The Dimond girls stamped their authority on the Class 4A landscape with a 71-22 nonconference win Saturday night over the Soldotna Stars at SoHi.
In a game that will be added to the WPI calculations, Dimond’s win lifted the Lynx to 8-0 overall this year, while the Stars dropped to 4-2.
Dimond junior post Alyssa Pili controlled the paint with her six-foot frame to score 26 points, a game-high. SoHi junior Aliann Schmidt led the Stars with 12 points.
The Lynx wasted no time in building up a big lead, scoring 35 points in the first quarter and getting to halftime with a 46-12 advantage.
SoHi travels to face longtime rival Kenai Central Tuesday in a Northern Lights Conference meeting.
ACS girls 71, Nikiski 48
The host Anchorage Christian Schools girls team pulled away from Nikiski in the second half to score a victory in a battle between two of the conference’s top teams.
The Lions improved to 8-0 on the season and 4-0 overall, while the Bulldogs drop to 8-2 overall and 2-1 in the league.
ACS grabbed a 19-12 lead after the first quarter and 35-26 lead after the first half. But the Lions really opened things up by winning the third quarter 20-10.
Destiny Reimers led a balanced ACS scoring attack with 15 points, while Jessie Davis had 13, Chaunice Carr had 12, Jordan Todd had 12 and Mary Kate Parks pitched in 10.
Bethany Carstens had 12 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Lillian Carstens pitched in 11.
Nikiski girls 62, Redington 28
Bethany Carstens scored a game-high 19 to lead Nikiski to a win over Redington on Friday at Redington in Southcentral Conference action.
The Bulldogs opened the game on an 18-5 run, and added 23 second-quarter points. Kaycee Bostic added 11. Courtney Crockett led Redington with 16.
ACS boys 88, Nikiski 39
The host Lions cruised past the Bulldogs on Saturday in Southcentral Conference action with 17 points apiece from Jason Cho and Orlando Lozano, 15 from Brett Dickerson and 11 from Frederick Onochie.
ACS grabbed a 24-6 lead in the first quarter.
Jace Kornstad had 18 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Cody Handley added 13.
Nikiski boys 54, Redington 44
Ian Johnson used his 21 points to lead Nikiski to a win over Redington on Friday. The Bulldogs held a slim 9-8 lead in the first, but outscored Redington 19-2 in the second. The Huskies pulled the game to 10 with a 22-point fourth quarter. Jaycob Elliott scored half of his 12 points during the final quarter.
Juneau boys 48, Soldotna 47
A last-second jumpshot and ensuing foul shot tipped victory in favor of the Juneau-Douglas boys Saturday in the Alaska Prep Shootout fourth-place game.
SoHi led by two in the dying seconds, but Juneau’s Luke Mallinger connected on a jumper with .8 seconds left to tie it, and was fouled in the process. Mallinger put the Crimson Bears ahead on his free throw to help secure the win and fourth place.
The Stars were relegated to sixth place at the tournament, going 1-2 over the weekend.
Sophomore guard Jersey Truesdell scored a game-high 29 points for SoHi, hitting 14 of 19 shots from the floor, according to Soldotna head coach Nolan Rose. Truesdell scored 15 points in the final eight minutes alone.
Juneau led 26-23 at halftime and pushed its lead to 40-28 after three quarters, but SoHi staged a fourth-quarter rally by outscoring their Class 4A rivals 19-8 in the final eight minutes.
Soldotna boys 81, Tikigaq 40
The Stars dominated a fourth-place bracket semifinal Friday at the Dimond tourney to advance into Saturday’s fourth-place game.
Palmer girls 50, Kenai Central 45
The Palmer girls’ basketball squad bounced back from a slow start to grab a victory in its Northern Lights Conference season-opener Saturday afternoon.
The Moose used 31 second-half points to post a win over Kenai Central at Palmer High. Julia Benshetler scored a game-high 16 points for Palmer. Abrianna Busbey and Avery Pettingill added 11 each. Pettingill knocked down a trio of three-pointers in the win.
Brooke Satathite led Kenai with 13.
Palmer boys 54, Kenai 31
The Palmer boys completed the NLC home sweep with a win over Kenai.
Jacob Titus hit four three-pointers and scored a team-high 12 for the Moose. Clayton Southwick added 10 and Dae Osinesky chipped in nine.
Luke Beiser led Kenai with a game-high 15. Preben Strende added 10.
Palmer held Kenai to only 13 second-half points.
Homer girls 40, Redington 25
The Homer girls finished the weekend with a 2-1 Southcentral Conference record after beating Redington Saturday.
Alyssa Cole scored a game-high 17 points to lead the Mariners, while Grace Godfrey added eight.
Homer limited Redington to just two points in the second quarter to grab an 18-10 halftime lead, then won the third quarter 12-7 to push the gap to 30-17.
Homer girls 43, Houston 21
The Mariners prevailed in a Southcentral Conference matchup Friday night in Houston. The victory lifted Homer to a 1-1 season record in the division.
Homer boys 74, Redington 42
The Mariners prevailed in a conference contest Saturday over the Huskies. The win left Homer with a 2-1 Southcentral Conference record.
Homer boys 58, Houston 33
The Homer boys team secured a Friday sweep with a rout over the Houston Hawks.
Koby Etzwiler netted a game-high 19 points for the Mariners, while teammate Jordan Beachy chipped in 14 on four treys.
The Mariners took a 26-12 lead into halftime and kept the momentum into the third quarter, outscoring Houston 17-4 to take a daunting 43-16 lead.
Seward boys 42, Houston 41
The Seahawks escaped with a narrow victory Saturday night in Houston.
Seward led 18-15 at halftime, and the Hawks cut the gap to 25-23 after three quarters, but couldn’t finish the job.
Zen Petrosius netted 23 points for Seward, hitting 10 shots from the floor, while teammate Connor Spanos added 12. Silas Ross scored 13 points to lead Houston.
ACS boys 75, Seward 42
The Anchorage Christian boys grabbed a Southcentral Conference victory Friday night at home over Seward. The win moved the Lions to 3-0 in the conference and 6-1 overall, while Seward dropped to 1-1 in the conference.
Zen Petrosius netted a game-high 24 points for Seward, scoring 14 in the fourth quarter alone, but ACS spread their scoring over 11 players, led by the 13 points from Frederick Onochie.
ACS got off to a fast start, outscoring Seward 16-4 in the first quarter and scoring 22 points in the second quarter to push the lead to 38-18 at halftime. The Lions won the third quarter 16-6 to ice the victory.
Houston girls 54, Seward 28
The Seahawks finished their weekend road trip with a Saturday win over Houston, lifting them to 2-1 in the Southcentral Conference.
ACS girls 79, Seward 19
Anchorage Christian suffocated Seward in a Southcentral Conference meeting Friday night in Anchorage.
Seward dropped to 1-1 in the conference, while the Lions improved to 3-0 and 7-0 overall.
Coral Petrosius scored a team-high eight points for the Seahawks, while Chaunice Carr led ACS with 22 points and Destiny Reimers scored 14 of her 19 points in the first half. The Lions staked out a 27-4 lead in the first quarter, then pushed it to 52-6 at halftime.
Birchwood boys 43, Nikolaevsk 37
Birchwood Christian toppled Nikolaevsk in a Peninsula Conference clash Friday night, putting the Warriors in a 0-1 hole to begin their division schedule.
Kalenik Molodih netted a team-high 18 points for Nikolaevsk, while Zachary Trail chipped in nine points and Kosta Nikitenko added six. Michael Trail pulled down 12 rebounds.
Tied at 21 apiece at halftime, Birchwood went on a third-quarter tear by outscoring Nikolaevsk 17-3. The Warriors bounced back by winning the fourth quarter 13-5, but came up empty.
Nikolaevsk girls 47, Birchwood 35
The Warrior girls rode a hot start to a Peninsula Conference victory Friday night on the road.
Elizabeth Fefelov scored 16 points to lead Nikolaevsk. Teammate Kristin Klaich added eight points, Zoya Fefelov had six and Jodie Kain and Markiana Yakunin each notched five.
Nikolaevsk staked out a 17-2 lead after one quarter, which helped provide a buffer the rest of the way. The Warriors led 32-15 at halftime and 39-26 after three quarters of play.
Soldotna JV boys 67, CIA 15
The Cook Inlet Academy boys lost to the SoHi JV squad Friday night in nonconference action.
Friday girls
Lions 79, Seahawks 19
Seward 4 2 7 6 —19
ACS 27 25 20 7 —79
SEWARD (19) — Dow 0 0-0 0, Lemme 0 0-0 0, Ambrosiani 0 0-0 0, Terry 2 0-0 4, VonBorstel 1 1-6 3, Sieverts 0 0-0 0, Jackson 2 0-0 4, Sullivan 0 0-0 0, Petrosius 3 2-5 8. Totals 8 3-11 19.
ACS (79) — Parks 5 0-0 11, Smallwood 2 0-0 4, Davis 1 0-0 2, Reimers 9 0-0 19, Tiucana 0 0-0 0, Powell 0 1-4 1, Randall 1 0-0 2, Pickard 1 2-2 4, Carr 9 1-2 22, Tungving 0 0-0 0, Todd 6 2-2 14. Totals 34 6-10 79.
3-point goals — ACS 5 (Carr 3, Reimers 1, Parks 1); Seward 0.
Team fouls — ACS 9; Seward 8. Fouled out — none.
Friday boys
Mariners 58, Hawks 33
Homer 15 11 17 15 —58
Houston 7 5 4 17 —33
HOMER (58) — M. Beachy 0 0-0 0, Etzwiler 8 1-1 19, Adkins 1 0-0 2, Reutov 0 2-2 2, Carroll 2 1-6 5, Raymond 0 0-0 0, Davis 3 0-0 8, J. Beachy 5 0-0 14, McGhee 4 0-0 8. Totals 23 4-9 58.
HOUSTON (33) — Wyrick 2 0-0 6, Wilson 0 0-0 0, Gabe 1 0-0 2, Warner 0 0-0 0, Hershman 1 0-2 2, Mulhaney 3 2-4 8, Graham 0 0-0 0, Ritter 1 0-0 3, Croghan 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 3-8 33.
3-point goals — Homer 8 (J. Beachy 4, Etzwiler 2, Davis 2); Houston 4 (Wyrick 2, Mulhaney 1, Ritter 1).
Team fouls — Homer 14; Houston 10. Fouled out — none.
Lions 75, Seahawks 42
Seward 4 14 6 18 —42
ACS 16 22 16 21 —75
SEWARD (42) — Hollingsworth 0 0-0 0, Koster 0 2-2 2, Moriarty 0 0-0 0, S. Estes 2 0-0 5, Ingalls 0 0-0 0, Spanos 2 1-2 5, Pfeiffenberger 1 0-0 2, Jarvis 1 2-2 4, McMurray 9 5-6 24, Petrosius 9 5-6 24. Totals 15 10-12 42.
ACS (75) — Parks 1 0-0 3, Smallwood 3 3-4 9, Onochie 5 3-4 13, Davis 1 0-0 3, Cho 4 0-2 8, Hayner 0 0-0 0, Guzman 6 0-0 12, Dickerson 2 0-0 4, Hakala 2 0-0 4, Lozano 0 2-2 2, Smith 3 0-0 7, Hall 4 0-0 10. Totals 31 8-12 75.
3-point goals — Seward 2 (Estes 1, Petrosius 1); ACS 5 (Hall 2, Smith 1, Davis 1, Parks 1).
Team fouls — Seward 9; ACS 15. Fouled out — none.
Bulldogs 54, Huskies 44
Nikiski 9 19 13 13 — 54
Redington 8 2 12 22 — 44
Nikiski (54) — Johnson 8 5-8 21, Weathers 1 0-1 2, Eillis 2 2-3 7, Kornstad 1 0-0 3, Handley 5 3-3 14, Litke 2 3-6 5, Eiter 1 0-0 2; Totals: 20 13-21 54.
Redington (44) — Falaniko 3 3-4 10, Straughn 0 3-3 3, Eilliott 3 6-6 12, Amirault 2 1-2 5, Brooks 4 0-1 8, Rumfelt 0 0-2 0, Long 1 0-0 2, Norris 2 0-0 4; Totals: 15 13-18 44.
Saturday girls
Lynx 71, Stars 22
Dimond 35 11 14 11 —71
Soldotna 7 5 5 5 —22
DIMOND (71) — Bialo 2 0-0 5, Carle 1 5-6 7, Johansen 3 1-1 8, Nageak 3 4-6 10, Schuster 0 0-0 0, Villafuerle 1 0-0 3, Jones 0 0-0 0, Hajdukovich 3 1-3 8, Lawrence 1 0-0 2, Parker 1 2-2 4, Pili 10 4-6 26. Totals 25 17-24 71.
SOLDOTNA (22) — McGillivray 0 0-0 0, Jaime 0 0-0 0, Miller 0 0-0 0, Blossom 1 0-0 2, A. Schmidt 3 3-6 10, Buckbee 0 0-0 0, Holland 3 0-0 6, Wurst 0 0-1 0, D. Schmidt 1 2-2 4. Totals 8 5-9 22.
3-point goals — Dimond 4 (Hajdukovich 1, Villafuerle 1, Johansen 1, Bialo 1); Soldotna 1 (A. Schmidt).
Team fouls — Dimond 16; Soldotna 15. Fouled out — Miller.
Moose 50, Kardinals 45
Kenai 14 9 12 10 —45
Palmer 5 14 17 14 —50
Kenai (45) — Calvert 1 0-0 2, Hamilton 0 1-2 1, Maw 1 3-6 5, Hauson 6 2-8 14, Paxton 2 2-2 6, Carrasco 2 0-0 4, Satathite 2 9-12 13; Totals: 14 17-30 45.
Palmer (50) — Busbey 5 0-5 11, Pettingill 4 0-0 11, Uschmann 3 0-0 6, Bowman 2 0-0 4, J. Benshetler 6 4-7 16, Alley 1 0-1 2; Totals: 21 4-13 50.
3-pointers: Kenai 0, Palmer 4; Total fouls: Kenai 16, Palmer 17.
Lions 71, Bulldogs 48
Nikiski 12 14 10 10 — 48
ACS 19 16 20 16 — 71
NIKISKI (48) — Jeffreys 0 0-2 0, Wik 3 1-2 8, L. Carstens 4 3-7 11, Bostic 2 0-1 4, Johnson 2 0-0 4, B. Carstens 6 0-1 12, Epperheimer 0 0-2 0, Druesdow 0 0-0 0, Jackson 4 1-2 9. Totals — 21 5-17 48.
ANCHORAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS (71) — Parks 4 2-3 10, Tebbits 0 2-2 2, Smallwood 0 0-0 0, Davis 5 0-0 13, Reimers 4 6-7 15, Tiucana 0 0-0 0, Powell 0 0-0 0, Pickard 1 0-0 2, Carr 3 5-6 12, Tunguing 2 0-0 5, Todd 4 4-6 12. Totals — 23 19-24 71.
3-point goals — Nikiski 1 (Wik); ACS 6 (Davis 3, Reimers, Carr, Tunguing). Team fouls — Nikiski 19, ACS 15. Fouled out — B. Carstens.
Mariners 40, Huskies 25
Homer 10 8 12 10 — 40
Redington 8 2 7 8 — 25
REDINGTON (25) — Koozaata 1 0-0 2, McGovern 1 1-2 3, Crockett 2 3-4 7, Aparezuk 3 0-0 6, Fuller 2 3-6 7, Lytle 0 0-0 0, Harris 0 0-0 0. Totals — 8 7-12 25.
HOMER (40) — Bales 0 0-0 0, A. Godfrey 1 2-6 4, G. Godfrey 3 2-2 8, Doughty 0 0-1 0, Todd 1 1-2 3, Carroll 1 0-2 2, Veldstra 2 2-2 6, Cole 6 5-6 17, Box 0 0-0 0. Totals — 0 0-0 0.
3-point goals — none. Team fouls — Redington 16, Homer 14. Fouled out — Aparezuk.
Saturday boys
Crimson Bears 48, Stars 47
Soldotna 9 14 5 19 —47
Juneau 10 16 14 8 —48
SOLDOTNA (47) — Truesdell 12 0-0 29, Spence 2 0-0 4, Sheridan 1 0-0 2, Crowder 0 0-0 0, Tuisaula 1 0-0 2, Michael 1 0-0 2, McElroy 3 2-4 8. Totals 20 2-4 47.
JUNEAU (48) — Reyes 0 1-2 1, Mallinger 1 1-1 3, Hoover 3 3-3 9, McCormick 1 0-0 2, Watts 3 1-2 7, Krlegmont 1 0-0 2, Kelly 8 4-4 20, Gonzales 1 0-0 2, Samtani 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 10-12 48.
3-point goals — Soldotna 5 (Truesdell 5); Juneau 0.
Team fouls — Soldotna 15; Juneau 10. Fouled out — none.
Moose 54, Kardinals 31
Kenai 8 10 5 8 —31
Palmer 18 12 10 14 —54
Kenai (31) — Tuttle 2 0-0 4, Beiser 5 3-6 13, Goodwin 2 0-0 4, Strende 4 0-0 10; Totals: 13 3-6 31.
Palmer (54) — Atkins 3 0-0 6, Osiensky 3 1-1 9, Titus 4 0-0 12, Hawkins 4 0-0 9, Southwick 4 2-8 10, R. Marshall 3 0-0 6, Brown 1 0-0 2; Totals: 22 3-9 54.
3-point field goals: Kenai 2 (Strende 2), Palmer 7 (Titus 4); Total fouls: Kenai 10, Palmer 6.
Lions 88, Bulldogs 39
Nikiski 6 7 13 13 — 39
ACS 24 26 22 16 — 88
NIKISKI (39) — Johnson 0 0-2 0, Weathers 0 0-0 0, Ellis 0 0-0 0, Kornstad 8 1-2 18, T. Litke 0 0-0 0, Handley 5 2-4 13, N. Litke 0 0-2 0, Mysing 0 0-0 0, Desiena 0 0-0 0, Bridges 0 0-0 0, Smith 0 0-0 0, Eiter 2 2-2 8. Totals — 15 5-12 39.
ANCHORAGE CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS (88) — Parks 2 0-0 4, Smallwood 1 0-0 2, Onochie 5 1-1 11, Davis 1 0-0 2, Cho 7 3-3 17, Hayner 1 0-0 2, Guzman 2 2-2 6, Dickerson 6 1-3 15, Hakala 1 0-0 2, Lozano 6 0-0 17, Smith 1 0-0 2, Hall 3 0-0 8. Totals — 36 7-9 88.
3-point goals — Nikiski 4 (Eiter 2, Kornstad, Handley); ACS 9 (Lozano 5, Dickerson 2, Hall). Team fouls — Nikiski 12, ACS 16. Fouled out — none.
Mariners 74, Huskies 42
Homer 13 21 18 22 —74
Redington 10 7 12 10 —42
Homer (74) — Etzwiler 4 2-2 16, Ruetov 6 2-4 14, Carroll 4 4-8 12, Raymond 1 2-2 5, Davis 2 1-2 5, Beachu 5 0-0 13, McGee 4 1-3 9; Totals: 26 12-21 74.
Redington (42) — Falankio 3 0-0 7, Rogers 0 2-2 2, Straughn 1 0-0 2, Elliott 3 1-2 8, Brooks 4 1-2 10, Rumfelt 3 1-1 7, King 2 0-0 4; Totals: 16 5-7 42.
Seahawks 42, Hawks 41
Seward 7 11 7 17 —42
Houston 7 8 8 18 —41
SEWARD (42) — Moriarty 0 0-0 0, S. Estes 0 1-2 1, C. Estes 0 0-0 0, Ingalls 1 0-0 2, Spanos 6 0-1 12, Pfeiffenberger 1 0-0 2, Jarvis 0 2-4 2, McMurray 0 0-0 0, Petrosius 10 3-8 23. Totals 18 6-15 42.
HOUSTON (41) — Gabe 0 0-0 0, Waener 0 0-0 0, Hershman 0 0-0 0, Mulhaney 4 1-3 9, Ross 4 3-7 13, Mulhaney 3 0-0 6, Graham 3 0-0 6, Ritter 0 5-5 5, Croghan 1 0-0 2. Totals 15 9-15 41.
3-point goals — Seward 0; Houston 2 (Ross 2).
Team fouls — Seward 17; Houston 18. Fouled out — C. Estes.
Soldotna senior Mei Miller fights to keep the ball from Dimond sophomore Angelline Nageak (left) Saturday night at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Dimond senior Maya Carle chases after the ball with Soldotna junior Aliann Schmidt (right) Saturday night at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
Dimond junior Alyssa Pili works her way around Soldotna junior Danica Schmidt (right) Saturday night at Soldotna High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)
