Wasilla boys come through in the clutch

WASILLA — Corey Mock was on the court to help Wasilla get the big stop. As it turned out, Mock also provided the Warriors with the big shot.

The junior guard hit the go-ahead jump shot from the free-throw line during the final seconds of regulation to give to give the Warriors the 55-53 win over Colony at Wasilla High School on Tuesday.

“We needed him on the floor for defense,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said after the win.

Engebretsen said the Warriors could have made a substitution, and his assistants debated who should have the opportunity to attempt the final shot. But Engebretsen went with his gut instinct and left the five players he had on the floor in the game.

“In that last situation, some coaches will call a timeout,” Engebretsen said. “But sometimes you just have to let kids make plays.”

Mock’s game-winner came moments after Colony captain John Palmer drove to the basket and tied the game at 53-53 with 27 seconds left. Mock hit the go-ahead shot on the ensuing position, but left just enough time for the Knights to have one more shot of their own.

Following the Mock shot, the Knights brought the ball down and Palmer put up a three-point attempt. The shot deflected off the side of the rim, but Colony senior Hayden Summers was there for the rebound. Summers managed to get the put-back, but not before time expired. Referees on the court waved off Summers’ final shot.

Neither team led by more than six points in the game. After trailing for most of the first half, Palmer hit a three-pointer to give the Knights the 29-27 lead with 5:37 left in the third quarter. Palmer hit a buzzer-beating trey at the end of the third.

Palmer scored 12 of his game-high 27 points in the third quarter to help the Knights take the 39-36 lead into the fourth quarter.

“They’re just so solid of a team and they just keep coming at you,” Engebretsen said of the Knights. “They just played well. They’re relentless, but my team battled through.”

Colony pushed its lead to six points with a pair of Jared Turner free throws early in the fourth, but Wasilla sophomore Braydon Kuiper scored seven of his 11 points to help the Warriors retake the lead. Junior Joel Quenga also scored nine second-half points, hitting a trio of pivotal three-pointers during the final 16 minutes.

“Joel just found himself in a couple of opportunities, and he was feeling it tonight,” Engebretsen said. “There’s three or four of them that know, if that catch and shoot regardless of the situation, if you’re feet are set, (they) know I have confidence in ya — knock it down.”

Quenga’s final three-pointer gave Wasilla the 50-47 lead with 1:42 left in the game, but Palmer immediately answered with another three-pointer. That Palmer shot created the seventh tie of the game.

Wasilla was able to take a 53-51 lead with three Cody Pfeifer free throws during a 20-second span, but Palmer tied it up with 27 seconds left.

All of that set the table for Mock to drain the game-winning score.

Palmer was the lone Colony player in double digits in scoring, with his 27. Pfeifer scored a team-high 18 for the Warriors.

In addition to scoring 11 points, Kuiper was also largely responsible for holding Colony sharpshooter Scott Herman to only three points in the game.

“We’ve known that he could score since he showed up there,” Engebretsen said of Herman, who hit a three-pointer early in the fourth quarter. “Braydon Kuiper does a terrific job on guys like him that shoot it, slash a little bit. But (Braydon) with his size and length can do a great job on anybody he matches athleticism with.”

Wasilla improved to 8-0 in Northern Lights Conference play with the victory, while Colony dropped to 7-2. The Warriors win also ensured Wasilla will have the top seed from the NLC north in the upcoming conference championships.

Colony caps its NLC regular season schedule tonight when it hosts rival Palmer (4-5) at 8:15 p.m. at CHS. Wasilla meets Soldotna at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday at WHS.

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

Wasilla 55, Colony 53

Tuesday, Wasilla High School

Colony 9-14-16-14—53

Wasilla 12-14-12-19—55

Colony (53) — Eiesenhower 5, Turner 5, McCann 6, Palmer 27, Herman 3, Niver 3, DePriest 1, Summers 3.

Wasilla (55) — Quenga 9, Mock 3, Kuiper 11, Stahle 2, Pfeifer 18, Devine 8, Ford 3, Green 1.