Young Knights surge into semis

SOLDOTNA — Slowly but surely, the Colony girls are growing up.

The Knights, whose roster includes just four upperclassmen, used a second-half surge to turn back a surprisingly feisty Skyview squad 51-34 in the opening round of the Northern Lights Conference Championships basketball tournament at Skyview High School in Soldotna.

“Our starters have never started in a region game,” said Colony sophomore Alyssa Hutchins, who scored eight of her team-high 12 points in the fourth quarter after failing to score a point in the first half.

Hutchins said Colony came out a bit tentative against the Panthers, the No. 3 seed from the South Division.

“We were a bit shocked at the noise and the crowd,” she said.

Skyview hung close in the first half, breaking Colony’s full-court press to create easy scoring opportunities.

“A lot of teams count us out before they play us,” said Skyview assistant Randi Broyles. “We wanted to show that we could play.”

Casee Penrod led all players with 17 points for the Panthers, who got eight from Jaxon Hill and six from Ivy O’Guinn. Hutchins and junior guard Kaitlin Klapperich each contributed 12 to lead the Knights, who outscored Skyview 17-8 in the third quarter to pull away. Freshman Allison Leigh added nine for the Knigths, who got scoring from nine different players.

Colony coach Tom Lincoln said his team clamped down on defense in the third quarter to spur their big run.

“We made that defensive adjustment and that definitely made a difference,” Lincoln said.

With the defense stepping up, Colony’s offense finally began to pull its own weight in the second half. Lincoln said the win was a good learning experience for the young Knights, who are learning on the fly how to handle the pressure of conference tournament basketball.

“It’s been a bit of a challenge for them,” he said. “But they’re slowly starting to get it.

Colony will face Kenai in Friday’s 6:30 p.m. semifinal with a berth in the state tournament on the line. The Knights have reached the state tourney in 15 of the past 16 seasons, and have won eight NLC titles.

Hutchins said that in order for the Knights to continue that tradition, they’ll have to come out hard from the opening whistle.

“Every single one of our players has got to show up,” she said.

COLONY 51, SKYVIEW 34

Colony 15 5 17 14 – 51

Skyview 8 11 8 7 – 34

COLONY (51) – M. Klapperich 1 2-4 4, Hutchins 4 3-6 12, K. Klapperich 4 2-4 12, Trudeau 1 0-0 2, Brumbaugh 1 0-0 2, Bowker 2 0-0 4, Srefanski 0 2-2 2, Leigh 4 1-2 9, Forstner 2 0-1 4, Booth 0 0-1 0. Totals – 19 10-20 51.

SKYVIEW (34) – O’Guinn 1 4-6 6, Penrod 7 2-3 17, Stewart 0 1-9 1, Cooper 1 0-0, Hill 3 2-4 8. Totals – 12 9-22 34.

3-point field goals – Colony 3 (K. Klapperich 2, Hutchins), Skyview 1 (Penrod). Fouled out – Lamborn. Total fouls – Colony 22, Skyview 17.

Big third sends

Colony boys to semis

SOLDOTNA — The Colony boys overcame a sluggish first half with a monster third quarter to put away the Homer Mariners 53-36 in the opening round of the NLC tournament at Skyview High in Soldotna.

Colony, the No. 2 seed from the North, hit just one field goal in the first quarter and led 19-15 at halftime over the No. 3 seed from the South. But things changed in a quick hurry in the third quarter, as six different Knights found the scoring column.

Senior forward Hayden Summers scored six points in the third to lead the way, while sophomore Jared Turner and seniors John Palmer and Scott Herman each nailed a 3-pointer in the pivotal frame.

Herman led all scorers with 15 points, with eight coming from the free-throw line for the Knights, who held a 14-7 advantage from the charity stripe and made fife treys. Palmer finished with 12 points, Summers added eight and Payton McCann added six.

Norman Anderson scored 13 points to pace Homer.

The Knights will face Soldotna in the semifinals tonight at 6:30 p.m.

KNIGHTS 53, MARINERS 36

Colony 7 12 21 13 – 53

Homer 6 9 7 14 – 36

COLONY (53) – Turner 1 0-0 3, McCann 3 0-0 6, Palmer 3 3-4 12, Enloe 1 2-3 4, Herman 3 8-12 15, Niver 2 0-1 4, Depriest 0 0-2 0, Ray 0 1-2 1, Summers 4 0-0 8. Totals – 17 14-24 53.

HOMER (36) – Walsworth 1 0-0 2, Anderson 4 3-4 13, Day 3 0-0 7, Glosser 3 0-1 6, Kennelty 2 2-2 6, Pate 0 2-4 2. Totals – 13 7-11 36.

Three-point field goals – Colony 5 (Palmer 3, Turner, Niver), Homer 3 (Anderson 2, Glosser). Fouled out – none. Total fouls – Colony 15, Homer 19.