The Ninilchik boys put away Wasilla Lake Christian 53-43 Thursday night at the Peninsula Conference basketball tournament at Homer High School to advance to the title game.
The Wolverines will play for the conference championship and a chance to go to state for the first time in six years tonight at 8 p.m. with a clash against Seldovia, the two-time defending Peninsula Conference champs. Seldovia defeated Nikolaevsk in Thursday’s other semifinal 47-40. Ninilchik won both conference games against Seldovia this year with scores of 54-45 and 69-56.
Ninilchik was led by Tyler Presley, who poured in a game-high 24 points, and Pat Brandt, who added 13.
Brody Neufeld led Wasilla Lake with 14.
Ninilchik led 32-24 at halftime before Presley went on a tear. Presley outscored Wasilla Lake 14-11 on his own in the third quarter to push the lead to 46-35, and the Wolverines held on from there.
Seldovia boys 47, Nikolaevsk 40
The Nikolaevsk boys started and finished strong, but Seldovia did the most damage in the middle two quarters to come away with a semifinal win Thursday in Homer that put them in Friday’s title bout with Ninilchik. The Sea Otters will be going for their third straight Peninsula Conference championship.
With the loss, Nikolaevsk will need to win out to make it to the state tournament. The Warriors will start by facing Birchwood Christian today at 3 p.m.
Thursday, Aidan Philpot fueled Seldovia with 24 points, and David Botero chipped in 11.
Nikit Fefelov led Nikolaevsk with 17 points, while Felemon Molodih had 11.
The Warriors started fast and led 13-9 after one quarter, but Seldovia rallied back and took a 23-19 lead into the half, then outscored Nikolaevsk 16-7 to extend the lead to 39-26 by the end of the third quarter.
Nikolaevsk outscored Seldovia 14-8 in the final eight minutes, but could not make up the gap.
Ninilchik girls 44, Birchwood 19
The top-seeded Ninilchik girls throttled Birchwood Christian in Thursday’s semifinal round, advancing the Wolverines to Friday night’s championship game against No. 2 Nikolaevsk. The Warriors and the Wolverines split this year in the regular season.
DeeAnn White led the charge against Birchwood, scoring a game-high 15 points, and teammate Alanna Goins added 11.
Haley Scott led Birchwood with 11 points.
A defensive first half left Ninilchik with a 12-9 halftime lead, but the Wolverines warmed up with 14 points in the third quarter and 18 in the fourth to seal the victory.
Birchwood boys 47, Nanwalek 22
The Birchwood Christian boys kept their season alive Thursday with a win over Nanwalek in the second-chance bracket, putting the Eagles into a Friday matchup with the Seldovia, Nikolaevsk semifinal loser at 3 p.m.
Michael Balos led Birchwood with 15 points, while teammate Collin Becker added 13.
Uriah Huntsman led Nanwalek— which saw its season end — with 10 points.
In other boys games, Lumen Christi topped Kodiak ESS 49-42 to move on in the second-chance bracket. Lumen will face the loser of Ninilchik and Wasilla Lake today at 1:30 p.m.
Lumen Christi girls 47, Seldovia 46, OT
The Seldovia girls saw their season come to an end after two straight days of close losses.
Wednesday, the Sea Otters lost to Birchwood Christian 39-37, and Thursday were outscored 8-7 in overtime to lose to Lumen Christi.
Nyadeng Puoy scored a game-high 27 points for the Archangels and had seven of her team’s eight points in the extra period. Overall, she shot 9 for 11 from the foul line.
Olivia Turner led Seldovia with 19 points, including going 5 for 7 from the free throw line in the fourth quarter to help tie it up. Marina Chissus also scored 17 for Seldovia.
The Sea Otters trailed 29-24 after three quarters, but closed the gap to force overtime with the score tied at 39 apiece.
Homer girls 35, Grace Christian 34
The visiting Mariners nipped the Grizzlies in Southcentral Conference action Thursday for a 15th-straight victory.
Homer had an 18-11 lead at halftime, but Grace won the third quarter 12-4 before Homer held the fort in the fourth.
Hayley Hagen paced the Grizzlies with nine points.
Grace Christian boys 73, Homer 29
The host Grizzlies cruised to a Southcentral Conference victory over Homer on Thursday.
Trevor Osborne had 21 for Grace, while Tobin Karlberg had 20, and Jimmy McGovern and Brogan Nieder had 10 apiece.
Jordan Beachy’s six points paced Homer.
ACS girls 47, Nikiski 40
ACS used a second-half surge to defeat the Bulldogs Thursday at home.
Nikiski led 24-12 at halftime, but ACS clawed back some of the deficit by outscoring the Bulldogs 11-7 in the third quarter, which cut the gap to 31-23 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the final eight minutes, the Lions outscored the Bulldogs 24-9, thanks to 12-of-17 shooting from the free throw line.
Amir Williams scored a game-high 18 points to lead ACS, and hit 6 for 7 from the foul line. Teammate Jordan Todd added 11 points, including seven in the fourth quarter, and Mary Kate Parks had seven, including 5 for 6 in the fourth quarter.
Arianne Parrish led Nikiski with nine points, and Ayla Pitt added eight.
ACS boys 92, Nikiski 56
Anchorage Christian Schools dominated en route to a Southcentral Conference victory over the Bulldogs Thursday night at home.
Mareng Gatkouth led the charge for ACS with 26 points, and teammate Trey Huckabay scored 19.
Hunter Holloway scored 18 points to lead Nikiski, and Ian and Luke Johnson both had 10 points.
Just two weeks after nipping Nikiski by two points, the Lions got off to a rocket start by outscoring the Bulldogs 28-12 in the first quarter, en route to a 52-29 lead at halftime. ACS then poured it on with 32 points in the third quarter to lead 84-49.
Houston girls 44, Seward 22
The Hawks doubled up on the Seahawks to claim a Southcentral Conference win Thursday evening.
Thursday girls
Wolverines 44, Warriors 19
Birchwood 7 2 8 2 —19
Ninilchik 8 4 14 18 —44
BIRCHWOOD (19) — Becker 0 0-0 0, Jensen 0 0-0 0, Goward 1 0-2 2, Goward 0 1-2 1, Tiner 0 0-0 0, Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Brassell 0 0-0 0, Alexander 1 0-0 2, Carruba 0 3-4 3, Scott 4 3-4 11. Totals 6 7-12 19.
NINILCHIK (44) — Delgado 1 0-0 2, Appelhanz 1 0-0 2, Sinclair 3 1-2 9, Goins 4 3-5 11, Zimmerman 0 0-0 0, White 6 2-3 15, Finney 2 1-1 5, Clark 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 7-11 44.
3-point goals — Birchwood 0; Ninilchik 3 (Sinclair 2, White 1).
Team fouls — Birchwood 12; Ninilchik 12. Fouled out — none.
Mariners 35, Grizzlies 34
Homer 6 12 4 13 —35
Grace 6 5 12 11 —34
HOMER (35) — Todd 0 0-0 0, Reutov 0 0-0 0, Draves 2 0-0 5, Akers 6 3-5 15, Cole 0 0-0 0, Waclawski 3 5-8 11, Stafford 2 0-0 4, Kann 0 0-0 0. Totals — 13 8-13 35.
GRACE CHRISTIAN (34) — VanderWeide 0 6-6 6, Hagen 4 0-0 9 Shamburger 1 3-4 5, Hogan 3 0-0 6, Salima 0 0-0 0, Laker 4 0-4 8. Totals — 12 9-14 34.
3-point goals — Homer 1 (Draves); Grace 1 (Hagen). Team fouls — Homer 12, Grace 9. Fouled out — none.
Lions 47, Bulldogs 40
Nikiski 7 17 7 9 —40
ACS 6 6 11 24 —47
NIKISKI (40) — Wik 1 4-5 7, Riddall 2 0-0 5, Vollertsen 2 0-2 4, Pitt 3 2-4 8, Kornstad 0 2-4 2, Clark 2 0-0 5, Parrish 4 0-1 9, Jackson 0 0-0 0, Feltman 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 8-16 40.
ACS (47) — Parks 1 5-6 7, Tebbits 1 0-2 2, Davis 0 1-2 1, Land 1 1-2 3, Williams 5 6-7 18, Carr 1 3-4 5, Todd 4 3-4 11. Totals 13 19-27 47.
3-point goals — Nikiski 4 (Wik 1, Riddall 1, Clark 1, Parrish 1); ACS 2 (Williams 2).
Team fouls — Nikiski 17; ACS 12. Fouled out — Parrish.
Archangels 47, Sea Otters 46
Lumen 6 12 11 10 8 —47
Seldovia 10 5 9 15 7 —46
LUMEN CHRISTI (47) — Lebechi 1 0-2 2, Estes 1 0-1 2, Bakic 2 1-6 6, Estes 1 0-0 2, Martin 0 0-1 0, Childs 0 0-0 0, McCormick 3 1-2 8, Puoy 8 9-11 27. Totals 16 11-22 47.
SELDOVIA (46) — Elvsaas 0 0-0 0, Chissus 5 7-14 17, Metcalf 1 0-0 3, Mitchell 0 0-0 0, Romanoff 0 0-0 0, LaBelle 0 0-2 0, Turner 4 9-13 19, Waterbury 2 3-6 7, Polakova 0 0-0 0. Totals 12 19-35 46.
3-point goals — Lumen Christi 4 (Puoy 2, McCormick 1, Bakic 1); Seldovia 3 (Turner 2, Metcalf 1).
Team fouls — Lumen Christi 20; Seldovia 19. Fouled out — Lebechi, Estes, Childs.
Thursday boys
Wolverines 53, Warriors 43
Wasilla Lake 17 7 11 8 —43
Ninilchik 18 14 14 7 —53
WASILLA LAKE (43) — Huber 6 0-1 12, Stiner 3 0-2 7, Willson 1 0-0 2, Auldridge 1 0-0 2, Neufeld 5 4-4 14, Offord 2 0-0 6. Totals 18 4-7 43.
NINILCHIK (53) — Presley 9 3-6 24, Geppert 2 1-2 7, Brandt 4 5-8 13, Bartolowits 0 0-0 0, Mumey 1 0-0 3, White 3 0-1 6. Totals 19 9-17 53.
3-point goals — Wasilla Lake 3 (Offord 2, Stiner 1); Ninilchik 6 (Presley 3, Geppert 2, Mumey 1).
Team fouls — Wasilla Lake 17; Ninilchik 10. Fouled out — Offord.
Sea Otters 47, Warriors 40
Seldovia 9 14 16 8 —47
Nikolaevsk 13 6 7 14 —40
SELDOVIA (47) — Waterbuy 1 0-0 3, Botero 5 0-1 11, Collier 2 2-2 7, Philpot 8 5-8 24, Swearingen 0 0-0 0, Stanish 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 7-11 47.
NIKOLAEVSK (40) — K. Molodih 1 0-0 2, Trail 0 0-0 0, N. Fefelov 7 0-1 17, Gordeev 3 0-0 8, F. Molodih 5 1-2 11, J. Fefelov 0 0-0 0, Kalugin 1 0-2 2. Totals 17 1-5 40.
3-point goals — Seldovia 6 (Philpot 3, Collier 1, Botero 1, Waterbury 1); Nikolaevsk 5 (N. Fefelov 3, Gordeev 2).
Team fouls — Seldovia 5; Nikolaevsk 16. Fouled out — none.
Grizzlies 73, Mariners 29
Homer 6 12 4 7 —29
Grace 23 26 13 11 —73
HOMER (29) — Ravin 2 0-0 4, Rohr 1 0-0 2, Etzwiler 2 0-0 4, Beachy 2 0-0 6, Edens 1 0-0 2, Ellison 1 0-0 2, Kallelid 0 0-0 0, Carroll 1 0-0 2, Cortez 1 1-2 3, Swoboda 2 0-0 4. Totals — 13 1-2 29.
GRACE CHRISTIAN (73) — Salima 0 1-2 1, Osborne 8 3-4 21, Shamburger 0 0-0 0, Wood 1 0-0 2, McGovern 4 0-0 10, Bro. Nieder 5 0-2 10, Bra. Nieder 1 0-0 2, Sheldon 0 1-2 1, Karlberg 7 2-2 20, Sheldon 3 0-1 6. Totals — 29 7-13 73.
3-point goals — Homer 2 (Beachy 2); Grace 8 (Karlberg 4, Osborne 2, McGovern 2). Team fouls — Homer 10, Grace 6. Fouled out — none.
Lions 92, Bulldogs 56
Nikiski 12 17 20 7 —56
ACS 28 24 32 8 —92
NIKISKI (56) — I. Johnson 5 0-0 10, Anderson 1 0-0 2, L. Johnson 2 6-10 10, Kornstad 1 0-0 2, Holloway 6 3-3 18, Tauriainen 2 0-0 5, Carstens 1 4-4 7, Pamplin 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 13-17 56.
ACS (92) — Gatkouth 10 3-5 26, Huckabay 9 0-0 19, Onochie 4 1-2 9, Cha 0 0-0 0, Bronson 5 0-0 10, Guzman 3 0-0 6, Dickerson 1 0-0 3, Parks 0 0-0 0, Lozano 5 0-0 13, Makoi 3 0-0 6. Totals 40 4-7 92.
3-point goals — Nikiski 5 (Holloway 3, Tauriainen 1, Carstens 1); ACS 8 (Gatkouth 3, Lozano 3, Huckabay 1, Dickerson 1).
Team fouls — Nikiski 7; ACS 17. Fouled out — none.
Birchwood 47, Nanwalek 22
Birchwood 13 18 8 8 —47
Nanwalek 2 3 5 12 —22
BIRCHWOOD (47) — Becker 5 3-4 13, Nunley 0 0-0 0, Peterson 0 0-0 0, Wohrle 1 1-2 3, Reich 3 0-0 8, Nunley 0 0-0 0, Balos 4 4-4 15, McKinley 3 0-0 6, Lohrle 1 0-1 2. Totals 17 8-10 47.
NANWALEK (22) — Wilson 2 0-0 5, Jimmy 1 0-0 3, Balos 0 0-0 0, Huntsman 5 0-2 10, Ukatish 1 0-0 2, Evans 1 0-3 2, Evans 0 0-0 0. Totals 10 0-5 22.
3-point goals — Birchwood 5 (Balos 3, Reich 2); Nanwalek 2 (Wilson 1, Jimmy 1).
Team fouls — Birchwood 12; Nanwalek 11. Fouled out — none.
