Warriors slam Kardinals

KODIAK — Wasilla boys basketball coach Ryan Engebretsen was pleased with his team’s 60-42 victory over Kenai in the opening-round of the Northern Lights Conference tournament Thursday at Kodiak High School.

The fans were even more impressed.

The mostly Kodiak crowd witnessed the first two dunks of the season at the KHS gym.

The first came when Adrese Lavern, who finished with 12 points, picked off a Kenai pass at mid-court and raced the other way for a one-handed slam with 4:27 left in the first half.

The dunk gave the Warriors a 26-13 lead.

Junior John Knowles provided the second dunk when he gathered in an offensive rebound and went back up strong for a one-handed slam midway through the third.

That slam put Wasilla (18-8 overall) up 42-28.

The rim-rockers not only energize the crowd, but also the team.

“It always fires them up and always gets them excited for each other,” Engebretsen said.

The game, however, was not all about dunks. Wasilla’s defense stepped up big to push the Warriors into today’s first semifinal game at 4:45 p.m., against Valley-rival Colony.

“Defensively, we played together,” Engebretsen said. “We gave up a couple easy baskets, but team wise, they really played together and stuck together defensively.”

In a first quarter that saw Wasilla power out to a 16-6 lead, the defense held Kenai to just 2-of-13 shooting from the field. Kenai shot 33 percent (15 for 45) in the game.

The defensive effort carried into the second as Wasilla closed out the half with a 34-17 lead. The Warriors connected on three of its six three-pointers during the second, while Tim Orr tallied eight of his 12 points during the frame.

Kenai closed the margin to 34-22 to begin the third off a trey and a mid-range jumper from Zach Rabung.

The two teams traded baskets, until Wasilla went on an 11-4 run to pull ahead 58-37 with just minutes remaining in the game.

Wasilla 60, Kenai 42

NLC first round

Thursday, Kodiak High School

Kenai 6-11-16-9—42

Wasilla 16-18-12-13—60

Kenai (42) — Lowe 8, Rabung 11, Hull 1, Kiefer 3, Spalding 6, Lazaro 6, Hayes 4; Totals: 15 8-14 41.

Wasilla (60) — Mock 6, Kuiper 5, Lavern 12, Orr 12, Pfeifer 9, Ford 2, Knowles 7, Green 2; Totals: 22 22-55 60.