Warriors earn basketball sweep of East Anchorage

WASILLA — Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen expressed a fairly straightforward sentiment Friday night.

“It was certainly a great night to be a Warrior,” Engebretsen said via cellphone after the Warriors scored its biggest nonconference boys basketball victory of the season, an 87-82 victory over East Anchorage, last year’s 4A state runner-up and a team currently ranked third in the state by the Alaska Association of Basketball Coaches.

Freshman Daniel Headdings scored a career-high 33 points to help Wasilla earn the victory. Headdings was part of a Wasilla starting five that accounted for all 87 of its team’s points.

“The five core guys stepped up and made big plays when they had to, and it was a joy to watch them get after it all night long, one possession after another,” Engebretsen said.

Engebretsen also lauded the atmosphere of the Wasilla gym.

“The bench was terrific in keeping the energy going. The crowd was fantastic, from the parents to the comp programs to the super fans, as well as the Wasilla faithful,” Engebretsen said.

Headdings hit five three-pointers in the win, and shot 10 of 13 from the floor for the Warriors. The freshman was a perfect 5 of 5 from behind the arc.

Kobe Brown added 26 points for Wasilla, and Isaac Houck and Reilly Devine each finished with a dozen points and 17 rebounds. Aeron Milliron added four points, five rebounds and five assists.

After regulation ended with a 73-73 tie, Wasilla used a 14-9 run during the overtime frame to claim the win. Brown and Houck each scored five points during the extra period, and the Warriors knocked down 8 of 12 free throws in OT.

The Wasilla girls also scored a victory over East, beating the T-Birds 40-33. Wasilla, the top-ranked 4A girls team in the state, earned the win despite not having a player hit double digits in scoring. Instead, the Warriors used a well-rounded effort to score their second win over East in a week. McKenna Dinkel, one of nine Warriors with at least a bucket, led Wasilla with nine points. She was 5 of 10 from the free throw line. Catherine Baham, 4 of 4 from the line, added six.

Leya DePriest supplied a team-high 10 rebounds for the Warriors.

Wasilla boys 87, East Anchorage 82

Friday, Wasilla High School

East 17-20-13-23-9—82

Wasilla 15-18-17-23-14—87

East (72) — White 12 5-7 30, Poulsen 2 0-0 5, Vizcaino 0 2-2 2, Canete-Hall 6 0-0 12, Jones 7 2-2 17, Miller 2 0-0 5, Washburn 3 0-0 7, Toleafoa 2 0-0 4; Totals: 34 9-13 82.

Wasilla (87) — Brown 7 12-14 26, Headdings 10 8-10 33, Devine 3 4-7 10, Houck 3 6-10 12, Milliron 3 0-0 6; 26 30-41 87.

3-point field goals: East 5 (5 tied with 1), Wasilla 5 (Headdings 5).

Wasilla girls 40, East Anchorage 33

Friday, Wasilla High School

East 8-7-12-6—33

Wasilla 8-9-10-13—40

East (33) — Robinson 0 1-2 1, Kidder 4 0-0 9, Uhila 4 1-2 9, Richard 1 0-0 2, Voliva 4 4-11 12; Totals: 13 6-15 33.

Wasilla (40) — Kelly 1 0-0 2, Davies 1 1-2 3, Drorbaugh 1 1-2 4, Obermski 2 0-0 5, Baham 1 4-4 6, Anderson 2 1-2 6, Dinkel 2 5-10 9, DePriest 1 1-2 3; Totals: 12 14-23 40

3-point field goals: East 1 (Kidder 1), Wasilla 2 (Drorbaugh, Obermski 1); Total fouls: East 20, Wasilla 13.