Wasilla boys shoot past Palmer

March 4, 2007

By Jeremiah Bartz/ Frontiersman

WASILLA - Sometimes it's the play in the paint, and sometimes it's the points from the perimeter.

With a strong effort on defense, Palmer held Wasilla's top two post players to a combined two points, but the Wasilla shooters came through.

Senior Jeremiah Collins hit three of his career-high five three pointers in the fourth quarter, and senior Jesse Bean scored 12 of his 14 points in the third to lead Wasilla to a 51-33 win over Palmer at Wasilla High School on Friday.

Wasilla held a slim 15-14 lead after two quarters, and Palmer took a 19-15 lead early in the third. But sparked by Bean and Collins, the Warriors used a 36-19 second-half run to stay unbeaten in Northern Lights Conference play.

&#8220We just found a gap in their defense,” Collins said. &#8220It wasn't anything special we did. We just took what the defense gave us.”

Using a triangle-based defense, Palmer held the Warriors to just 3-of-35 shooting in the first half.

&#8220I told the guys, Coach (Greg) Fullmer's got something up his sleeve. I know he's going to do something different,” Wasilla head coach Jason Marvel said of his counterpart at Palmer. &#8220I commend him. Strategy-wise, he's got his kids doing the right things. I just have a couple of players who got hot.”

T.J. Fullmer hit a long three-pointer to give Palmer the 17-15 lead early in the third quarter, and John Fuller hit a shot to give the Moose a four-point advantage.

But midway through the third quarter, Bean went on a tear.

During a three-minute stretch, Bean was 4-for-4 from the field, and scored 12 points.

He hit a pair of midrange jump shots and two three-pointers on his own personal 12-point run. He also was 2-for-2 from the free- throw line in that stretch.

&#8220Jesse is such a great player,” Greg Fullmer said. &#8220He doesn't have many weaknesses, and if there is (a weakness) there, he'll fix that before he goes to the next level.”

In the fourth, it was Collins' turn to get hot.

He hit three, three-pointers within the first two minutes of the quarter, to help the Warriors build a 40-25 lead, their first double-digit advantage of the game.

&#8220They played that weird defense we weren't used to, but we just had to learn how to get open and get good shots,” Collins said. &#8220I had to step up and hit some outside shots, Jesse had to step up and Dexter (Pierce) was hitting shots. We all had to work together.”

Virtually all of Wasilla's scoring came from the outside.

Wasilla senior center Logan Williams, a potent force in the paint for WHS, was held scoreless. Junior forward Matthew Stearman was held to two points, just a single 16-foot jumper in the fourth quarter.

But where the Warrior posts did contribute was on the defensive end.

Williams finished with eight rebounds and six steals.

&#8220Those are the intangibles,” Marvel said. &#8220Ya, he didn't score. But he had six steals and eight rebounds.”

The duo also helped hold Palmer's senior posts - Nate Svedin and Quinton Fiscus - to a combined 14 points. Both average about 14 points a game.

Marvel said defense and the work on the offensive glass - Wasilla had 19 offensive rebounds - were central to the win.

Fullmer was also thrilled about the defensive effort of his team.

&#8220We came focused and ready to play,” Fullmer said. &#8220We did some stuff in practice and they bought into it. They really executed pretty well.”

Fullmer said the Moose did what they needed to for about three-and-a-half quarters, but there was a four-minute lapse where Wasilla was able to do its damage.

Fullmer also noted the defensive play of his guards in holding the UAF-bound Bean scoreless in the first two quarters.

&#8220Scotty Cottrell was awesome,” he said. &#8220to guard Jesse without getting in there and fouling him. It's hard with a kid like Jesse because he's so quick. You end up fouling him. Scotty did a super job.”

Fullmer used a rotation of Cottrell, Fuller and Matt Hillemeier to try to slow Bean down.

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