The Cook Inlet Academy girls and Nanwalek boys notched Peninsula Conference victories Saturday at senior night at Cook Inlet Academy.

The CIA girls won 50-27 to move to 3-0 in the league and 9-8 overall, while Nanwalek fell to 0-3 and 0-7. The Nanwalek boys won 67-61 to improve to 4-7 overall and 3-1 in the league, dropping CIA to 3-1 and 15-5.

The boys result qualifies as a shocker.

The CIA boys are one of the favorites to win the Class 1A state tournament, with victories this season over Class 4A schools Soldotna and Eagle River. CIA is led by senior Ian McGarry, the Class 1A Player of the Year as a sophomore and 1A all-state first-teamer as a junior.

Nanwalek was a relatively unknown quantity, with only six games played all season until a trip this week that saw the squad play five games in six days.

“I hope this is a stepping stone for our program and our young men because of the short season that we have,” Nanwalek head coach Kevin Seville said. “On any given night on any given floor, anything can happen.

“And this was one of those instances where our boys shot the lights out. We basically were CIA to CIA, because that’s what we’ve watched them do to everyone else. They shoot tremendously and take care of the ball.”

Nanwalek hit four 3-pointers in the first quarter and took a 29-12 lead. Chase Kvasnikoff punctuated the scoring outburst by banking in a 3-pointer as the buzzer sounded.

CIA was dealing with illness, with three front-court players out and several guards also under the weather, including second-leading scorer Alek McGarry.

But CIA head coach Ben McGarry was not about to make excuses.

“That’s props to them,” coach McGarry said. “They were making shots. It was crazy.”

The coach said he didn’t have a big problem with the way his team played defense. He also said CIA was getting shots it wanted, just not hitting enough of them to keep up with red-hot Nanwalek.

Nanwalek stretched the lead all the way out to 35-14 in the second quarter and led 41-21 at halftime.

Coach McGarry had hesitated to use full-court pressure due to the illness, but that changed at halftime.

“I didn’t know if we had the energy early on to do that,” he said. “But we were down 20. I was like, ‘Well, we’ve got to try something here.’”

CIA kept cutting into the lead and trailed 52-45 after three quarters. With 5:52 left in the fourth quarter, Ian McGarry, who was fully healthy and finished with 39 points, hit a layup to tie the game at 52.

“I told the boys there’s no way we’re going to score with this team,” Seville said. “And you can see why.

“Ian McGarry is just awesome. He’s got to be the Player of the Year at the 1A level, if not across the state.”

What happened next was more impressive than Nanwalek’s unconscious shooting in the first quarter.

Nanwalek refused to let their carriage turn into a pumpkin, taking control of the game again.

“We didn’t waver in our decision to slow the ball down,” Seville said. “We knew we couldn’t outgun this team.

“We took advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves. We scored when we could, that’s what it boiled down to. I think we frustrated them when we moved the ball.”

Coach McGarry said the period in the game with the score tied at 52 was pivotal. He said if his team could have gotten the lead, CIA could have stopped spending energy chasing the game.

As it was, Nanwalek’s two big performers once again came through.

Marcarius Evans, who finished with 24 points, hit a layup while getting fouled with 4:29 left for a 54-52 lead.

“I’m looking forward to getting another year out of Marcarius,” Seville said. “I’m really proud of what he’s able to do for us inside.

“He may not be taller than other kids, but he can sure jump as well as those other kids.”

When Evans missed his foul shot, Sean Moonin, who had 26 points, got the rebound and dug into his bag of creative finishes to put Nanwalek up 56-52.

Moonin, a senior, helped Nanwalek to the only state appearance in school history during his freshman season. He then moved from the village his sophomore and junior seasons.

“He had to turn some things around,” Seville said. “He was having a hard time making it, making difficult choices in life.

“Basketball and his family brought him back to the village.”

With the ball handling skills of Moonin and Kenji Simmons, and the ability of Evans to finish underneath when CIA’s defense overcommitted, Nanwalek closed the victory with authority.

“My boys, I love their heart and hustle,” Seville said. “I wouldn’t trade it for anything. My boys bring it every night.”

Seville also said it was great to see supporters in the stands.

“I want to thank our community,” he said. “I want to thank the parents of these children and everyone who supports the basketball program. This is a pretty significant win.”

Also for Nanwalek, Ashton Meganack had 9, Chase Kvasnikoff and Dmitri Kvasnikoff each had 3 and Simmons had 2.

Also for CIA, Alek McGarry had 13, Owen Braband had 5, and Jonas Oyoumick and Zach Armstrong had 2.

It also was a special night for the CIA community, with the exception of the boys result. The CIA boys honored seniors Hyrum Henderson and Brady Baeten, who were both home sick, plus Blaine Hunt, Armstrong and Ian McGarry.

Coach McGarry said it was neat to watch Hunt play in his first varsity game.

The coach also thinks the loss to Nanwalek will focus his team on the goal of winning state.

“We have eight games now to win a state championship, right?” McGarry said. “We play at Seward, then have three region games, and then four state games.

“So that’s the season in front of us.”

The CIA girls honored manager Grace Henry as well as players Kelsi Curren, Kristi Stoll, Ella Rollman and Beka Dillingham.

“They’re a good group of girls,” CIA coach Josh Hawley said. “They’re from solid families and they work hard.

“From last year only winning three games to coming to 9-8 and No. 1 in the conference is a pretty big thing.”

Rollman was dominant underneath with 24 points. Nanwalek did not have anybody who could match her size.

“We do rely on her quite a bit,” Hawley said. “She’s very accurate. Then she has the size and footwork.”

Although CIA was not hitting from the outside, Hawley said the game was a step forward.

“We’ve had a lot of ups and downs, peaks and valleys,” he said. “This time around, it was pretty good. We were able to control ourselves and not get a lot of turnovers.”

Also for CIA, Sophie Rozak had 4, Stoll, Maria Smith and Dillingham had 3, and Clara Warren, Curren, Reagan Woodward and Serenity Plate had 2.

Nanwalek head coach Alyssa Romanoff said it was tough to deal with Rollman and also tough to play with one substitute.

Like the boys, the girls have had a limited schedule, but Romanoff is happy with the progress.

“They’re doing really good on their defense,” she said. “The offense is going pretty good too, we’ve just got to pick it up a little more.”

Alyson Seville had 8 for Nanwalek, while Hadassah Haskins had 7, Phontina Demas had 4, and Emma Tanape, Ludmilla Hetrick and Harleigh Romanoff had 2.

Keith Presley Memorial Tournament

The Ninilchik boys and Tok girls wrapped up championships at the tourney in Ninilchik on Saturday, while the Nikiski boys, who had gone winless last season, won their first game of this season.

The Unalaska girls and boys were the runners-up.

The Wolverines boys wrapped up the title with a 60-34 victory over Unalaska that doubled as a Southern Conference win. Ninilchik is 5-2 in the league and 15-7 overall.

Kade McCorison had 36 for Ninilchik, while Andon McCorison had 13, Brandt Mill had 5, and Maxx Russell, Eric Rader and Holdon Cameron had 2.

For Unalaska, Aaron San Luis, Nicolas Kitsyuk and Kaidon Parker had 10, while Adam Shapsnikoff had 4.

The Tok girls beat the Nikiski JV 82-19 to wrap up the title.

For Tok, Bernadean Simmonds had 18, Skyla Frank-Young had 17, Germaine Howard had 14, Cheyanne Hipp had 8, Allison Demit and Nevaeh Evans-John had 6, Menacie Jimmie-Solomon had 3 and Bridgett Thomas had 2.

For Nikiski JV, Folesha Anderson had 8, Payton Ricks had 7, and Kylie Northington and Chevelle Flynn had 2.

The Bulldogs won 63-40 to improve to 1-16.

Carter Eiter led the way for Nikiski with 26, while Kameron Bird had 14, Kevin Love had 11, Ryder Maguire had 6, and Kaleb Allen and Lynn Deveer each had 3.

The Ninilchik girls lost to Unalaska 59-23 to fall to 0-6 in the league and 4-14 overall.

For Ninilchik, Lily Berger had 15, Kate Hendryx had 6 and Audry Herndon had 2.

For Unalaska, Abija Maynard had 27, Rylee Laforteza had 12, Adyson Scott had 8, and Dalyla Nettleton and Deserette Qusbrar had 6.

For the Tok boys, Chairo Espinosa had 20, Marvin Captain had 19, Gabe Lint and Lucas Hipp had 5, and Vaughn Arnold had 2.

The MVP of the girls tournament was Skyla Frank-Young of Tok. The all-tournament team was Folesha Anderson of Niksiki, Kate Hendryx of Ninilchik, Abija Maynard of Unalaska, Adyson Scott of Unalaska, Rylee Forteza of Unalaska, Ally Dermit of Tok and Nevaeh Evans-John of Tok.

The girls handler award went to Jenelle Remolino of Unalaska, the girls free-throw champ was Rylee Lemons of Ninilchik, the girls 3-point champ as Remolino and the girls post moves winner was Evans-John.

The MVP of the boys tournament was Kade McCorison of Ninilchik. The all-tournament team was Carter Eiter of Nikiski, Chairo Espinoza of Tok, Marvin Captain of Tok, Nicolas Kitsyuk of Unalaska, Kaiden Parker of Unalaska, Maxx Russell of Ninilchik and Andon McCorison of Ninilchik.

The boys handler award went to Aaron San-Luis of Unalaska, Kade McCorison won the free throw and 3-point contest, and Kameron Bird of Nikiski won post moves.

Lady Grizzly Hardwood Classic

The Nikiski girls lost to Colony JV 42-34 on Saturday in the third-place game of the tournament at Grace Christian in Anchorage. The Bulldogs are 6-12.

Blakeley Jorgensen made the all-tournament team and scored 15 against the Knights. Madison Iyatunguk added 11, while Avery Ellis and Kailey Stynsberg had 4.

Kenai girls 51, Redington 15

The visiting Kardinals moved to 13-8 overall with the nonconference win.

Bryleigh Williams pumped in 13 for the Kardinals, while McKenzie Spence had 12, Gracee Every had 9, Willow Graham had 7, Ellsi Miller had 4, and Sierra Hershberger, Evelyn Cooper and Hallie Songer had 2.

Maela Matika had 6 for the Huskies, while Daisy Cardoso had 5 and Janessa Gubler had 2.

Kenai boys 41, Redington 29

The visiting Kardinals took a nonconference contest on the road to move to 14-7 overall.

For the Kardinals, Miles Metteer had 17, while Reid Titus had 8, Caleb Litke had 7, Mason Tunseth had 4, Carter Felchle had 3 and Eli Smith had 2.

Wasilla girls 63, Soldotna 19

The host Warriors picked up a Northern Lights Conference victory to drop the Stars to 2-6 in the league and 10-11 overall.

SoHi coach Rustin Hitchcock wrote in a text message that his team played better than Friday and worked extremely hard.

Anaulie Sedivy paced SoHi with 6, while Anika Jedlicka had 4, Alyssa McDonald had 3, and Brooke Walters, Laurel Johnson and Hope Hillyer each had 2.

Leading the way for the Warriors were Layla Hays and Savannah Kroon with 12 and Mylee Anderson with 11.

Wasilla boys 63, Soldotna 50

The host Warriors notched a Northern Lights Conference victory to drop the Stars to 2-6 in the league and 7-13 overall.

For the Stars, Izaiah Gilbert had 20, Jayden Stuyvesant had 12, Bryan Berg had 8, Easton Hawkins and Theo Huff had 3, and Owen Buckbee and Scott Bieber had 2.

Tristan Horton and Barak Wagle each had 16 for the Warriors, while Noah Kroon had 11, Deegan Van Dyssen had 10, Brayden Sparrs had 7 and Ryder Howard had 3.

Seward girls 55, Houston 11

The visiting Seahawks took the nonconference affair for their 16th straight win. They are 16-2.

Houston boys 60, Seward 52

The host Hawks notched a nonconference win to drop the Seahawks to 9-9 overall.