Wasilla girls show grace under pressure in championship game

ANCHORAGE — Pressure can do many things.

For the Wasilla girls basketball team, suffocating defensive pressure by the Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears led to a 41-35 loss in the state Class 4A basketball championship game at the Sullivan Arena in Anchorage Wednesday night.

But pressure can also create diamonds, and Warriors head coach Jeannie Hebert-Truax believes Wednesday’s defeat has the potential to help her team shine in the future.

“It may make them work a little bit harder this summer,” said Hebert-Truax. “Which is every coach’s dream.”

Wasilla will lose just two players to graduation — guards Carlee Naczi and Skyler Nuss — who saw significant playing time Wednesday and returning players scored 27 of the Warriors’ 35 points Wednesday.

“They’ll have plenty of motivation,” Hebert-Truax said.

Juneau forced 22 Wasilla turnovers — 16 in the first half — and knocked down free throws when it counted to help avenge a 51-48 loss to Wasilla in 2007. The difference was defense. Juneau nabbed 15 steals in the game, including four by junior guard Karli Brakes and at least two by four other players.

“They have a lot of speed, they can all apply pressure and we didn’t do a good job taking care of the basketball,” Hebert-Truax said.

Senior guard Mahlet Tingley led a balanced Juneau attack with 11 points — including a perfect 6-of-6 from the free throw line — and Annette Highley and Taylor Larson each had 10. Juneau hit 18 free throws, which Tingley said is a key element of every Crimson Bears practice session.

“We shoot a ton of free throws, and it paid off tonight,” she said.

Wasilla junior Kelsey Cottle led all players with 12 points to go along with seven rebounds, but most of those came during the first half.

Highley and Larson each had eight points in the first half, as Juneau used its pressure defense to turn a bevy of Wasilla mistakes into easy scores at the other end. Hebert-Truax, in fact, may have been happy to be down just 22-15 at halftime after her squad committed 16 first half turnovers — at one point giving the ball up on seven consecutive possessions — and went just 1-of-6 from the free throw line.

“I was impressed with how we stayed with it,” said Hebert-Truax. “We didn’t quit.”

Despite the mistakes, Wasilla was still in the game thanks to Cottle, who scored seven points and pulled down five boards before halftime.

The Crimson Bears opened the second half hot, pushing their lead to 27-15 behind quick buckets from Larson and Tingley before Wasilla countered with a 6-0 run. But the Crimson Bears weathered the storm, increasing their lead to 31-23 entering the fourth

Juneau then went into its best time-killing offense, attempting just five field goals in the final quarter and knocking down 8-of-13 free throws down the stretch and preventing Wasilla from any hopes of a comeback.

“We spend a ton of time working on free throws in practice,” said Tingley. “It paid off tonight.”

Freshman guard Alexis Imoe added nine points and three assists for Wasilla, which also got four each from Nuss and Naczi and a game-high eight rebounds from junior Celeste Colegrove.

The Warriors hit more field goals than did Juneau, and held a 37 to 33 percent advantage from the floor. But the difference was Juenau’s experienced guards, who took over the game late, playing keep-away to perfection and knocking down shots from the line.

“It went exactly according to plan,” said Juneau coach Lesslie Knight.

Cottle said she didn’t want to believe her team’s state championship dream had died until the final buzzer sounded.

“I never gave up hope,” she said.

Cottle said that the loss hurt, but she and her teammates have plenty to be proud of after winning the Northern Lights Conference championship and playing in the season’s final game for the seventh time.

“It stinks to lose in the championship game, but we made it to the championship game and that’s a big accomplishment,” she said.

And, she added, the loss just gives Wasilla motivation for next year’s run.

“I can’t wait,” she said. “I’m already counting down the days.”

JUNEAU 41, WASILLA 35

Wasilla 4 11 8 12 – 35

Juneau 10 12 9 10 – 41

WASILLA (35) – Apangalook 1 0-0 2, Imoe 4 0-0 9, Dinkel 1 0-0 2, Nuss 2 0-0 4, Naczi 2 0-2 4, Colegrove 0 2-2 2, Cottle 4 4-10 12. Totals – 14 6-14 35.

JUNEAU (41) – Tingley 2 6-6 11, Brakes 1 2-4 4, Tarver 2 0-2 4, Highley 1 8-11 10, Larson 5 0-0 10, Swofford 0 2-2 2. Totals – 11 18-25 35.

3-point field goals – Wasilla 1 (Imoe), Juneau 1 (Tingley). Rebounds – Wasilla 29 (Colegrove 8), Juneau 26 (Fenumiai 6). Assists – Wasilla 5 (Imoe 3), Juneau 7 (Tingley 2, Brakes 2). Fouled out – Naczi. Total fouls – Wasilla 16, Juneau 13.