Prep hoops roundup: Nikiski girls win big

Prep hoops roundup: Nikiski girls win big

The Nikiski girls basketball team opened with a huge win, while the Bulldogs boys started with a tight loss, Thursday at the Rus Hitchcock Nikiski Tip Off Tournament.

The girls opened with a 59-13 victory over Houston. Nikiski led 33-2 after the first quarter.

Bethany Carstens led the Bulldogs with 24 points.

The Houston boys were able to notch a 45-43 victory over Nikiski in overtime. The Bulldogs outscored the Hawks 9-4 in the fourth quarter to force the extra frame, but Houston won extra time 3-1.

Francis Mose had 10 points for the Hawks, while Michael Eiter had 17 for the Bulldogs.

In other games, the Glennallen boys defeated South JV 62-24. Gabe Jones led Glennallen with 23 points, while Luke Weimer added 13.

The South girls defeated Glennallen 41-20. Taylor Steadman had 15 for South, while Maris Soland added 10.

Joe T. Classic

The host Lathrop girls notched a 49-40 victory over Kenai in the opening round of the tournament Thursday. Ella Roberts and Torrin Johnson Oats each had 17 for Lathrop, while Jaycie Calvert had 14 and Brooke Satathite had 13 for the Kards.

The Kenai boys defeated Lathrop 75-72. Adam Trujillo poured in 25 points for the Kards, while Tyrone McEnerney had 15 and Andrew Bezdecny added 11.

Dean Cummings Memorial Tournament

Host Delta notched a 39-33 victory over Seward on Thursday. Andrea Solla filled up the scoresheet with 23 points for Delta, while Ashley Jackson had 11 for Seward.

The Seward boys defeated Delta 64-57. Connor Spanos had 19 for the Seahawks, while Max Pfieffenberger had 14 and Trey Ingalls added 11. For Delta, Omar Powers had 15, while Ben Bialik had 14 and Jason Montes had 10.

South boys 68, Homer 53

The host Wolverines stopped the Mariners in the opening night of the O’Brady’s Invitational. Homer falls into a consolation bracket game at 4:30 p.m. Friday.

Nikolaevsk girls 40, Lumen Christi 18

The host Warriors notched a victory over the defending conference champs.

Elizabeth Fefelov paced Nikolaevsk with 17 points. For Lumen, Sophia Dupras had seven points.

Lumen Christi boys 57, Nikolaevsk 52

The visiting Archangels handed the Warriors their first loss of the season, dropping them to 6-1.

Brenden Gregory had 21 points to lead Lumen, while Daniel Bennett had 20 and Tim Bennett added 10. For Nikolaevsk, Zachary Trail and Michael Trail each had 17 points before fouling out.

Birchwood Bash

The Cook Inlet Academy girls picked up a win, while the boys took a loss, Thursday at the round-robin event at Birchwood Christian in Chugiak.

The CIA girls won 22-16 over Eagle River’s junior varsity, with Adara Warren leading the way with 10 points. The Eagles boys dropped a 70-28 decision to Eagle River JV. George Saxe had 15 for the Wolves, while William Michener added 14. For CIA, James Boyd had nine.

Thursday girls

Eagles 22, Wolves JV 16

CIA 4 6 8 4 — 22

Eagle River 2 4 5 5 — 16

COOK INLET ACADEMY (22) — G. Nelson 0, Henderson 4, Hyatt 0, S. Nelson 2, Dohse 0, A. Nelson 2, Castenholz 0, Cragg 0, Cizek 4, Warren 10. Totals — 9 4-8 22.

EAGLE RIVER JV (16) — Teixeira 0, Fentress 0, Sherman 2, Becerra 3, Wegener 5, Barlow 0, Pennington 0, Estes 0, Garber 0, Sharpe 2, Gerk 0, Boland 0, Foger 2, Perry 2. Totals — 7 2-8 16.

3-point goals — none. Team fouls — CIA 10, Eagle River JV 11. Fouled out — none.

Warriors 40, Archangels 18

Lumen Christi 7 4 2 5 — 18

Nikolaevsk 12 8 9 11 — 40

LUMEN CHRISTI (18) — Estes 2, Thorsness 4, Warren 2, Dupras 7, Martin 3, Howard 0. Totals — 8 2-6 18.

NIKOLAEVSK (40) — Klaich 1, Z. Fefelov 7, Lasiter 0, Yakunin 9, Kalugin 2, J. Fefelov 4, E. Fefelov 17. Totals — 15 8-13 40.

3-point goals —Nikolaevsk 2 (Z. Fefelov, Yakunin). Team fouls — Lumen Christi 8, Nikolaevsk 6. Fouled out — none.

Bulldogs 59, Hawks 13

Houston 2 4 3 4 — 13

Nikiski 33 17 4 5 — 59

HOUSTON (13) — Graham 3, Whitted 3, Bitler 2, Garcia 3, Elson 0, Ritchie 2. Totals — 5 2-12 13.

NIKISKI (59) — Jeffreys 4, Wik 7, L. Carstens 8, Bostic 3, Johnson 3, B. Carstens 24, B. Epperheimer 2, Clark 6, Druesdow 0, Hooper 0, Reichert 0, Zimmerman 2, S. Epperheimer 0. Totals — 24 7-13 59.

3-point goals — Houston 1 (Garcia 1); Nikiski 4 (B. Carstens 3, Wik). Team fouls — Houston 11, Nikiski 15. Fouled out — none.

Thursday boys

Wolves JV 70, Eagles 28

CIA 6 10 8 4 — 28

Eagle River JV 17 16 17 20 — 70

COOK INLET ACADEMY (28) — Ja. Boyd 9, Johnson 2, Cragg 6, Leaf 2, Walsh 0, Anderson 2, Van De Grift 0, Peterson 0, Zeigler 3, Jo. Boyd 4. Totals — 7 11-22 28.

EAGLE RIVER JV (70) — Burley 4, Cogswell 4, Jackson 9, Saxe 15, Marson 2, Van Meter 0, Womack 5, Anastasio 0, Podilla 0, Cooper 6, Berry 5, Farthing 4, Paltz 2, Michener 14, Tripp 0. Totals — 29 4-10 70.

3-point goals — CIA 3 (Cragg 2, Ja. Boyd); Eagle River JV (Saxe 3, Jackson, Womack, Cooper, Michener). Team fouls — CIA 10, Eagle River JV 22. Fouled out — none.

Archangels 57, Warriors 52

Lumen Christi 17 20 8 12 — 57

Nikolaevsk 10 3 18 21 — 52

LUMEN CHRISTI (57) — Gregory 21, Cruz 0, D. Bennett 20, Nagel 6, Renfro 0, Bernert 0, T. Bennett 10, Howard 0. Totals — 21 6-11 57.

NIKOLAEVSK (52) — Boquecosa 0, Brown 0, Fefelov 8, J. Trail 2, Kalugin 8, Nikitenko 0, Z. Trail 17, M. Trail 17. Totals — 20 6-12 52.

3-point goals — Lumen Christi 9 (Gregory 4, D. Bennett 2, Nagel 2, T. Bennett); Nikolaevsk 6 (Fefelov 2, Kalugin 2, Z. Trail 2). Team fouls — Lumen Christi 12, Nikolaevsk 12. Fouled out — Z. Trail, M. Trail.

Hawks 45, Bulldogs 43, OT

Houston 8 17 13 4 3 — 45

Nikiski 9 15 9 9 1 — 43

HOUSTON (45) — Ca. Wyrick 6, Co. Wyrick 8, Faliniko 2, Croghan 2, G. Mulhaney 5, Jefferson 0, O. Mulhaney 4, Mose 10, McLaughlin 8. Totals — 19 5-11 45.

NIKISKI (43) — Mysing 5, Weathers 0, Smith 9, Kornstad 2, Berry 0, Handley 4, Litke 2, Payne 2, Gray 2, Eiter 17. Totals — 17 6-8 43.

3-point goals — Houston 2 (Co. Wyrick 2); Nikiski 3 (Mysing, Smith, Eiter). Team fouls — Houston 11, Nikiski 13. Fouled out — none.

More in Sports

Senior Mason Bock exclaims after winning the state title during the ASAA Division I state championships in Anchorage, Alaska on Dec. 20, 2025. Bock beat No. 2 seed Isaiah Schultz of Colony High School in the final, securing his victory in the 135-pound title as the No. 4 seed. Bock said standing on the podium was the best moment of his life, telling the Clarion that since he had lost to Schultz once earlier in the season, he was “focused and determined to have a different outcome” during the final match. Photo courtesy of Andie Bock/Andie’s Alaskan Adventures Photography
SoHi girls 3-peat at state wrestling championships

The boys team placed second and saw five wrestlers win state titles in the Division I tournament.

Homer and Soldotna hockey players battle for the puck during the Carlin Cup home varsity game on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at the Kevin Bell Arena in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
SoHi hockey claims 3rd Carlin Cup victory

The Soldotna varsity hockey team defeated Homer 9-1 Saturday at Kevin Bell Arena.

Seward’s Atlin Ryan wrestles against a Mountain City Christian Academy athlete during the regional Kachemak Conference Wrestling Championships on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025, at Homer High School in Homer, Alaska. (Delcenia Cosman/Homer News)
Homer girls wrestling team named regional champions

Kenai boys, girls both placed third overall in the Kachemak Conference Wrestling Championships on Saturday.

The Soldotna High School wrestling team is pictured after the Northern Lights regional conference in Wasilla, Alaska, on Saturday, Dec. 13, 2025. SoHi sent 33 boys and 11 girls to regionals. 22 boys and nine girls will compete in the state tournament at the Alaska Airlines Center this weekend. Photo courtesy of Soldotna High School Athletics
SoHi wrestling wins regional title; 31 wrestlers advance to state

22 boys and nine girls will compete in the state tournament this weekend.

Sophie Tapley is photographed with her parents, Josh and Whitney Tapley, during Sophie’s signing ceremony at Kenai Central High School on Nov. 26, 2025. Tapley committed to playing volleyball at the University of Alaska Anchorage during the 2026-2027 school year. Photo courtesy of Jesse Settlemyer, Kenai Central Athletics
Kenai Central’s Sophie Tapley signs with UAA volleyball

Tapley will trade her Kardinals jersey for a Seawolf one during the 2026-2027 academic year.

Photo courtesy Pete Dickinson
The SoHi junior varsity and varsity wrestling teams compete in the Battle for the Bird at Soldotna High School on Wednesday, Nov. 26. The Kenai Peninsula Athletics Sapphire dance team performed the halftime show.
SoHi, Nikiski wrestling teams compete for Thanksgiving dinner

The Stars and Bulldogs faced off during the Battle for the Bird duals last Wednesday.

Runners of all ages gather for a photo in the Homer High School Commons after the annual Thanksgiving Turkey Trot on Thursday, Nov. 27, 2025, in Homer, Alaska. Due to icy outdoor conditions, the official run was moved to the high school halls. Photo courtesy Matthew Smith
55 turn out for Homer Turkey Trot

Each Thanksgiving morning, the Kachemak Bay Running Club and the City of… Continue reading

The varsity wrestling team is pictured after the Robin Hervey individual tournament in Kodiak on Nov. 22, 2025. Photo courtesy of Pete Dickinson
Sports briefs: Soldotna hockey, wrestling teams secure wins at weekend tournaments

SoHi hockey won the End of the Road tournament in Homer and the wrestling team gained 20 individual wins.

The Kenai Central High School varsity volleyball team is named the 2025 3A Volleyball State Championship Tournament, held Nov. 13-15, 2025, at the Alaska Airlines Center in Anchorage, Alaska. The Kardinals defeated the Nikiski Bulldogs 3-2 in a "rematch" championship game on Saturday, Nov. 15, securing their third state title in the last four years. Photo courtesy of the Kenai Volleyball Booster Club
Kenai Central takes home 3rd volleyball state title

The Kards defeated Nikiski in a rematch championship game on Saturday during the state tournament in Anchorage.

Soldotna High School wrestlers won six individual championships during the Lancer Smith Memorial wrestling tournament in Wasilla Nov. 14-15. Photo courtesy of SoHi Stars Wrestling on Facebook
SoHi wrestling sweeps Lancer Smith tourney, eyes state title

SoHi girls and boys took first and second place as teams, respectively.

Soldotna’s Gracelyn Altobelli attacks against Nikiski’s Addison Perkins on Tuesday, Sept. 16, 2025, at Soldotna High School in Soldotna, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Sports briefs: Soldotna volleyball claims third Northern Lights Region III title

The SoHi Stars will compete at the state tournament this weekend.

The Homer Mariners varsity football team celebrates their victory after the Division III state championships game on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025, in Wasilla, Alaska. Photo provided by Justin Zank
Homer, Kenai football receive Division III All-State awards

Players on the Homer High School and Kenai Central High School varsity… Continue reading