Wasilla boys move into fourth-place game of California tourney

WASILLA — Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen was looking forward to some good things from Isaac Houck, a promising newcomer to his team. But Houck’s contributions may be coming earlier than expected.

Houck scored a game-high 21 points to lead the Warriors to a 65-54 win over Rancho Buena Vista (Calif.) Friday, during the second day of the Under Armour Holiday Classic in San Diego, Calif.

It was the second career game for Houck, and his second in double-digit scoring.

“I expect a lot of him throughout the season, but I wasn’t expected as much necessarily today,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said after Houck scored 14 points during a first-round loss to Lodi (Calif.) on Thursday.

Friday, Houck, a 6-foot-2 off guard, enjoyed a nice second half to help the Warriors rebound from the loss to Lodi. Houck hit a pair of three-pointers and scored 14 of his 21 during the final two quarters. Cameron Brown added 19 in the win.

Wasilla’s followed with a 60-57 win over Hilo (Hi.) on Saturday. Brown scored a game-high 15 points in the win. Alex Baham and Cash McGregor added 13 points each. With the wins, Wasilla moves into the bracket’s fourth-place game and will play Madison (Calif.) Mionday at 10:10 a.m. AST.

Wasilla 60, Hilo (Hi.) 57

Under Armour Holiday Classic

Saturday, San Diego, Calif.

Wasilla 12-17-18-12—60

Hilo 9-10-16-22—57

Wasilla (60) — Brown 6 1-1 15, Baham 6 0-0 13, Garnett 4 0-1 9, McGregor 6 1-1 13, Houck 3 0-0 8, Burns 1 0-0 2; Totals: 26 2-3 60.

Hilo (57) — Carvaho 14 8-9 39, Dnate 5 2-2 14, Lodiveyo 0 1-2 1, Atvekkaho 1 0-0 3; Totals: 20 11-13 57.

Wasilla 65, Rancho Buena Vista (Calif.) 54

Under Armour Holiday Classic

Friday, San Diego, Calif.

Wasilla 13-13-19-23—65

Rancho 8-16-17-13—54

Wasilla (65) — Brown 8 3-4 19, Carney 2 0-0 4, Baham 1 0-0 2, Garnett 2 2-2 7, McGregor 4 1-1 9, Houck 8 3-4 21, Burns 1 0-0 3; Totals: 26 9-11 65.

Rancho (54) — Caringer 8 5-7 26, Ramirez 3 0-0 8, Estelle 2 0-0 4, Johnson 5 0-1 14, Patton-Garner 1 0-0 2; Totals: 19 5-8 54.