Wasilla girls return to the 4A state title game

ANCHORAGE — In the last two seasons, the Wasilla Warriors only have one blemish on a near perfect record.

That lone mark is a loss to Dimond in the championship game of the 2012 Lady Lynx Prep Shootout. The Warriors are 41-0 since that 54-47 loss to the Lynx on Feb. 4, 2012. Saturday, Wasilla will have a chance for another match against the Lynx on the state’s biggest stage.

Wasilla scored a 48-23 win over rival Colony in the semifinal round of the ASAA/First National Bank 4A State Basketball Championships at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage Friday night. With the victory, the Warriors move into a state title bout with Dimond, Saturday at 6 p.m. at the Sullivan.

“I’m very relieved to be in the championship game, it was our goal the entire season,” Wasilla senior Alysha Devine said after the win.

Devine said the Warriors are excited to see the Lynx in the final.

“Last year we wanted to play them in the state championship game,” Devine said. “We’re excited to play them this year.”

Wasilla beat West Valley last season to win its second straight state championship. The Warriors, making their fourth straight trip to the title game, are seeking their third straight championship Saturday, and fourth crown since 2007.

Wasilla head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax said she is also excited to see her top-seeded Warriors face the second-seed Lynx.

“I think it’s going to be a good game,” Hebert-Truax said. “I told my girls, they’ve got to come ready to play, and play to the best of their ability.”

The Warriors and Lynx have met once this season, with Wasilla scoring a 49-43 victory in the title game of the 2013 Lynx Lynx Prep Shootout in February. It marked Wasilla’s lone single-digit win this season. The 29-0 Warriors have won 28 games by 10 points or more and 23 games by 20 points or better.

Devine said the Warriors are expecting another tough matchup in the 2013 4A title game.

“They’re a very solid team,” Devine said. “and they can push us out. Our main goal is not to let them push us out.”

Dimond beat Lathrop 67-41 in the other semifinal.

Wasilla, sparked by an early 12-2 run, was able to score the double-digit win over the Knights. The Warriors allowed only three Colony field goals in the first half, and 22 percent shooting in the game.

“Our main goal is no uncontested shots,” Devine said.

Senior Kyla Dinkel led the Warriors with 17 points and seven rebounds in the win. Senior Alexis Imoe added 13 points and three steals. Devine chipped in six points and a game-high five steals. Senior Savanna Burke matched Dinkel with a team-high seven rebounds.

Faith Farris nearly missed a double-double, collecting eight points and nine rebounds, to lead Colony. Izzy Tweed hit a pair of three-pointers for CHS.

Colony meets Lathrop in the bracket’s third-place game Saturday at 9 a.m. at the Sullivan.

Contact Mat-Su Valley Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com and follow him @matsu_sports.

Wasilla 48, Colony 23

4A girls state semifinals

Friday, Sullivan Arena

Colony 2-4-8-9—23

Wasilla 10-13-14-11—48

Colony (23) — Klapperich 0 1-6 1, Farris 3 2-3 8, Tweed 2 0-0 6, Michaelson 1 2-3 4, Solano 2 0-0 4; Totals: 8 5-12 23.

Wasilla (48) — Ford 1 1-2 3, Imoe 5 3-4 13, Devine 3 0-2 6, Toews 0 1-2 1, Hutchins 1 0-1 2, Dinkel 5 4-4 17, Burke 2 2-2 6; Totals: 18 11-17 48.

Three-point field goals: Colony 2 (Tweed 2), Wasilla 1 (Dinkel 1); Total fouls: Colony 13, Wasilla 12.