Work inside helps Palmer top Valley rival on home court

PALMER — The Palmer Moose have a few players who can shoot the ball.

Connor Looney, Brian Selmer, Nathan Mayer and Adam Ramoth all hit big three-pointers Friday night. But sometimes it takes a big offensive rebound to give the shooter a second opportunity to hit the big shot.

Palmer senior Hayden Niekamp posted a double-double, 11 points and game-high 15 rebounds, and helped Palmer score a 64-51 win over rival Wasilla Friday night at Palmer High.

“He’s an animal,” Looney said of Niekamp. “If he gets his 10 points, we’re playing good.”

The 11 points helped aid the Palmer cause, but it was the senior’s work on the boards that helped Palmer win the game.

Niekamp pulled eight of his 15 rebounds off the offensive glass, and none may have been bigger than an offensive rebound that set up a Looney three-pointer late in the third quarter.

Palmer held a slim 37-34 lead as the teams passed the midway point of the third quarter, but Selmer hit a three-pointer to extend Palmer’s lead to six points at the 3:55 mark.

On Palmer’s next possession, Niekamp pulled down an offensive rebound, kicked the ball out to Looney, who dropped in another three-pointer from the wing. The back-to-back threes gave Palmer a nine-point lead.

“Once we hit that three, we really thought we had the momentum, and we carried it to the defensive end,” Looney said.

Palmer head coach Jason Marvel praised Niekamp after the game.

“Hayden was huge tonight. He was really good tonight,” Marvel said. “This is the best game he’s had for us all year.”

Looney and Selmer each netted 18 in the game. Ramoth added nine. Looney also contributed seven assists and five steals.

Cash McGregor led the Warriors with 17 points on 8 of 11 shooting in the loss.

“Cash has been huge all year,” Wasilla head coach Ryan Engebretsen said. “Cash does what he’s supposed to do every time he steps out on to the floor. He was huge in the sense I thought he was the hardest working kid on the floor, from tip to finish, in the sense of what he brought to the table. That’s not to say every other kid in the gym wasn’t working their tail off, they all were working their tails off. I just think Cash brings that little extra.”

Dane Kuiper scored 12 in the Wasilla loss and Cameron Brown added 10.

Kuiper spent the evening blanketed by a pair of Palmer players, Selmer and Mayer.

“We fully expected that,” Engebretsen said. “Dane’s a great player. We fully expect teams to try to take him out of things.”

Marvel said he knew the Moose had to slow the talented Kuiper down.

“I think we did a good job,” Marvel said. “Nathan Mayer and Brian Selmer did a phenomenal job. Our goal was to hold Dane Kuiper to 10-15. That was our goal and we did that.”

Engebretsen said his team did what it needed to do for about three quarters, but the game came down to select possessions.

“A couple possessions here and there is what we’re focused on, worried about,” Engebretsen said. “For 24 minutes we got after it. I thought we were super competitive until two possessions that absolutely killed us.”

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

Palmer 64, Wasilla 51

Friday, Palmer High

Wasilla (51) — Baham 2 0-0 4, Brown 4 1-4 10, Carney 1 0-0 2, Krueger 0 1-2 1, Kuiper 4 4-4 12, McGregor 8 1-2 17, Cook 0 1-2 1, Hanson 2 0-0 3; Totals: 21 8-14 51.

Palmer (64) — Ramoth 3 3-3 9, Looney 6 3-4 18, Mayer 1 0-0 3, Nisbett 2 1-1 3, Selmer 7 2-2 18, Niekamp 3 5-10 11; Totals: 23 13-20 64.