Wasilla finishes as the runner-up in the 4A girls state basketball tourney

Wasilla was in search of its eighth girls basketball state title in school history, but the Warriors ran into the Alaska prep basketball juggernaut known as Anchorage Christian School.

ACS ran past Wasilla 71-42 during the ASAA/First National Bank 4A Girls State Championships title game Saturday at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage.

With the win, ACS set a new state record of 98 straight wins against in-state competition. It was also the fifth consecutive state title for the Lions, and first 4A state championship. The ACS boys and girls were bumped from the 3A to 4A level during the offseason.

Wasilla played in a girls state championship for the 14th time and 11th under the guidance of longtime head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax.

ACS jumped out to a 21-7 first-quarter advantage and led 42-20 at halftime.

Megan Alley led Wasilla with 11 points. Bella Hays pulled down a game-high team rebounds.

Both the Colony Knights and Redington Huskies girl teams grabbed fourth-place finishes.

Colony beat Bartlett 48-37 in the 4A girls fourth-place game.

Colony scored 18 of its points during the second quarter. Hallie Clark and Lalaine Suaava scored 11 points each. Adrian Alley added 10.

Redington beat Valdez 47-21 in the 3A girls fourth-place game. Huskies standout Lexi Seymore capped her illustrious career with 19 points and seven rebounds, both game highs. Destiny Simmons added nine.

Colony finished fifth in the 4A boys bracket after a 57-52 loss to Dimond. Kash Luce and Harvey Pullen scored 13 points each.

Palmer finished sixth in the 4A boys class after a 54-48 loss to West Valley. Arin Mathis led the Moose with 12. Evan Rothenbuhler and Kael Galiher scored 11 each.

In the 3A boys class, Houston finished third after a 54-48 loss to Valdez. Hunter Jefferson and Noah Whitted each scored a team-high 12 points for the Hawks.

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