Warriors sweep basketball jamboree

Wasilla High School hosted the Valley Jamboree during the weekend with eight teams, including Wasilla, Palmer, Colony and Houston, participating in both a boys and girls basketball preseason tournament to provide a preview of the upcoming season.

Both Wasilla boys and girls won their respective tournaments, with the girls defeating Chugiak in the championship game and the boys rolling over Dimond.

The tournament was a bracketed format of six-minute games with the girls' tournament played Friday and the boys' tournament Saturday.

There was plenty of hustle and good play in the tournament, as many teams looked ready for the start of the season.

Coaches were out to win, but did not view the tournament as a true indication of each team.

"Win or lose, its hard to gauge a team from a six-minute game," said Wasilla boys' coach Chuck Martin. "This is more of a community event and a fun night for the kids to get together and play some basketball."

Wasilla's dominating height shut down any inside opportunities for opponents throughout the tournament, forcing teams to shoot from the outside.

Palmer beat Colony in the boys' third-place game. Both teams lack the height of Wasilla but move the ball well to find shooting opportunities.

"This tournament was a great opportunity to see our weak areas and work on them before the real games start," said Palmer boys' coach Brandon Blake.

The Wasilla girls' squad also held a height advantage over the teams it played, allowing opponents few second shots while keeping shooters outside.

The Colony girls' team beat Valdez in the third place game after a semifinal loss to Wasilla. The Colony girls move the ball well and work hard inside to get rebounds.

"I view this tournament as an opportunity to get some of the early season jitters out of the way and get prepared for the season," said Colony girls' coach Don Witzel. "We're not quite there yet, but we've got a good bunch of kids that will be ready."

Houston girls' coach Jeff Tyson viewed the tournament with much the same sentiment, but with additional opportunities for his 3A team.

"It gives us a chance to see different teams and get an opportunity to play some 4A teams," said Tyson. "It is a good challenge for our girls."

Houston defeated Palmer 6-4 in the loser's bracket of the short-game tournament, eventually finishing in fourth place.

Most Valley teams are scheduled for more preseason tournaments this weekend before starting the regular season next week.