Warriors use smothering defense to shut down Palmer

PALMER — The Wasilla Warriors started slow offensively, but thanks to a defensive effort that was nothing short of smothering, it didn’t matter.

Wasilla held Palmer to only four points and just one field going in the first half of a 50-34 win over the Moose Tuesday night at Palmer High School.

“When we’re locked in defensively, when we’re that dialed in as a group, it’s pretty fun to watch,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said after the Northern Lights Conference road win.

Wasilla managed only eight first-quarter points, but after Palmer’s Ronny Marshall hit a short jumper midway through the opening frame, the Moose were held to only a pair of Joe Rankin free throws for the remainder of the first two quarters.

Wasilla’s defensive effort proved to be more important considering the slow start on offense for both teams. The game was scoreless for nearly the first three minutes of the game, and was tied at 2 for nearly two minutes. Wasilla took its stellar defensive effort into the third, not allowing Palmer to score until Lavar Marshall hit a pair of free throws with 6:24 left in the third. Ronny Marshall used another short jumper to provide Palmer’s first buck of the second half, with 4:53 left in the third.

“I told my guys, it’s one thing to talk about it when they scout us, talk about what we do defensively, but it’s another thing to get on the floor with it,” Engebretsen said.

Engebretsen said defense is what the Warriors pride themselves on, and is central to the identity they’ve worked to design.

“It’s been our M-O for years,” Engebretsen said.

The defending 4A state champions also saw new leaders continue to step up. Senior Jeffrey Kauffman scored a dozen of his game-high 14 in the first half. Kauffman scored half of Wasilla’s points during the first quarter. In the second, Kauffman knocked down a pair of threes, including a buzzer-beater that pushed Wasilla’s advantage to 26-4 at the break.

“He has hit big shots in both rivalry games,” Engebretsen said of Kauffman, who also made key plays during a win over Colony earlier this month. “Tonight (he was) ready to knock down shots that came to him.”

Kauffman is one of four first-year starters for the defending champs. Engebretsen said Kauffman and fellow senior Kody Campbell have taken advantage of every opportunity to play major roles for the Warriors.

“It’s really nice to see these guys who have been a program for so long, to see the work they’ve put in really play off,” Engebretsen said. “Two seniors that trusted the process. The didn’t let the lack of playing time as a junior, didn’t let playing (junior varsity) as a junior, didn’t let the process faze them.”

Campbell added seven in the win.

Sophomore Andrew Devine, another first-year starter, also pitched in a game-best 14 for the Warriors. Amiqaq Maclean led Palmer with nine. Dae Osiensky and Ronny Marshall finished with eight each for the Moose.

Wasilla improved to 3-1 in NLC play with the win. Palmer dropped to 0-2.

Freshman leads Warriors past Palmer

Another day, another double-double for Wasilla freshman Bella Hays.

Hays used 13 points and 16 rebounds, both game-highs, to lead the Warriors to a 45-30 girls basketball win over the Moose Tuesday night at Palmer.

Hays, who entered the game average just more than 11 points and 10 boards per game, scored half of Wasilla’s 22 points during the first two quarters. The 6-foot-3 forward also had three blocks.

Senior Cheyenne Green added a dozen points and eight rebounds in the win.

The Warriors shot 39 percent from the field in the win, but held the Moose to just 20 percent shooting. Abriana Busbey led Palmer with six points. Catherine Uschmann and Olivia Lundin added five each.

Contact Frontiersman managing editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.