Wasilla boys return to 4A state title game

ANCHORAGE — Since a heartbreaking loss in the 2017 4A state championship, the Wasilla Warriors have had one priority.

Return to the state title game.

And that’s exactly where the Warriors are headed.

Wasilla used a big fourth quarter to earn a 63-48 victory over West Anchorage in the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Basketball Championships boys’ semifinals Saturday afternoon at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

“It feels good, really good,” Wasilla junior Daniel Headdings said after the win.

Headdings said the Warriors have focused on returning to the title game since the loss to Dimond last season in the state final.

“As soon as we got into the locker room, we said our goal was to get back to the state championship game,” Headdings said.

Headdings is part of Wasilla’s trio of three-year starters alongside, seniors Aeron Milliron and Reilly Devine. Milliron said the experience of playing on Alaska’s biggest basketball stage in the past helped the Warriors return to the championship.

“It means a lot,” Milliron said. “You’ve got the experience, you know what to expect.”

Milliron said that experience also helps the Warriors play through tough stretches, like Wasilla’s four-minute scoring drought early in the third quarter against the Eagles.

“It’s good. During timeouts we come together in the huddle, come together as one,” Milliron said. “We keep our minds straight, stay focused. We don’t worry about our mistakes, stay calm.”

Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said the way his players work as a team has been key for the Warriors throughout the season, and it showed again Friday.

“This team has been unbelievable in regard to its support of each other,” Engebretsen said.

Each of the three-year starters hit double digits in scoring. Headdings led Wasilla with 22 points.

“Daniel Headdings was just a man-child today,” Engebretsen said.

The junior scored 11 of Wasilla’s 26 first-half points, and added seven in the fourth quarter.

“He kept us going in the first half, kept us very calm and patient,” Engebretsen said of Headdings. “In the second half, he said I’ll put this entire team on my back if I have to. He didn’t really have to because everybody else was doing their job.

Devine finished with 16 points in the win, and Milliron added a dozen points and eight rebounds. Senior Jordan Knight was just shy of a double-double, with nine points and nine boards.

Devin Mong hit one of West’s seven three-pointers early in the fourth to give the Eagles a 41-40 lead, but Wasilla jumped back on top with a 8-0 run.

“We had the resiliency to keep making plays,” Engebretsen said.

Milliron, Devine and Headdings each hit shots during that stretch. Headdings helped Wasilla push its lead to double-digits with a five-point run during the final three minutes of the game. Headdings hit a 3-pointer from the left corner to give Wasilla a 51-43 advantage with 2:40 left in regulation. He followed with a layup to give Wasilla a 10-point lead. Wasilla outscored West 23-10 in the fourth.

“The dagger was probably Daniels’ three-ball,” Engebretsen said.

With the win, Wasilla returns to the state title game for the second straight year and the third time since 2010. Second-seeded Wasilla will face either Dimond or Chugiak Saturday at 7:45 p.m. in the final.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.

Wasilla 63, West Anchorage 48

4A boys state semifinals

Friday, Anchorage

West Anchorage 15-11-12-10—48

Wasilla 12-14-14-23—63

West (48) — McMorris 1 0-0 3, King 0 1-2 1, Wal 6 0-0 12, Johnson 4 0-0 11, Mong 4 2-2 13, J. Coleman 2 4-6 8; Totals: 17 7-10 48.

Wasilla (63) — Knight 2 3-4 9, Houck 2 0-0 4, Headdings 7 6-7 22, R. Devine 5 6-8 16, Milliron 4 3-4 12; Totals: 20 18-23 63.