Friday’s Northern Lights Conference tilt featuring the Kenai Central and Colony girls basketball squads saw a one-sided matchup in the second half — the Knights’ offense versus Kenai’s Abby Beck.
Beck scored 14 of her game-high 22 points in the second half — accounting for every Kenai bucket — but the Kards still fell to the Knights 42-35.
Colony (2-0 NLC, 6-2 overall) also hit 17 of 29 free throws, more than enough to account for the difference in the game, which came down to a stifling Knights defensive effort in the fourth quarter. Kenai was held to three points in the last eight minutes.
“(Kenai coach) Stacia (Rustad) does a terrific job year in and year out getting her girls to play unbelievably hard,” said Colony coach Jeff Bowker. “They played harder than we did, and as a result, we were looking up at them for three quarters.”
The Kards shot out of the gate with 16 points in the first quarter, getting buckets to fall from Beck and Alli Steinbeck, while keeping Colony to 10 points. Kenai held a precarious 21-19 lead at halftime.
“That was all about Kenai the first three quarters,” Bowker said.
Faith Farris led Colony with 17 points overall, and opened the second half with a jumper to tie things up. From there, Farris and company traded buckets with Beck, who drained five shots in the third quarter with well-timed assists from teammates Hannah Drury and Allie Ostrander.
Beck continued her scoring charge, but it was only lasted so long. Farris and Ashley Turcotte fought back and gave Colony its first lead of the night with 45 seconds left in the third quarter on a Farris jumpshot. Turcotte ended the night with 10 points.
After Beck sent in a layup with 4:03 remaining in the fourth quarter to close Kenai’s deficit to 37-34, Teyah Clark answered 20 seconds later with a layup of her own to stretch the lead once again. From there, Colony converted three of its next six free throws to ice the game.
“We were able to execute and makes a few shots and get a little distance, and then hold on to it at the end,” Bowker said. “I don’t know what (Kenai’s) shooting percentage was in the first half, but it was pretty good. Then they started missing.”
Colony boys 57, Kenai 45
Bumps, bruises and blood could not keep the Kenai boys from trying to upset the Knights Friday night, but in the end, Colony still took the win.
Eight different players starred in the scoring column for Colony (2-0 NLC, 8-5 overall), led by Tucker Looney and Ethan Selmer with 11 points each. Bailey West and Robert Sonnenberg added 10 points apiece as well.
Josh Jackman led the Kardinals with 12 points, while Austin Brazell scored eight of his 10 points in the second half.
The Knights started fast, streaking out to a 15-6 lead in the first 5:32 of the game, and held a 20-10 lead after one quarter.
“Our message tonight was to come out and compete,” said Kenai coach Ken Felchle. “The first quarter, we gave them 20 points, and it just wasn’t enough.”
Colony coach Tom Berg said the focus of his squad was simply pointed to their offensive production, rather than depending on trying to slow the Kenai offense.
“It was more about us, and whether or not our guys could do their job,” Berg said.
Not only did Colony keep Kenai guessing on who was going to score, but they pounded the glass as well, racking up offensive rebounds to chip in second-chance opportunities that resulted in a 37-22 halftime lead.
Kenai came up with a few stretches of spectacular on-court play, like when Brazell and Marshall Vest hit consecutive 3’s late in the third quarter that left Kenai trailing 41-28, within striking distance.
But Felchle didn’t mince words when asked about the individual matchups, saying that his squad is giving up “15 to 20 pounds and a few inches at every position.”
“That’s hard to deal with,” he said. “In the second half, we dealt with that a lot better. But they’re a very well-coached team with a lot of size. A combination of those things give us a lot of trouble.”
It seemed like a battle at times. In the second half, Brazell took a hit while scrambling on the floor for a loose ball and took a few extra moments to gather himself before walking gingerly off the floor. Late in the fourth quarter, Kenai senior Jonah Theisen suffered a mouth full of blood after a scramble under the net resulted in an elbow to the jaw.
For Felchle, a former member of the United States Army, it was part of the fight for the win.
“For us to be able to compete against a team of that caliber, we have to play as hard as we did in the second half, the entire game,” Felchle said. “It’s got to be 32 minutes.”
Ultimately, the Knights iced the game with a few late shots. Looney sunk a trey with 2:50 remaining in the game that left Colony with a commanding 17-point lead and ended all hope of a Kenai comeback.
Friday girls
Knights 42, Kardinals 35
Colony 10 9 14 9 —42
Kenai 16 5 11 3 —35
COLONY (42) — Carlton 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Farris 6 4-6 17, Stephens 0 4-6 4, Clark 1 2-3 4, Turcotte 4 2-6 10, Brumbaugh 1 4-6 6, Kauffman 0 0-2 0, Bonn 0 1-2 1. Totals 12 17-29 42.
KENAI (35) — Ostrander 2 0-0 4, Holmes 0 0-0 0, Drury 0 0-2 0, Steinbeck 2 2-4 6, Baker 0 0-0 0, Beck 9 4-5 22, Every 1 1-2 3. Totals 14 7-13 35.
3-point goals — Colony 1 (Farris). Fouled out — Stephens, Steinbeck.
Friday boys
Knights 57, Kardinals 45
Colony 20 17 7 13 —57
Kenai 10 12 9 14 —45
COLONY (57) — Looney 5 0-1 11, West 5 0-1 10, Chamblee 1 0-0 3, Martin 0 0-0 0, Menard 0 5-6 5, Martin 0 0-2 0, Dinkel 1 1-2 3, Sonnenberg 1 8-8 10, Lincoln 2 0-0 4, Sessom 0 0-0 0, Selmer 4 1-2 11. Totals 19 15-22 57.
KENAI (45) — Theisen 1 0-0 2, Ivy 0 1-2 1, McKee 1 4-4 7, Brazell 4 0-0 10, Jackman 4 2-2 12, Vest 1 0-2 3, Foree 2 2-2 6, Wortham 1 2-2 4. Totals 14 11-14 45.
3-point goals — Colony 4 (Selmer 2, Looney 1, Chamblee 1); Kenai 6 (Brazell 2, Jackman 2, McKee 1, Vest 1). Fouled out — none.
Wasilla girls 57, Soldotna 39
The visting Warriors forced 34 turnovers in picking up a Northern Lights Conference victory over the Stars.
Wasilla, which had 23 turnovers itself, used pesky defense to overcome 34.6 percent shooting from the floor. The Warriors held the Stars to 34.6 percent shooting.
Wasilla led 15-8 after one quarter and 28-18 at the half.
Catherine Baham had 12 points for Wasilla, while Lindsey Wong had 12 for Soldotna.
Wasilla boys 41, Stars 31
The visiting Warriors held the Stars to 12 points in the second half in picking up the Northern Lights Conference win.
Soldotna led 19-16 at halftime before going cold in the second half. The Stars were 32.4 percent from the floor in the game and 22.7 percent in the second half. Wasilla shot at a 39.5 percent clip for the game.
Isaac Houck and Alex Baham each had 13 for the Warriors, while Dylan Kuntz had nine points for the Stars.
Friday girls
Warriors 57, Stars 39
Wasilla15131415—57
Soldotna810138—39
WASILLA (57) — Kelly 1 0-0 2, Drorbaugh 1 0-0 2, Heath 1 0-4 3, Baham 3 3-5 12, Lindeman 1 0-0 2, Brandenburg 0 2-4 2, Goecke 0 0-0 0, Toews 1 4-5 6, Anderson 0 0-0 0, Dinkel 0 0-2 0, Edwards 1 3-4 5, DePriest 11 1-2 23. Totals — 20 13-26 57.
SOLDOTNA (39) — Nelson 4 0-0 8, Shaw 1 0-0 2, Jackson 1 0-0 3, Wong 5 1-3 12, Ramsell 3 0-2 6, Miller 4 0-0 8, Glaves 0 0-0 0. Totals — 18 1-5 39.
3-point goals — Wasilla 4 (Baham 3, Heath); Soldotna 2 (Jackson, Wong). Team fouls — Wasilla 12, Soldotna 13. Fouled out — none.
Friday boys
Warriors 41, Stars 31
Wasilla791312—41
Soldotna10948—31
WASILLA (41) — Burns 1 1-2 3, Milleron 3 1-2 9, Miriglian 1 0-0 3, Baham 4 4-11 13, Garnett 0 0-0 0, Loyer 0 0-0 0, Houck 6 1-3 13, Devine 0 0-0 0, Lee 0 0-0 0. Totals — 15 7-18 41.
SOLDOTNA (31) — Kuntz 3 0-0 9, Weltzin 3 0-0 6, Furlong 3 0-0 8, Phillips 2 0-0 4, Spence 1 0-0 2, Gibbs 0 2-2 2, Duke 0 0-0 0, Fowler 0 0-0 0, Trammell 0 0-0 0. Totals — 12 2-2 31.
3-point goals — Wasilla 4 (Milleron 2, Miriglian, Baham); Soldotna 5 (Kuntz 3, Furlong 2). Team fouls — Wasilla 6, Wasilla 15. Fouled out — none.
ConocoPhillips/Warrior Rumble
Friday, the Newhalen girls notched a 55-44 victory over Nikolaevsk.
The Warriors were outscored 27-14 in the second and third quarters by the Malamutes.
Jalyn Paine and Shiann Nanalook had 16 points apiece for Newhalen. For Nikolaevsk, Kilina Klaich notched a double with 10 points and 13 rebounds, while teammate Serafima Kalugin came close with 13 points and nine boards. Megan Hickman added 11 points.
In Friday’s early girls game, Fort Yukon defeated Tri-Valley 46-30. Mariah Peter had 18 points for Fort Yukon, while Aquinnah Tremblay had 15. For Tri-Valley, Olivia Juhl had 13 points and Zabrina Byfulgien had 10 points.
In a Friday boys game, Nikolaevsk shot 50 percent from the floor Friday night in a 67-39 rout of the Malamutes at the Warrior Dome in Nikolaevsk.
Neil Gordeev racked up a double-double with 15 points and 13 boards to lead Nikolaevsk. Felemon Molodih and Jonah Fefelov added 12 points apiece, and Nikit Fefelov chipped in 10.
The Warriors claimed a 27-15 lead at halftime, then broke the game open in the third quarter with 22 points.
In Friday’s early boys game, Fort Yukon notched a 74-30 victory over Tri-Valley. Jerry Carroll had 28 points for Fort Yukon, while Franklin Carroll had 16 points. For Tri-Valley, Logan Juhl had 14 points.
Delta Junction Dean Cummings Tournament
Hutchison girls 60, CIA 36
The Eagles were on the losing end of a blowout by the Hawks, Friday at the Dean Cummings Tournament in Delta.
The loss drops CIA into Saturday’s third-place matchup. Hutchison and Glennallen will meet in Saturday’s championship final.
Dillingham boys 55, CIA 46
The CIA boys came up short to Dillingham, Friday in the consolation side of the bracket at the Dean Cummings Tournament in Delta.
Other Friday scores:
Homer boys 59, Seward 42
Seward girls 40, Homer 36
Friday girls
Malamutes 55, Warriors 44
Newhalen9121519—55
Nikolaevsk106820—44
NEWHALEN (55) — S. Anelon 3 0-0 8, Paine 6 4-5 16, S. Nanalook 7 2-6 16, R. Nanalook 3 0-0 7, Z. Anelon 2 3-6 8, B. Anelon 0 0-0 0. Totals — 21 9-17 55.
NIKOLAEVSK (44) — Ki. Klaich 4 1-6 10, Kr. Klaich 1 0-1 2, Fefelov 2 2-3 6, Johnson 0 0-0 0, Mametieff 0 0-0 0, Kalugin 5 3-4 13, N. Gordeev 1 0-0 2, E. Gordeev 0 0-0 0, Hickman 4 2-4 11, Jones 0 0-0 0. Totals — 17 8-18 44.
3-point goals — Newhalen 4 (S. Anelon 2, R. Nanalook, Z. Anelon), Nikolaevsk 2 (Ki. Klaich, Hickman). Team fouls — Newhalen 18, Nikolaevsk 17. Fouled out — Z. Anelon.
Friday boys
Warriors 67, Malamutes 39
Newhalen612912—39
Nikolaevsk10172218—67
NEWHALEN (39) — L. Zacker 5 0-0 13, Kalmbacher 2 3-4 7, Balluta 2 2-2 6, Rickteroff 1 0-0 2, G. Zacker 5 1-2 11. Totals — 15 6-8 39.
NIKOLAEVSK (67) — K. Molodih 2 1-2 5, Trail 2 0-0 4, Whaley 0 0-1 0, Yakunin 0 1-2 1, N. Fefelov 4 2-4 10, Gordeev 7 1-1 15, F. Molodih 6 0-3 12, J. Fefelov 6 0-0 12, Kalugin 4 0-0 8. Totals — 31 5-11 67.
3-point goals — Newhalen 3 (L. Zacker 3). Team fouls — Newhalen 13, Nikolaevsk 6. Fouled out — none.
