third time these teams have met in a state title game. Wasilla beat the Bears in 2007 to score its second girls’ basketball state title in school history. Juneau beat Wasilla in the state final last year.

Following the Cottle bucket just after the three-minute mark, the Warriors were able to seal the game at the free-throw line. Senior Celeste Colegrove and sophomores Alexis Imoe and Alysha Devine hit free throws down the stretch to help Wasilla earn the state title, the school’s third for girls basketball.

Imoe, a first-team all-state point guard, was 5 for 8 from the line in the final quarter. She gave her team the 30-27 lead with 2:25 to go. After a pair of Tarver free throws brought the Bears back within one, Colegrove hit a free throw to give Wasilla the 31-29 lead.

On the ensuing Juneau possession, Cottle — who blocked nine shots in the game — posted arguably her biggest block of the contest as the Bears drove to the basket. Devine grabbed the rebound, was fouled and hit both free throws to make it a two-possession game.

“This is what we’ve worked for, for four years,” said Cottle, one of five seniors and a pair of four-year starters on the team. “I couldn’t ask for anything better. I wanted this for my coach and my teammates.”

Following the game, Hebert-Truax praised her seniors — Cottle, Colegrove, Hilary Apangolook, Leisl Brown and Kalli Johannes.

“This is a great way for them to go out,” Hebert-Truax said.

Three saw major minutes in the game. Brown missed the contest after separating her should during the semifinal win over Dimond. Johannes didn’t see playing time Saturday, but Hebert-Truax praised the reserve.

“Kalli’s not one that got a lot of playing time, but talk about an upbeat kid,” Hebert-Truax said of Johannes, who had a big steal late against Dimond to help Wasilla come out with that victory. “Just a phenomenal attitude. I’d love to have her on my team.”

Already without first-team All-Northern Lights Conference guard Alyssa Hutchins, who suffered a broken hand during the NLC title game two weeks ago, the loss of Brown cut into Wasilla’s depth.

“We pretty much played with six people,” Hebert-Truax said. “Six rotated through and played a lot of minutes.”

Cottle and Imoe played a full 32 minutes. Colegrove missed just one minute after picking up her third foul in the second quarter. Devine and Apangolook each played more than 21.

With the short bench, the emergence of three Wasilla sophomores — Imoe, Devine and Kyla Dinkel — proved pivotal. Devine finished with eight points, five rebounds and two steals. Dinkel had six rebounds and a key three-pointer.

“Having not been in a big tame like that, Alysha and Dinkel, they impressed me,” Cottle said. “I’m not worried about next year. They’ll be fine.”

Cottle added seven rebounds and nine blocks to her game-high nine points. Colegrove grabbed a game-best 10 rebounds in the win.

Wasilla was stellar on the defensive side throughout, holding the Bears to 12 first-half points and 23 percent shooting in the game. Juneau had just one field goal in the second quarter.

“I told the girls at halftime, keep the defense where it was at and we just had to get some shots to fall,” Hebert-Truax said. “I think a lower scoring game was probably in our favor.”

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

Wasilla 36, Juneau-Douglas 30

4A girls state championship game

Saturday, Sullivan Arena, Anchorage

Juneau-Douglas 8-4-9-9—30

Wasilla 9-5-9-13—36

Juneau (30) – Ostrom 2 0-0 4, K. Brakes 1 1-1 3, Tarver 2 2-3 6, Larson 3 3-4 9, Fenumiai 1 0-0 2, Weyhrauch 1 0-0 2, Swofford 1 2-2 4; Totals: 11 8-10 36.

Wasilla (36) – Apangolook 2 0-0 5, Imoe 0 5-8 5, Devine 3 2-2 8, Colegrove 0 6-8 6, Dinkel 1 0-0 3, Cottle 4 1-6 9; Totals: 10 14-24 36.

Three-point field goals: Juneau 0, Wasilla 2; Total fouls: Juneau 18, Wasilla 14.