Championship rematch: Stars face Lynx in 1st round of Class 4A tourney
Revenge is a dish best served on the scoreboard. Well, at least for the Soldotna boys, it is.
After clinching a state berth with a 59-35 win over Kenai Central in the Northern Lights Conference third-place game on March 6, SoHi and Dimond square off in a rematch of last year's state championship in the opening round of the Class 4A tourney at 3:15 p.m. Monday at Sullivan Arena in Anchorage. The Lynx defeated the Stars 55-52 in overtime to claim the 2009 title.
"What better motivation do these kids have?" Stars head coach Matt Johnson said at Thursday's practice.
"Watching the game from last year gets us excited," said Stars senior captain Boomer Blossom. Having been to state the previous year helps to settle the team, he said.
Dimond defeated SoHi 59-50 in the only meeting of the two teams this season at Soldotna in February. It was Dimond's 1-3-1 defense that earned it a win, said SoHi senior Dylon Story.
"It really slowed us down the first half," he said. "The key is passing through it."
This time, Dimond will be without senior guard Travis Thompson, who will play for the University of Alaska Anchorage next season. Thompson, who had 19 points in the victory over the Stars this year, is out with a broken hand.
Soldotna will still have to figure out how to stop Dimond sophomore big man Ryden Hines, who outscored Soldotna 14-13 in the first 16 minutes of this year's game and finished with a game-high 22 points.
"They're a really well-coached team," Johnson said of Dimond. "Their kids play hard."
The team's attitude is positive as it prepares for the rematch, Johnson said.
"This is a pretty big reward for these kids," he said of returning to state.
"Everyone just wants to get up there and have fun," Blossom said.
Senior captain Blaine Carver agreed.
"I'm just trying to make the most of my last games as a high-schooler," he said.
SoHi knows it has the talent to cause an upset, Blossom said.
"As long as we play hard, everything should fall into place," he said.
In the postseason, taking care of the ball is essential, Johnson said.
"If you take care of the basketball and take quality shots, you have a chance in any game," he said.
As he's preached all year, playing a full 32 minutes will be key, Johnson said. Having fast starts, too, is talked about prior to each game. It's something that the team has struggled with all season, but a quick beginning to games is a must at state, Johnson said.
"It will definitely be key," Carver said. "That's always our pre-game speech, 'Get out to a fast start.'"
Carver said the team is optimistic and just has to play its game, meaning pressure defense and running the floor.
"If we just stay focused and continue to prepare ... things will look pretty good for us," Story said.
Lacking height, Story said his team needs to have aggressive defense to spark its offense.
Johnson said his team's offense flows from its solid defensive effort. Johnson said he talked to his team about having swagger. Prior to a game, he can tell if his team has that swagger or doesn't.
"That really dictates how we play as a team," Johnson said.