Warriors split series with Soldotna; sweep Kenai

Warriors split with Soldotna

WASILLA — Sparked by stingy defense in the second quarter, the Wasilla boys scored a 54-50 Northern Lights Conference win over Soldotna Friday at Wasilla High.

Wasilla outscored SoHi 17-4 during the second and didn’t allow a field goal during the frame. The Stars made several trips to the free throw line during the quarter, but were only 4 for 9 from the line.

Cameron Brown scored nine of his game-high 17 points in the second quarter, and Stone Krueger added a three-pointer during the period.

Zack Garnett added 11 points for Wasilla in the game, and Krueger chipped in nine.

Wasilla snapped a four-game losing streak with the loss.

SoHi girls get by Warriors

WASILLA — The Soldotna girls shut down Wasilla in the second half to score a 51-31 win over the Warriors at Wasilla High School.

The SoHi defense held Wasilla, the three-time defending 4A state champions, on only a pair of field goals and eight total points during the second half. Soldotna held a slim 24-23 lead at halftime, but outscored WHS 12-3 in the third and 15-5 in the fourth.

Wasilla, a team that includes only three players who saw any action last year, did not have a scorer in double digits. Newcomer Shayla Johnson, a senior transfer from Nome, led Wasilla with nine points. Freshman McKenna Dinkel added seven points. Freshman Catherine Baham led Wasilla with nine rebounds and five blocks.

Makayla Wong notched a double-double for the Stars, finishing with a game-high 14 points and 12 rebounds. Katelynn Kerkvliet also scored 14 and added nine rebounds. Julie Litchfield chipped in a dozen.

The game marked the second meeting between the NLC rivals in less than a week. Last Saturday, Soldotna edged Wasilla in the final game of the Doc Larson’s Roundball Classic to win the Warriors’ holiday tournament.

Warrior girls rebound against Kards

WASILLA — Wasilla rebounded from its loss to Soldotna Friday, and scored a 49-39 win over Kenai Saturday afternoon at Wasilla High School.

Senior Shayla Johnson scored a game-high 26 points to help the Warriors improve to 1-1 in Northern Lights Conference play. Johnson was 10 of 15 from the field, including 8 for 10 on two-point attempts. Freshman McKenna Dinkel added seven points and four rebounds.

Justice English scored more than half her teams points, netting 20 points. English also added eight rebounds and seven steals. Hannah Barcus pulled down a game-high 13 rebounds for Kenai.

Wasilla boys race past Kenai

WASILLA — The Wasilla boys used a 21-5 third-quarter run to score a 60-38 win over the Kenai Kardinals at Wasilla High Saturday.

Alex Baham led three Warriors in double-digits with 16 points. Isaak Houck added 13, and Cameron Brown chipped in 10.

Trevor Shirnberg scored a game-high 20 for the Kards.

Wasilla boys 54, Soldotna 50

Friday, Wasilla High School

Soldotna 10-4-8-18—50

Wasilla 9-17-13-15—54

Soldotna (50) — Calloway 1 0-0 2, Young 2 3-5 9, Conrad 1 0-0 2, Furlong 0 1-2 1, Kruse 4 3-6 15, McElroy 8 5-9 21; Totals: 16 12-22 50.

Wasilla (54) — Brown 7 2-4 17, Carney 2 0-2 4, Krueger 2 4-9 9, Baham 5 1-3 11, Garnett 1 3-4 5, McGregor 1 4-5 6, Houck 1 0-1 2; Totals: 19 14-28 54.

3-point field goals: Soldotna 6 (Kruse 4), Wasilla 2 (Brown, Krueger 1); Total fouls: Soldotna 23, Wasilla 24.

Soldotna girls 51, Wasilla 31

Friday, Wasilla High School

Soldotna 13-11-12-15—51

Wasilla 16-7-3-5—31

Soldotna (51) — Benson 2 1-3 7, Litchfield 3 6-12 12, M. Wong 6 2-2 14, Kerkvliet 7 0-2 14, Miller 1 2-4 4; Totals: 19 11-23 51.

Wasilla (31) — LaBuda 1 0-0 2, Johnson 3 2-2 9, Baham 1 1-3 3, Toews 1 0-0 2, Hutchins 2 2-2 6, Dinkel 2 2-2 7, Edwards 0 2-6 2; Totals: 10 9-17 31.

3-point field goals: Soldotna 2 (Benson 2), Wasilla 2 (Johnson, Dinkel 1); Total fouls: Soldotna 18, Wasilla 20.

Wasilla girls 49, Kenai 39

Saturday, Wasilla High

Kenai 11-13-5-10—39

Wasilla 14-13-12-10—49

Kenai (39) — English 7 6-13 20, A. Steinbeck 0 2-2 2, C. Steinbeck 2 0-0 4, Barcus 1 7-13 9, Beck 0 1-4 1, Every 1 1-2 3; Totals: 11 17-34 39.

Wasilla (49) — LaBuda 0 1-4 1, Johnson 10 4-4 26, Pickworth 0 1-2 1, Toews 1 0-0 2, Hutchins 3 0-4 6, Dinkel 2 3-6 7, Edwards 2 2-4 6; Totals: 18 11-24 49.

3-point field goals: Kenai 0, Wasilla 2 (Johnson 2); Total fouls: Kenai 17, Wasilla 26.

Wasilla boys 60, Kenai 38

Saturday, Wasilla High

Kenai 10-13-5-10—38

Wasilla 15-8-21-16—60

Kenai (38) — Thiesen 2 1-1 6, Glushkay 0 2-4 2, Shirnberg 7 6-7 20, McKee 1 0-1 3, Jones 3 0-0 7; Totals: 13 9-13 38.

Wasilla (60) — Lee 1 1-2 4, Brown 4 0-0 10, Carney 3 0-1 6, Baham 7 0-0 16, McGregor 1 4-6 6, Houck 6 1-4 13, Burns 2 0-0 5; Totals: 24 6-15 60

3-point field goals: Kenai 3 (3 tied with 1), Wasilla 6 ( Brown, Baham 2); Total fouls: Kenai 15, Wasilla 18.