Warrior
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Abbreviations: ADN = Anchorage Daily News (Anchorage); F=The Frontiersman (Mat-Su Valley) PC=The Peninsula Clarion (Kenai Peninsula); JE=Juneau Empire; FNM=Fairbanks News Miner;
Wasilla boys even score on
Juneau
By TIM BRODT-Frontiersman sports editor
published in the Frontiersman 2/12/02
The Wasilla Warriors boys' basketball team met the second-ranked
Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears Saturday at Wasilla High School to support
the Alaska Endowment for Youth Activities.
In a low-scoring game dominated by the defense of both
teams, Wasilla held on to win a thrilling finish 50-47 to avenge an earlier
loss to the Bears during the T-Bird Classic at East Anchorage High School
Jan. 24.
"We played tremendous defense and had quality possessions
on offense," said Wasilla coach Chuck Martin. "We played good basketball
tonight defending a good team."
Martin attributed the low score directly to the outstanding
defense of both teams.
"Neither team would allow a fast game," Martin said.
"A good man-to-man defense won't give up many good shots."
Both teams were held to single digits in the first quarter,
with Juneau attaining a slight 9-7 advantage at the end of the quarter.
Scoring opened up slightly in the second quarter with
Travis Webb, Adam Fitt-Chappell and Ray Schafer contributing 14 points
for the Warriors as to bring the halftime score to a 21-21 deadlock at
halftime.
The Warriors played a solid third quarter with strong
post play from Schafer under the basket. Schafer scored 10 of the Warriors'
17 points in the quarter to give Wasilla the 38-31 lead at the end of the
quarter.
The Warriors held its seven-point advantage until the
Crimson Bears increased the intensity of its pressure defense with three
minutes remaining in the game.
The pressure defense swarmed Wasilla ballhandlers at
every point to force turnovers and convert them into points. A three-pointer
by Juneau's Curtis Lane drew the Bears to 45-43 with 2:20 remaining.
Wasilla responded with aggressive ballhandling to draw
fouls against Juneau defenders.
Fitt-Chappell hit four-straight free throws to advance
Wasilla to 49-43, but Juneau quickly struck back to make the score 49-47.
A foul shot by Schafer gave the Warriors a 50-47 advantage
with 13 seconds left.
Juneau had two opportunities to score in the closing
seconds but couldn't convert as the Warriors held on and celebrated the
50-47 victory.
"It was a fun game to be involved in," Martin said. "We
need to be more consistent on offense, but we are still learning."
Schafer scored 20 points in the game, with Fitt-Chappell
contributing 14 and Webb 12.
Because Saturday's contest was an Endowment game, it
does not count in season standings or rankings for each school.
The game was added to benefit the Alaska Endowment for
Youth Activities with goals to provide at least partial reimbursement to
schools for state tournament travel and ensure financial stability of the
Alaska School Activities Association.
The win was still a big victory for the Wasilla program
and rebounded the Warriors from a 55-48 loss at Chugiak Friday.
"We played much better tonight," Martin said. "Last night
(Friday) was a real downer for us, we played so poorly."
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Wasilla upends Crimson Bears
Published in The Anchorage Daily News 2/10/02
Third-ranked Wasilla used a decisive third-quarter run
Saturday to pull ahead and stay ahead in its 50-47 nonleague home upset
of second-ranked Juneau-Douglas.
Ray Schafer pumped in 20 points to lead Wasilla's offense.
The Warriors broke open a 21-21 halftime tie with a 17-10 advantage in
the third quarter. Adam Fitt-Chappell added 14 points and Travis Webb 12
for the winners.
Curtis Lane knocked down four three-pointers on his way
to a team-high 16 points for Juneau-Douglas.
In action from Friday, Chris Devine scored 16 points
and Jason Veldhuis added 13 as fourth-ranked Chugiak jumped to an early
lead and never trailed in a 55-48 nonconference home win over Wasilla.
Fitt-Chappell, who transferred from Chugiak last year,
scored a game-high 20 points and Schafer added 17 for Wasilla. Chugiak
improved to 12-3 in the game, which was originally scheduled for Saturday
but was moved so that Wasilla could host Juneau-Douglas on Saturday night.
WASILLA 50, JUNEAU-DOUGLAS 47
JUNEAU-DOUGLAS (47) -- Cumlat 3 0-2 6; Ayers 3 0-0 6;
Monagle 4 0-0 8; Lane 6 0-0 16; Hamey 0 2-2 2; Kitka 0 2-2 2; Wild 1 0-0
2; Miller 1 1-2 3. Totals 18 5-8 47.
WASILLA (50) -- Sherman 0 0-0 0; McCaul 0 0-0 0; Faeo
2 0-2 4; Webb 4 4-6 12; Fitt-Chappell 4 5-5 14; Collins 0 0-0 0; L. Schafer
0 0-0 0; R. Schafer 8 4-9 20. Totals 18 13-22 50.
Total fouls -- Juneau-Douglas 19, Wasilla 12. Fouled
out -- None. Three-point goals -- Lane 4, Fitt-Chappell.
Juneau-Douglas 9 12 10 16 -- 47
Wasilla 7 14 17 12 -- 50
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Wasilla avenges loss to Bear
boys
Boys knock off Lathrop on Friday
Published Feb. 10, 2002 in The Juneau Empire
The second-ranked Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball
team rounded out its four-game road trip with a 50-47 loss to the third-ranked
Wasilla Warriors on Saturday in Wasilla.
On Friday, the Crimson Bears knocked off No. 5 Lathrop
83-64 and finished 3-1 on their Fairbanks-Wasilla trip. Juneau's record
is now 13-2 on the season.
On Saturday, Wasilla avenged a Jan. 24 loss to Juneau,
when the Crimson Bears defeated the Warriors 66-59 at the East Anchorage
T-Bird Classic.
"Wasilla had something to prove when we beat them in
East," Juneau head coach George Houston said. "Overall the road trip was
good for us. We played Wasilla in their court and they were extremely tough."
Juneau had difficult time shooting the ball against Wasilla
and 47 points was a season-low for the Bears. Curtis Lane led Juneau with
16 and Ryan Monagle had eight points.
"Our problem wasn't on the defensive end," Houston said.
"Our offense was the problem -- we only scored 47 points."
The game was neck-and-neck in the first half with the
teams playing to a 21-21 tie at halftime. But Wasilla found their big man,
6-foot-11 Ray Schafer, in the third quarter and opened a 38-31 lead.
Schafer, one of the state's top players, had a game-high
20 points with 16 coming in the second half. Adam Fitt-Chappel scored 14
and Travis Webb scored 12 as Wasilla had only four players score on the
night.
"They didn't get any help from the other guys," Houston
said. "We talked about double-teaming Schafer, but we never did it. He
exploded in the third."
Wasilla led by as many as 10 points midway through the
fourth quarter, before the Bears made a run behind inspiring play from
Joe Ayers. Ayers was matched up defensively against Schafer and was able
to use his quickness to get around Wasilla's big man.
"Schafer was guarding Ayers with about 5 minutes to go
when we started making our run," Houston said. "It came down to one more
play. If we had one more play we could have won it."
Juneau had its chance in the final seconds, but Lane
and Bryan Hamey each missed 3-point field goals that would have tied the
game.
"I thought Wasilla played pretty well," Houston said.
"I thought we had shots we normally make, but they just didn't go down.
We didn't make the shots we did against Lathrop."
In the game against Lathrop, Lane was on fire and made
six 3-point field goals in the second half en route to a game-leading 24
points. Monagle added 20 points and was 11-for-12 from the charity stripe.
"Curtis put on a show with his six 3-pointers," Houston
said. "He got really streaky. He led us to a pretty substantial lead."
The Bears led 39-29 at halftime and pulled away to a
64-45 lead at the end of the third quarter behind Lane's shooting touch.
Junior Cumlat and Byron Wild had 13 and 12 points, respectively, for Juneau.
Lathrop was led by Ryan Shaver's 15 points and Justin
Bourne scored 11.
Juneau will be at home Friday and Saturday for a pair
of homecoming games against Colony High School.
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Doctor lends healing hands
By Ron Wilmot
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: February 3, 2002)
Dr. Dan Larson is always in for athletes at Wasilla
High -- or just about any athlete, for that matter.
Larson, a Wasilla chiropractor with certifications in
physical rehabilitation and sports injuries from the American Chiropractic
Institute, volunteers his services as healer and confidant to the Wasilla
High basketball, football, volleyball, soccer, wrestling, hockey and cheerleading
teams. He works with everyone from the C-team freshman on the bench to
the varsity star. He tapes ankles, assesses injuries and performs chiropractic
care when necessary.
He is listed as a coach with the boys basketball team,
though his main job is healer. He brings almost 100 pounds of gear to every
game, including a treatment table, game bag with first-aid supplies, and
an electro-stim unit, which stimulates muscles to aid healing. During the
basketball season he goes through a case of tape a day.
Larson freely donates his services and time and asks
for nothing in return. He sits with the team during games and attends practices
almost every day of the week. He traveled with the boys basketball team
to Oregon over the summer and Texas over Christmas break, both times out
of his own pocket.
"I get a lot of thank-yous. That's enough," he says.
"If someone doesn't like doing something, no amount of money is going to
make them happy. But if they love what they're doing, you won't have to
pay them a dime, as long as you appreciate them."
"Doc" Larson is well appreciated. Not only by the athletes
he treats, but by coaches who get to spend their time coaching rather than
dealing with the non-serious injuries that hamper performance and keep
kids on the sidelines.
"I haven't had to tape ankles for four years now," said
Wasilla football coach Nathan Ford. "When I started I was the only one
that taped. Now I can do other stuff. Get ready for the game or watch the
(junior varsity) game."
Wasilla coach Chuck Martin said Larson's value became
apparent to him during a recent game against Colony. Martin said a Colony
player went down with an ankle sprain, and an assistant coach had to leave
the bench to find ice.
"We don't have that problem. I don't deal with anything.
The kids know, don't even come to me," Martin said.
Martin said Larson approached him several years ago about
helping. Larson's son Cole played then, and at first Martin was skeptical.
"I thought, well, he's another parent trying to gain
a little influence," Martin said. "But he said you can cut (Cole) if you
want to, I just want to be involved in the program.
"His No. 1 job is maintaining the health of the kids,"
Martin said. "They trust him and love him."
Larson's motivation is quite simple.
"I want to help people, and I like kids," he said. "They're
our future. If we can make (sports) a more positive experience, then let's
do it."
As a high school basketball player, Larson said he suffered
an ankle injury that sidelined him for a lengthy time. It was frustrating.
He later realized that proper treatment can dramatically reduce recovery
time for most injuries.
Case in point: Adam Fitt-Chappell had a subpar game against
Colony on Tuesday because he was still sore after a heavy weightlifting
session. Prior to Friday's game against Kodiak, Fitt-Chappell came to Larson
concerned his legs were still Jell-O. Larson said he assigned Fitt-Chappell
specific stretches to "free his legs up." Fitt-Chappell responded with
a game-high 32 points as Wasilla clobbered the defending state champs 69-42.
"I think he had a pretty good game," Larson said.
Larson said some doctors might question a chiropractor
in his role, but he said he does not treat injuries beyond his expertise.
He consults with orthopedic surgeons and medical doctors and frequently
gives referrals.
Larson shares his skills freely, including with other
teams. Larson said he sat with the East High boys basketball team during
the 1999 state championship.
"My heart is in Wasilla, but my hands go wherever they're
needed," he said. "My reason for being in this life is to help people feel
better. That's why I'm here."
Reporter Ron Wilmot can be reached at rwilmot@adn.com.
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Open Webb burns
Wasilla rout completes a sweep
By Ron Wilmot
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: February 3, 2002)
Scott Faeo of the Wasilla Warriors handles the basketball
Friday during second-quarter action against the defending state champions
of Kodiak High School. (Photo by Anne Raup / Anchorage Daily News)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasilla's Travis Webb goes up for a basket against Kodiak's
Chad Mortenson (42) and James Bailie during the second period Friday. Webb
scored a season- and game-high 22 points as Wasilla routed visiting Kodiak
61-45 Saturday to complete a weekend sweep. Wasilla beat Kodiak 69-42 Friday
night. "It's nice to be high-point man when you've got Ray (Schafer) and
Adam (Fitt-Chappell)," Webb said. (Photo by Anne Raup / Anchorage Daily
News)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
With all the attention teams pay to Wasilla's 6-foot-11
post Ray Schafer and 6-4 star guard Adam Fitt-Chappell, it's no wonder
that other players sometimes find themselves wide open.
Saturday night against defending state champion Kodiak,
forward Travis Webb was open all night, and he made the Bears pay. Webb
scored a season- and game-high 22 points as Wasilla routed visiting Kodiak
61-45 to complete a weekend sweep. Wasilla beat Kodiak 69-42 Friday night.
Webb's bread and butter was along the baseline, where
he alternated canning mid-range jumpers and driving to the basket. Webb
shot 9 of 14 from the field and added nine rebounds.
"Right there, that's my spot," said Webb, pointing to
the baseline. "I shoot 150 shots a day from right there, and I make almost
all of them.
"It's always nice to be high-point man when you've got
Ray and Adam," he added.
Schafer and Fitt-Chappell didn't have particularly bad
games, but Fitt-Chappell, at least, wasn't his usual dominant self. After
burning the Bears for 32 points Friday night, he scored 12 Saturday on
3 of 18 shooting.
Wasilla coach Chuck Martin said Fitt-Chappell was rushing
his shot a bit and trying to get to the free-throw line.
"That's gonna happen sometimes," Martin said. "But I'm
not going to tell him to quit shooting."
Schafer said he's almost always double-teamed as soon
as he touches the ball inside. A big focus of his game, he said, has been
to find the open man. On this night, he found Webb.
"Travis, man, he's a finisher," Schafer said.
"The easiest thing in the world to do, especially at
this level, is stop the big man," Martin said. "All you do is load up on
him. But if you're able to pass out of it, you're going to find yourself
plenty of opportunities."
Kodiak trailed just 15-12 after the first quarter and
took a brief lead at the beginning of the second when James Bailie hit
a three-pointer and Alfie Agmata drove for a score. Wasilla then unleashed
an 11-0 run and never looked back.
Kodiak, which won its first state title in school history
last season, is still trying to find a consistent scoring option after
the graduation of 6-foot-11 post Nick Billings, who is now at Division
I Binghamton University in New York. Kodiak returns just two starters from
that squad in Phil Nisbett and Bailie.
"We're still trying to find ourselves," said Kodiak coach
Amy Rakers. "And that's going to take a while to do. Wasilla's a good ball
club, and they've got height and some speed. It makes it difficult."
Bailie led Kodiak (6-7 overall, 2-3 in Region III) with
12 points while Chad Mortenson added 11. Schafer pumped in 15 for Wasilla
(9-4, 4-0).
Last season Kodiak swept two games from Wasilla and knocked
the Warriors out of the Region III tournament.
On Friday, Fitt-Chappell's 32 points was all Wasilla
needed. The Warriors jumped out to a 15-7 first-quarter lead and cruised.
Schafer added 15 points. Agmata paced Kodiak with 11 and Mortenson had
10.
In the girls game Saturday, Tonya James scored 19 points
to lead four players in double figures as Wasilla remained undefeated with
a 79-42 Region III victory Saturday over Kodiak.
Kelly Tompkins had 17 points, Marsha Schirack 16 and
Brittney Kroon 15 to pace Wasilla (12-0, 4-0), which outscored Kodiak 24-22
in a wild second quarter.
Kroon scored 24 points Friday to lead Wasilla's 77-44
victory.
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Profiles of the week
(Published: February 3, 2002, Anchorage Daily News)
JAKE COLLINS
Senior guard, Wasilla
Collins is not the first scoring option for the Warriors
basketball team. Nor is he the second or even third. But as the team's
designated long-range bomber, he gets his moments to shine. Like in last
week's overtime win against Bartlett, where Collins' three-pointer in OT
helped spur Wasilla's win.
"My job is to just shoot shots when I'm open," he said.
Taking shots has taken up a lot of Collins' time the
past four years. In addition to a basketball season that runs from November
until March, Collins' basketball itinerary included spring league, summer
travel and fall league.
"There's maybe two, two and a half months out of the
year when I'm not playing organized basketball," he said. "And then, I'm
still shooting."
Not that he minds the commitment. Collins said there
isn't anything else he'd rather do.
"I love the feeling I get when I play," he said. "Everything
on the floor. Even if we're losing, it's so much fun."
His take on hitting that shot? He said it mattered --
a lot.
"That was a shot kids dream of," he said. "Minute left,
game tied. I didn't realize what it meant at first. I just got back on
defense, then it kind of hit me. I'm glad that went in."
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Wasilla completes sweep
published in Anchorage Daily News, Sunday, February 3,
2002
Travis Webb scored a game-high 22 points as third-ranked
Wasilla beat defending Class 4A state champion Kodiak 61-45 to wrap up
a home sweep of the teams' Region III weekend series.
Ray Schafer added 15 points for the Warriors (9-4, 4-0).
James Bailie scored 12 points to lead Kodiak (6-7, 2-3).
WASILLA 61, KODIAK 45
KODIAK (45) -- Nisbett 4 0-1 8, Ortez 1 0-0 2, Agmata
1 0-0 2, Kilborn 2 2-2 7, Johnson 0 1-2 1, Bailie 5 0-2 12, Kinsley 1 0-3
4, Pabillore 0 0-2 0, Mortenson 4 3-4 11. Totals 18 6-16 45.
WASILLA (61) -- Schierman 0 1-4 1, Roth 0 0-0 0, Shorey
0 0-0 0, Faeo 1 1-3 3, Webb 9 4-5 22, Fitt-Chappell 3 5-6 12, Collins 1
0-0 3, Heibel 2 1-2 5, Schafer 5 5-5 15. Totals 21 17-25 61.
Total fouls -- Kodiak 23, Wasilla 19. Fouled out -- None.
Three-point goals -- None.
Kodiak 12 11 8 14 -- 45
Wasilla 15 18 14 14 -- 61
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Boys High School Basketball
Warriors slay Bears
(Published: February 2, 2002 - Anchorage Daily News)
Adam Fitt-Chappell had 32 points Friday as he led the third-ranked
Wasilla Warriors to a 69-42
victory over Kodiak in Region III play at Wasilla.
Fitt-Chappell dumped in nine in the first quarter and added 11 in the
second quarter, helping
the Warriors (8-4, 3-0 in Region III) take off to a 33-25 halftime
lead. Wasilla pushed the lead
to 53-33 after three quarters.
Alfie Agmata scored 11 to lead Kodiak (6-6, 2-2).
WASILLA 69, KODIAK 42
KODIAK (42) -- Nisbett 1 2-2 4, Ortez 0 0-0 0, Agmata 4 3-5 11, Kilborn
3 0-0 8, Johnson 1 0-2 2, Bailie 2 0-0 5, Kinsley 0 0-3 0, Pabillorn 0
0-0 0, Mortenson 2 6-9 10, Simpson 1 0-0 2. Totals 14 11-21 42.
WASILLA (69) -- Schierman 1 0-4 2, Roth 1 0-0 3, Shorey 0 0-0 0, Faco
0 0-2 0, Webb 2 4-5 8, Fitt-Chappell 13 4-4 32, Furman 0 0-0 0, Collins
2 0-0 5, Heibel 2 0-0 4, R. Schaefer 7 1-2 15. Totals 28 9-17 69.
Total fouls -- Kodiak 16, Wasilla 17. Fouled out -- None. Three-point
goals -- Fitt-Chappell 2, Kilborn 2, Bailie, Roth, Collins.
Kodiak 7 18 8 9 -- 42
Wasilla 15 18 20 16 -- 69
Back to top
Warriors contain Knights
By TIM BRODT-Frontiersman sports editor
(published in the Frontiersman 2/1/02)
The Wasilla Warriors boys'basketball team visited Colony for a matchup
of contrasting styles of
play Tuesday at Colony HighSchool.
With Wasilla's strong inside game and Colony's potent shooting, the
game remained close throughout
the first half until Wasilla pulled away in the third quarter and held
off a fourth-quarter Knights' surge
to take a 53-44 victory.
"We came in a little tired from the East tournament over the weekend,
but we got into a rhythm
in the third quarter that carried us," said Wasilla coach Chuck Martin.
"Give Colony credit, they played
with us and never gave up."
Anchored by the dominating play of center Ray Schafer inside, the Warriors
denied the inside and
forced Colony to shoot from the perimeter.
Colony tested the inside game early, but passes and drives to the basket
were met with rejection by
the long arms and commanding presence of the 6-foot-11-inch Schafer.
Colony took the early 10-6 lead in the game from the hot hand of guard
Landon Swank, who hit two
three-pointers and a two-point basket to account for the Knights' 10
points in the quarter.
Wasilla charged back to take an 11-10 lead at the end of the first quarter
with a three-pointer from Scott Faeo
and a basket by Schafer.
Guard scoring from Cody Schierman and Jake Collins took over in the
second quarter for Wasilla, as
the pair scored 10 of the Warrior's 12 points in the quarter.
With the score tied 18-18 and 18 seconds remaining in the half, Collins
created a turnover while pressing
the Colony point guard and was fouled. Collins hit both free throws
and then hit a three-pointer
as time ran out to give the Warriors a 23-18 lead at halftime.
The Colony defense played a solid first half -- creating turnovers
and crashing the boards for rebounds,
keeping the Knights close by denying many second opportunities for
Wasilla shooters.
The Knights defense was able to keep Schafer scoreless in the second
quarter.
"They played tough defense," said Schafer. "They have good post players
who were fronting me to
keep the ball from getting in."
Schafer came loose in the third period, scoring 11 of the 16 Wasilla
points to charge the Warriors
to a 39-26 lead at the end of the third quarter.
"We were not being patient offensively until the third quarter,"
said Martin. "We started moving the
ball around in the third quarter and getting offensive rebounds."
The 13-point lead didn't deter the Knights from attempting to
come back in the fourth quarter.
Swank, Jake Manasco and Clay Hotchkiss drained three-pointers to help
Colony to an 18-point
fourth quarter in its effort to close the gap.
The Warriors, however, continued to score inside to sustain the threat
and force Colony to foul late
in the game to stop the clock and get the ball back.
Wasilla's free-throw shooting was enough to hold off the Knights and
take the 53-44 win.
"We couldn't sustain the rhythm in the fourth quarter," said Martin.
"Colony found a way to stay in the game and wouldn't quit."
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Wasilla doubles up Colony
Published in the Anchorage Daily News 1/30/02
Brittney Kroon poured in 24 points to lead the top-ranked Wasilla girls
past Colony
48-41 Tuesday. Kelly Quinn topped Colony (4-3, 1-1) with 14 points.
In the boys game, Ray Schaefer scored 20 points in a 53-44 victory
over the Knights.
Wasilla (7-4, 2-0) won despite missing 14 free throws. Colony (4-5,
0-2) was paced
by Landon Swank's 15 points.
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Bartlett hands Juneau boys first loss
Wasilla claims East T-Bird Classic title on point-differential tiebreaker
The Juneau Empire 1/27/02
The Juneau-Douglas boys basketball team's winning streak
came to a halt Saturday after a 77-71 loss to Bartlett in a showdown at
the East T-Bird Classic at East Anchorage High School.
On Friday, the Crimson Bears defeated tournament host
East 81-63 and Wasilla defeated Bartlett 55-52 in overtime. In Saturday's
late boys game, Wasilla clobbered East 90-50.
Juneau, Wasilla and Bartlett all tied for the tournament's
championship with 2-1 records, but the tie-breaker went to Wasilla by means
of point differential. Juneau finished in third and won the sportsmanship
award. Ryan Monagle, Curtis Lane and Junior Cumlat were named to the all-tournament
team and Bartlett's Andrew Smith was named tournament MVP.
"It was a tremendous week for us," Juneau head coach
George Houston said. "We saw some good teams, played some good teams and
grew up as a group. I'm happy with a 3-1 record on the road trip. We've
had much worse trips. We proved we can play at a level with the best teams
in the state. Now we have to concentrate on getting better. It's still
early in the season."
The Crimson Bears (8-1 overall, 2-0 region) were state's
last undefeated team in Class 4A heading into Saturday's game and had held
the No. 1 spot in the Alaska State WPI rankings. In the Alaska Sportswriters'
Poll released Wednesday, Juneau was ranked fourth. Juneau defeated second-ranked
Dimond on Wednesday and third-ranked Wasilla to open the T-Bird Classic
on Thursday.
However, the top-ranked Golden Bears were too much for
the Crimson Bears to handle Saturday. For a time, Bartlett looked like
they would run away with the victory by jumping out to a 19-10 lead after
the first quarter. Bartlett kept the margin at 39-30 heading into halftime
and extended its lead to 54-43 at the end of the third quarter.
The Crimson Bears made a run in the fourth quarter and
cut the lead to four points for a short time, but the Golden Bears were
able to stop Juneau's run and held on for the win.
"They were really good," Houston said. "They are talented
and athletic. We were tentative -- kind of indecisive because of their
size. It's amazing we were only down by nine at the half. It could have
been more. We were lucky we didn't get blown out."
Juneau was led in scoring by Monagle with 17 points and
Lane scored 16. Bryan Hamey had another solid game off the bench with 13,
while Cumlat added eight points.
Player-of-the-year candidate Smith led the Golden Bears
with 23 points and the guard combo of Mario Chalmers and Doug Hardy scored
22 and 19 points, respectively.
"We had trouble with Smith," Houston said. "We tried
doubling him a lot."
On Friday, Juneau faced a much-improved East team from
Dec. 27, when the Bears routed the Thunderbirds 82-56 at Juneau's Princess
Capital City Classic.
East kept the game close in the first half and went into
halftime tied at 39 with Juneau. But the Bears pulled away in the second
half, outscoring East 26-13 in the third and 16-11 in the fourth quarter.
"I didn't think we were fired up and ready to play,"
Houston said. "East was ready and came out fired up. We were just a little
flat."
Monagle led Juneau with 17 points and Lane chipped in
13, including three 3-pointers. The Bears got some unexpected help in scoring
from Craig Kitka who scored 13 off the bench and Jake Miller who added
12 points and 11 rebounds.
The Thunderbirds were led by Jonathan Zuker with 17 points
and Bennie Holt with 10.
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At most, rankings rankle foes
Ron Wilmot
Comment
(Published: January 27, 2002)
The Wasilla boys basketball team found that nothing is
going to come easy this
season. Not that coach Chuck Martin and his team expected
that anything would.
Never does. But get a "top-ranked" added to the front
of your name, and suddenly
things get harder. All eyes are focused on you.
Teams find a little extra step, a little
bit of fire, a third wind when they play you. All
of the sudden you're the focal point,
the team everyone is talking about, and the proverbial
bull's-eye on your chest gets a
little bigger, a little redder.
Last week, Wasilla, at the time the top-ranked
team in the Fairbanks Daily News-Miner
sportswriters poll, lost to then third-ranked Bartlett
in overtime 67-64.
Friday night at the East T-bird Classic, Wasilla returned
the favor. The third-ranked
Warriors handed the top-ranked Golden Bears their first
loss of the season, a 55-52
decision in overtime.
The sports world is inundated with polls and ranking
systems, all to help us guess
who's the best at any given time. While the forecasting
power of any poll is suspect,
they definitely provide a fun way to get a handle
on a sport. The problem often is who
is doing the ranking.
In the case of the basketball poll, sportswriters spread
all across the state do the
ranking. They rank teams they may not ever see
play, thus regional biases can creep
in. But that is no different than any other poll, even
collegiate polls, where
sportswriters rank teams based on statistics, margin
of victory, highlights and
performance against other ranked teams. You don't
necessarily have to see a team
play to get a sense of how good it is.
Polls get people talking about a sport, and to be ranked
means a lot to the teams
involved. Wasilla guard Jake Collins said coach
Martin made the team quite aware of
its position last week.
"Coach said he's never had a team ranked number
one," Collins said after the Bartlett
victory Friday. "He reminds us of it every day."
But Martin takes the polls with a grain of salt.
"Coachspeak or not, they don't mean a whole lot,"
he said. "Sportswriters need to do
more research. I wish they'd pick up the
paper (every day) and read the scores. But
the kids love it. You'll always find the
kids reading the paper every Thursday when the
poll comes out."
Martin considered a coaches a poll, but nixed that
idea. ("Coaches aren't an honest
lot. They won't even vote for their own team.")
In the end he thought the
sportswriters were actually pretty accurate.
"By the end of the season, that's usually the way
things hash out," he said.
But as Martin noted, a top ranking means little come
tournament time. East High girls
coach Dorena Bingham found that out during her
first year. All season long the
Thunderbirds never cracked the rankings, she said. Finally,
the team qualified for
state.
"We made it to the show, so they had to rank us," she
said.
Bingham doesn't think much of polls. The recognition
is nice, she said, but it doesn't
mean much. Currently the T-birds are ranked second
behind undefeated Wasilla. East
was number one in the first poll but dropped to second
after falling to a reportedly
nationally ranked team in overtime last Saturday at a
tournament in California.
"Oh, don't get me started," she said with a big laugh.
"Second? We'll take that. I'd like
to stay second all season long."
This column is the opinion of Daily News reporter Ron
Wilmot. He can be reached at
rwilmot@adn.com.
Back to top
'We're not going to stay down'
Win buoys team from loss to Juneau
By Ron Wilmot
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: January 27, 2002)
Anchorage -- Jake Collins missed the shot that kids
dream about while playing hoops on the playground as
they count down the last seconds and imagine the roar
of fans.
But unlike that kid on the playground, Collins got another
shot. This time he didn't miss.
Collins' three-pointer with just over a minute left in
overtime sealed Wasilla's 55-52 victory Friday over
top-ranked and previously undefeated Bartlett at the
East T-bird Classic. The victory avenged a three-point
overtime loss to the Golden Bears six days earlier at
Bartlett.
Wasilla went on to win the Classic after defeating East
90-50 Saturday night. Wasilla, Bartlett and Juneau all
finished with 2-1 records, but Wasilla was awarded
the
title by point-differential. Adam Fitt-Chappell
paced the
Warriors with 39 points while Travis Webb added 20 and
Ray Schafer 17.
Back to Friday's game against Bartlett. With about
a
minute left in regulation and the score tied 45-45,
Wasilla ran down the clock to set up a final shot. Wasilla
called a timeout with 13.2 seconds left and designed
a
play to get the ball to Adam Fitt-Chappell, Collins
said.
But with Fitt-Chappell well guarded, Collins found
himself
open with the ball and launched a shot from the corner
that rimmed out. Point guard Cody Schierman collected
the rebound near the baseline, shot, and missed, and
6-foot-11 post Ray Schafer had two chances at
putbacks but couldn't connect.
"It felt good when it left my hand, I just gave it a
little
too much, though," Collins said. "But I knew if I got
another pressure shot like that again I'd make it. I
won't
miss two in a row."
Fitt-Chappell, the Warriors' second-leading scorer
behind
Schafer, had been quiet for much of the second
half, but he hit a big three-pointer in
overtime to snap a 47-47 tie. After Collins' key three-pointer,
he drained both ends of
a one-and-one with 11.5 seconds left to clinch a big
Wasilla victory.
"That's the amazing thing about Adam," Collins said.
"No matter how long he goes
without making a shot, he never puts his head down. He
can go 0 for 10, then hit his
next 10 in a row."
Fitt-Chappell finished with 18 points.
"This showed that we never give up," Fitt-Chappell said.
"We're not going to stay
down."
Schafer scored 19 points and had spirited battles under
the net all game with
Bartlett's 6-7 center Marcus Watts.
Watts said he's had plenty of experience facing Schafer
in summer-league play.
"We always get to guard each other. Every time
I go up against Ray he gets better,"
Watts said. "I block him sometimes, but he blocks
me more."
Wasilla was smarting from a 66-59 Thursday loss
to Juneau-Douglas in the
tournament-opener. Spurred by exceptionally quick guard
play and pressure ball, the
Crimson Bears led by as much as 15 at one point, and
they never trailed after closing
the first quarter with a 12-0 run.
"That one really hurt," Schafer said. "I went home, cried
and went to bed."
Juneau featured a deep team with many players who
were thrust into varsity action a
couple of years ago as freshmen and sophomores. The quickness
of guards like Julius
Cumlat and Curtis Lane caused trouble for Wasilla.
"We didn't have any illusions about what this game would
be about," said
Juneau-Douglas coach George Houston. "Size against quickness."
Nine Juneau players scored, led by Cumlat and Ryan Monagle
with 12 points each.
Schafer scored 20 of his game-high 24 points in the second
half as Wasilla attempted
to come back from a 29-19 halftime deficit. Juneau
built it's lead to 45-28 at one
point in the third quarter. Wasilla got as close as 55-52
with a 10-2 run in the fourth
quarter but couldn't close the gap any further as Cumlat
drained 7 of 8 free throws in
the final three minutes.
Reporter Ron Wilmot can be reached at rwilmot@adn.com.
Back to top
T-bird title Wasilla's
(Published in the Anchorage Daily News: January 27, 2002)
With three teams tied with 2-1 records, the East T-bird
Classic came down to a
point-differential tiebreaker.
On Saturday night, the third-ranked Wasilla boys
came up with more than enough
points to post a 90-50 win over host East and claim
the tournament title.
Adam Fitt-Chappell scored a season-high 39 points and
Travis Webb added 20 as the
Warriors improved to 6-4. East (3-8) got 14 points from
Derek Laws while finishing 0-3
in its own tournament.
In the other boys game, Andrew Smith, Mario Chalmers
and Doug Hardy combined to
score 64 of Bartlett's final tally as the top-ranked
Golden Bears dropped the No. 4
Juneau-Douglas Crimson Bears 77-71.
Smith led all scorers with 23 points, Chalmers added
22 and Doug Hardy threw in 19 as
both teams joined Wasilla at 2-1 in tourney play.
Bartlett held an 11-point lead after three quarters but
had to hold Juneau-Douglas off
with free-throw shooting in the fourth quarter,
going 13 of 19 from the line.
Ryan Monagle led Juneau-Douglas, which twice closed within
four points in the fourth
quarter, with 17 points.
East T-bird Classic
Saturday's results
WASILLA 90, EAST 50
WASILLA (90) -- Scheirman 1 0-0 2, McCaul 0 0-0 0, Shorey
0 1-2 1, Faeo 0 2-2 2,
Webb 8 4-6 20, Fitt-Chappell 14 9-9 39, J. Collins 1
0-0 3, R. Schafer 6 5-6 17, Heibel
3 0-0 6. Totals 33 21-25 90.
EAST (50) -- Zuker 2 5-7 9, Wilson 0 2-2 2, Laws 7 0-0
14, Farkas 0 3-4 3, Stewart 3
0-0 6, Delaney 0 0-2 0, Logo 0 0-0 0, Holt 3 0-1 6, Ofiu
1 0-0 2, P. Collins 3 2-2 8.
Totals 19 14-16 50.
Total fouls -- Wasilla 13, East 23. Fouled out -- None.
Three-point goals --Fitt-Chappell 2, Collins.
Wasilla25 17 25 23 -- 90
East10 6 23 11 -- 63
BARTLETT 77, JUNEAU-DOUGLAS 71
BARTLETT (77) -- Hardy 6 7-9 19, Chalmers 5 8-9
22, Bowman 0 1-2 1, Moss 1 2-2 4,
Moore 2 0-0 4, Brown 1 0-0 2, Smith 7 9-11 23, Watts
1 0-2 2. Totals 23 27-35 77.
JUNEAU-DOUGLAS (71) -- Cumlat 3 1-1 8, Ayers 1
3-5 5, Monagle 5 7-8 17, Lane 5
3-4 16, Henderson 0 0-0 0, Hamey 3 5-6 13, Kitka
2 2-2 6, Wild 2 0-0 4, Miller 0 2-4
2, Zimmer 0 0-0 0. Totals 21 23-30 71.
Total fouls -- Bartlett 26, Juneau-Douglas 26. Fouled
out -- Brown, Cumlat.
Three-point goals -- Chalmers 4, Lane 3, Hamey 2.
Bartlett19 20 15 23 -- 77
Juneau-Douglas10 20 13 28 -- 71
Back to top
East junior steps up
T-BIRD ROLL: Ashley Mickens sets pace in 61-40 victory.
By J.R. Rardon
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: January 26, 2002)
Mason Heibel of Wasilla takes a shot in overtime. (Photo
by Stephen Nowers / Anchorage Daily News)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Since East High junior Ashley Mickens spent last season
playing behind Alaska Player of the Year Azella Perryman, it's easy to
forget that she was even on the Lady Thunderbird roster.
On Friday, Mickens served up Perryman-like numbers with
22 points, 13 rebounds and five steals as the second-ranked T-birds pulled
away for a 61-40 win over Juneau-Douglas in the second round of the annual
East T-bird Classic.
"Everyone was talking about the Fab Four," Mickens said
of senior teammates Tenecia Macon, Natalie Jones, Janessa Webb and Christa
Wilson, veterans of East's back-to-back Class 4A championship teams. "But
they were all telling me I had to step it up.
"That's the thing I've been scared of this season."
In the early girls game, Bartlett topped third-ranked
Colony 57-38.
The third-ranked Wasilla boys also notched an upset,
edging top-ranked and previously unbeaten Bartlett 55-52 in overtime to
avenge a three-point overtime loss to the Golden Bears six days earlier.
In the other boys game, fourth-ranked Juneau-Douglas used a 13-0 run in
the third quarter to roll to an 81-63 win over East.
With Perryman having taken her game to Division I power
Stanford, Mickens stepped up with the the first five rebounds of the second
half, including four at the offensive end, as East (9-2) turned a six-point
halftime lead into a runaway.
She got plenty of help from the usual cast of characters,
with Macon scoring 18 points, Jones dishing the ball all over the court
and Wilson coming up with four of the T-birds' 19 steals.
East also showed some flexibility, turning to Mickens
and Macon on the inside when the Juneau defense slowed its running game.
"We know what East is about -- that's the fast break,"
Juneau-Douglas junior Amy Neussl said. "I think we limited their fast-break
points, but Ashley had a great game."
Neussl scored 11 points to lead the Crimson Bears (7-3),
who face Bartlett in today's 2 p.m. game in the round-robin tournament.
East will face Colony at 6 p.m. having already clinched the tournament
title.
The boys championship is up for grabs after Wasilla,
upset by Juneau-Douglas a day earlier, responded by knocking Bartlett from
the ranks of the unbeaten. Wins by Bartlett and Wasilla today would force
a three-way tie, which would be settled with a point-differential tiebreaker.
Ryan Monagle had 17 points and Jake Miller finished with
12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds as the Juneau boys (7-0) improved
to 2-0 in tournament play.
Miller fueled Juneau's 45-28 advantage on the glass.
Miller scored eight of his points on putbacks, and the Crimson Bears finished
with 21 second-chance points.
Johnathan Zuker topped East with 17 points, while Philip
Collins had team-highs of eight rebounds and seven steals.
In Friday's opening game, Wasilla got 19 points from
Ray Schafer and 18 from Adam Fitt-
Chappell to avenge a three-point overtime loss to Bartlett
six days earlier. Jake Collins hit a three-pointer for the clinching basket
in overtime and Fitt-Chappell, who finished with five points in the extra
period, added a pair of insurance free throws for the final score.
Marcus Watts scored 12 points and Doug Hardy added 11
to lead Bartlett (10-1), which was held to half the point total of its
104-87 win over East one night earlier.
Four Golden Bears scored in double-digits as the Bartlett
girls downed third-ranked Colony 57-38. Bartlett (6-2) held a 21-18 lead
at halftime, but pounced on Colony (3-2) with a 21-13 third quarter run.
Latoya Watson scored 10 of her game-high 15 in the third quarter.
Letricia Castillo and Candi Squartsoff each added 13
for Bartlett. Carly Thaggard led Colony with 12.
Reporter J.R. Rardon can be reached at jrardon@adn.com.
East T-bird Classic
Friday's Second-Day Results
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASILLA BOYS 55, BARTLETT 52, OT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BARTLETT (52) -- Hardy 5 0-1 11, Chalmers 4 0-0 9, Bowman
0 2-2 2, Blewett 1 0-0 2, Moss 2 3-4 7, Brown 1 0-0 2, Smith 3 1-1 7, Watts
5 2-2 12. Totals 21 8-10 52.
WASILLA (55) -- Scheirman 0 0-2 0, Shorey 0 0-0 0, Faeo
0 0-0 0, Webb 4 2-2 10, Fitt-
Chappell 5 7-11 18, Furman 1 0-0 2, Collins 2 0-0 6,
Heibel 0 0-0 0, R. Schafer 8 3-4 19. Totals 20 12-19 55.
Total fouls -- Bartlett 15, Wasilla 12. Fouled out --
Webb. Three-point goals -- Hardy, Chalmers, Collins 2, Fitt-Chappell.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bartlett 11 12 13 9 7 -- 52
Wasilla 15 15 3 12 10 -- 55
Back to top
Up and in: Juneau's Joe Ayers, left, goes up
for a layup as Wasilla's Adam Fitt-Chappell, right, and Scott Faeo (22)
defend.
AL GRILLO/ THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Juneau boys thump Wasilla
Crimson Bears overcome Warriors' height advantage to remain unbeaten
Published 1/25 in THE JUNEAU EMPIRE
The Juneau-Douglas High School boys basketball team scored
its second big victory in as many nights with a 66-59 win over third-ranked
Wasilla in the opening round of the T-Bird Classic Thursday in Anchorage.
The win follows up the Crimson Bears' exciting 63-60
win over the second-ranked Dimond Lynx on Wednesday and keeps Juneau's
overall record perfect this season at 7-0. In the tournament's late boys
game, top-ranked Bartlett defeated East Anchorage 104-87.
Wasilla (4-4 overall) was led by junior 6-foot, 11-inch
center Ray Schafer - who is widely considered the best Alaska high school
basketball prospect since Juneau's Carlos Boozer - and the Warriors had
more size than any team the Bears have played this season.
"It was a classic matchup between size and quickness,"
Crimson Bears head coach George Houston said. "I thought our guys worked
hard up and down the court and we were able to put pressure on him with
our guards."
The Bears' pressure defense held Schafer to just four
points and one field goal in the first half as Juneau took an early first-quarter
lead it never gave up. Juneau led 15-8 at the end of the first quarter
and extended to 29-19 lead at half-time.
"I don't know if we took him out of the game or if he
took himself out of the game," Houston said. "They made a point to go to
him in the second half and we had a hard time guarding him. He's not just
a big stiff. He's talented and has some skills."
The Crimson Bears continued to roll in the second half
and pushed their lead to 45-28 late in the third quarter. That's when the
Warriors made a charge and closed the gap to 56-52 before Juneau's Bryan
Hamey knocked down a crucial 3-pointer to bring the score to 59-52.
"That kind of took the wind out of their sails," Houston
said. "It was lot like the 3-pointer he hit against Dimond the day before.
It was from the left side, right in front of the bench, in just about the
same spot and it made it a seven-point lead."
The rest of the game, Wasilla desperately tried to play
catch-up by fouling, but Junior Cumlat sank seven of eight free throws
in the final minutes to seal the win for the Bears.
"They were scrambling and trapping," Houston said. "Junior
ended up being the one with the ball. They fouled him and he knocked down
the free throws. That's what we expect out of a point guard."
Cumlat and Ryan Monagle each scored 12 points to lead
another balanced scoring attack by Juneau. Hamey scored nine points and
Joe Ayers got into the scoring with seven points. Craig Kitka, Bryon Wild
and Jake Miller all had six points and Curtis Lane finished with five,
shooting just 1-for-10 from the field.
Wasilla was led by Schafer with 24 points and Adam Fitt-Chappell
with 19.
Monagle had 10 rebounds for the Bears who outrebounded
Wasilla 43-23, despite the big size advantage for the Warriors. The night
before, Juneau was outrebounded by Dimond and did not record a single offensive
rebound.
"I mentioned to them that I had never seen a game where
we hadn't got an offensive board," Houston said. "And I guess they took
it to heart.They took it to the glass with a lot more voracity."
The Bears also improved their free-throw shooting to
78 percent, a huge improvement from the dismal 50 percent shooting against
Dimond the night before.
Juneau plays its second game of the T-Bird Classic against
host East Anchorage at 6 p.m., a rematch of a Dec. 27 game the Bears easily
won 82-56. The game will be broadcast by KINY AM-800.
"I'm a little concerned about East," Houston said. "It's
only natural to have a let-down with the third game in as many days and
East has improved since we played them last time. But I think we have too."
Crimson Bears 66, Warriors 59
Thursday's game at East Anchorage High School
Juneau-Douglas (66) - Junior Cumlat 2 7-8 12, Joe Ayers
3 1-2 7, Ryan Monagle 5 2-3 12, Curtis Lane 1 2-2 5, Sterling Henderson
1 0-0 3, Alex Heumann 0 0-0 0, Nik Hura 0 0-0 0, Bryan Hamey 3 2-3 9, Craig
Kitka 3 0-0 6, Josh Laramie 0 0-0 0, David Jones 0 0-0 0, Bryon Wild 3
0-0 6, Jake Miller 3 0-0 6, Ray Zimmer 0 0-0 0, Adam Nelson 0 0-0 0. Totals:
24 14-18 66.
Wasilla (59) - Cody Scheirman 2 0-0 4, Clayton McCaul
0 0-0 0, Aaron Reth 0 0-0 0, Kent Sharey 0 0-0 0, Scott Faeo 1 0-0 2, Travis
Webb 2 1-2 5, Adam Fitt-Chappell 7 2-2 19, Adrian Furman 0 0-0 0, Jake
Collins 2 0-0 5, Luke Schafer 0 0-0 0, Mason Heibel 0 0-0 0, Ray Schafer
9 6-8 24. Totals: 23 9-12 59.
Juneau-Douglas 15 14 18 19 -- 66
Wasilla 8 11 16 24 -- 59
3-point goals -- Juneau-Douglas 4 (Cumlat 1, Lane 1,
Henderson 1, Hamey 1), Wasilla 4 (Fitt-Chappell 3, Furman 1). Fouled out
-- None. Technical fouls -- None. Tottaaall fffooouuls -- Juneau-Douglas
12, Wasilla 15.
Back to top
BASKETBALL
East host score-a-thon
published in the Anchorage Daily News, January 25, 2002
The Bartlett and East boys basketball teams came together
for a scorefest Thursday night, with
the Golden Bears downing the Thunderbirds 104-87 in the
opening night of the East T-bird Classic
at East High.
The teams combined for 65 field goals, 91 free throws
attempted, 54 free throws made and 66
fouls committed. A total of 22 players scored, with eight
going for double-digits. Bartlett's Andrew
Smith leading all scorers with 23.
Bartlett took a 20-16 lead after the first quarter but
poured in 34 points in the second quarter --
including 10 from Bartlett's Mario Chalmers -- to take
a 54-41 halftime lead. Chalmers finished
with 22.
Jonathan Zucker led East with 19.
One night after their road win over second-ranked Dimond,
the fourth-ranked Juneau-Douglas
boys kept the ball rolling with a 66-59 win over No.
3 Wasilla.
Julius Cumlat and Ryan Monagle scored 12 points each
to pace a balanced scoring effort as the
Crimson Bears improved to 7-0. Wasilla (4-4) got a game-high
24 points from Ray Schafer and
19 from Adam Fitt-Chappell.
The Juneau-Douglas girls also stepped up with a 47-36
win over previously unbeaten and
third-ranked Colony in the round-robin tournament. Hilary
Rehfeld scored 13 points to lead the
Crimson Bears (8-2). Kelly Quinn totaled nine points
for Colony (4-1).
The second-ranked East girls had little trouble with
Region IV rival Bartlett, rolling to a 91-43 win
as four players scored in double figures. Senior guard
Natalie Jones, who has signed to play for
the University of Arizona in the fall, scored 14 of her
game-high 29 points in the first quarter for
the Lady T-birds (8-2). Bartlett (5-2) was led by 16
points from Candi Squartsoff.
East T-bird Classic
Thursday's first-round results
BARTLETT BOYS 104, EAST 87
BARTLETT (104) -- Hardy 4 2-6 10, Jackson 0 2-4 2, Showers
0 1-2 1, Chalmers 8 5-6 22,
Bowman 3 0-0 6, Blewett 1 2-4 5, Moss 3 2-4 8, Moore
3 0-1 6, Lagos 2 0-0 4, Brown 3 0-0 7,
Smith 9 5-9 23, Watts 3 4-5 10. Totals 39 23-41 104.
EAST (87) -- Zucker 5 7-8 19, Wilson 1 2-2 4, Laws 2 3-4
7, Farkas 4 3-9 11, Stewart 1 4-6 6,
Delaney 2 5-8 9, Faauliga 0 2-4 2, Logo 2 0-0 4, Holt
5 3-7 15, Ofiu 4 2-2 10. Totals 26 31-50
87.
Total fouls -- Bartlett 31, East 35. Fouled out -- Watts,
Logo, Faauliga, Wilson. Three-point goals
-- Zucker 2, Holt 2, Chalmers, Blewett, Brown.
Bartlett 20 34 21 29 -- 104
East 16 25 15 31 -- 87
JUNEAU-DOUGLAS BOYS 66, WASILLA 59
JUNEAU-DOUGLAS (66) -- Cumlat 2 7-8 12, Ayers 3 1-2 7,
Monagle 5 2-3 12, Lane 1 2-2 5,
Henderson 1 0-0 3, Hamey 3 2-3 9, Kitka 3 0-0 6, Wild
3 0-0 6, Miller 3 0-0 6, Zimmer 0 0-0 0.
Totals 24 14-18 66.
WASILLA (59) -- Scheirman 2 0-0 4, Faeo 1 0-0 2, Webb
2 1-2 5, Fitt-Chappell 7 2-2 19, Collins
2 0-0 5, R. Schafer 9 6-8 24. Totals 23 9-12 59.
Total fouls -- Juneau-Douglas 12, Wasilla 15. Fouled
out -- None. Three-point goals -- Cumlat,
Lane, Henderson, Hamey, Fitt-Chappell 3, Collins.
Juneau-Douglas 15 14 18 19 -- 66
Wasilla 8 11 16 24 -- 59
Back to top
Heavyweight contenders Wasilla,
Bartlett slug it out
By J.R. Rardon
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: January 20, 2002)
The Wasilla and Bartlett boys and girls basketball teams
met Friday at Bartlett for a pair of bouts between some of the state's
heavyweight contenders.
And a quartet of bantamweights stole the show.
Bartlett guards Doug Hardy, a sophomore, and Mario Chalmers,
a freshman, combined for 29 points and 14 steals as the third-ranked Bartlett
boys emerged with a wild 67-64 overtime decision over the top-ranked Warriors
at Bartlett High.
"I'll take these young guys over anybody," said Andrew
Smith, a 6-foot-7 senior post who added 16 points to the cause. "I think
we have some of the best guards in the state."
In the girls contest, second-ranked Wasilla also relied
on a pair of guards to score a 67-43 knockout over the fifth-ranked Golden
Bears.
Senior point guard Tonya James had 14 points and sophomore
Chandice Cronk had 13 points, and each chipped in six assists as the Warriors
turned a 26-24 halftime edge into a runaway.
"They took our game and used it against us," Bartlett
coach Karine Turner-Wheeler said of Wasilla. "We like to fast break, but
they were quicker and they moved the ball around."
The Bartlett boys (8-0), who were coming off a 20-day
layoff, enjoyed a big edge in quickness over Wasilla. But it was not a
unanimous decision.
"I thought we were a step slower than (Wasilla) all night,"
Bartlett head coach Ronnie Chalmers said.
Wasilla coach Chuck Martin judged otherwise after his
squad fell to 4-3 despite 23 points from 6-10 junior Ray Schafer and 19
from 6-4 senior Adam Fitt-Chappell.
"They ate our guards up," Martin said. "I was surprised
they could do that to our guards, but they did. And that was the game."
Fitt-Chappell, who scored all six of Wasilla's points
in overtime, gave the Warriors a 64-62 lead on a three-pointer with 1:26
remaining. But, after Andre Moss pulled Bartlett within 64-63 by making
the second of two free throws, the Golden Bears' Daniel Brown swooped in
to steal an in-bound pass and convert a layup to give the Bartlett the
lead for good with 54 seconds to go.
"I saw big Ray (Schafer) scoot up, and he usually backs
up on that play," Brown said. "I thought they were going to pass it to
him, so I went for it."
After a Wasilla miss, Brown made one of two free throws
to make it 66-64 with 21 seconds left. Fitt-Chappell's potential go-ahead
three-pointer bounced off, but teammate Mason Heibel pulled down the rebound
under the basket. Before he could go up with a tying shot, however, Mario
Chalmers snuck in and pulled the ball away. His free throw with five seconds
left closed out the scoring.
"Wherever the ball is, you gotta follow," said Chalmers,
who got most of his steals in the backcourt but who, with Hardy, also hounded
the Wasilla big men throughout the night.
Like any good heavyweight bout, there will be a rematch
when Wasilla and Bartlett join fifth-ranked Juneau-Douglas and host East
in the East T-bird Classic beginning Thursday.
Friday's Wasilla-Bartlett girls showdown was a sequel
to the teams' meeting in the third-place game of last year's Class 4A state
tournament. And Wasilla (7-0) retained its title by running away in the
second half after Bartlett (4-1) kept things close by moving the ball and
penetrating through the first 16 minutes.
"We just started playing defense better," said Christie
Hays, a Wasilla senior who did her part by contributing four steals and
12 points. "We had our little chat at halftime and then came out with more
intensity."
"What they needed was a butt-chewing," Wasilla coach
Jeannie Hebert amended. "They were letting Bartlett penetrate too much.
But you've got to give Bartlett credit. They're one of the most athletic
teams we've faced."
Brittney Kroon, the Warriors' 6-4 senior center, added
14 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots, including one block from
her knees.
Brihtani Lassiter led Bartlett's balanced effort with
nine points. Candi Squartsoff added eight and Latricia Castillo, who is
still recovering from off-season knee surgery, chipped in seven off the
bench.
Reporter J.R. Rardon can be reached at jrardon@adn.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BARTLETT BOYS 67, WASILLA 64, OT
------------------------------------------------------------------------
WASILLA (64) -- Scheirman 0 0-1 0, McCaul 0 0-1 0, Shrey
0 0-0 0, Faeo 1 0-0 2, Webb 3 0-0 7, Fitt-Chappell 5 8-9 19, Collins 4
0-0 12, Heibel 0 1-2 1, R. Schafer 6 11-12 23. Totals 19 20-25 64.
BARTLETT (67) -- Hardy 6 3-4 16, Jackson 0 0-0 0, Chalmers
5 2-5 13, Bowman 0 0-0 0, Blewett 0 0-0 0, Moss 3 1-1 6, Lagos 0 0-0 0,
Brown 5 1-2 12, Smith 5 6-8 16, Watts 1 2-4 4, Moore 0 0-0 0. Totals 25
15-24 67.
Total fouls -- Wasilla 21, Bartlett 24. Fouled out --
Faeo. Three-point goals -- Collins 4, Webb, Fitt-Chappell, Hardy, Chalmers,
Moss, Brown.
Wasilla 9 19 16 14 6 -- 64
Bartlett14 20 9 15 9 -- 67
Back to top
Wasilla hustles past Lathrop
Travis Webb puts up a shot just past the reach of a Malemute
defender in the fourth quarter of Wednesday's game at Wasilla High School.
Photo by TIM BRODT/Frontiersman.
(published January 11, 2002)
By TIM BRODT-Frontiersman sports editor
The Wasilla Warriors' faced fierce competition from the
visiting Lathrop Malemutes Wednesday in boys' basketball action at Wasilla
High School.
The scrappy play of the Malemutes challenged the Warriors
throughout the game until a late third-quarter surge fueled a fourth explosion
to propel the Warriors to a 70-51 victory.
"This was a terrific win for us tonight," said Wasilla
coach Chuck Martin. "Lathrop is a very good team, maybe as good as we will
see all year."
Wasilla jumped to a comfortable 22-11 lead in the first
quarter behind Adam Fitt-Chappell's five buckets for 10 points.
Lathrop demonstrated that no lead is safe as it began
to close the gap in the second quarter.
The Malemutes found little success in trying to match
up to the Warriors' height in the middle. The dominating presence of Ray
Schafer plugged the inside paint, keeping Lathrop outside. Schafer didn't
block many shots in the game, but he forced inside shooters to alter or
hurry their shots.
The Malemutes were effective from the perimeter, however,
hitting the outside shots to get back into the game.
Wasilla struggled on the offensive end in the second
quarter. They were able to penetrate well inside, but missed many opportunities
for points. Travis Webb scored the only points from the field on two baskets,
with Scott Faeo and Fitt-Chappell knocking down free throws to get the
Warriors into halftime with a 31-25 lead.
Lathrop continued to have momentum early in the third
period, chipping away at the lead until it tied the game at 34 with 3:32
remaining in the quarter.
Moments later the Malemutes took the lead 37-36, erasing
the deficit with a huge momentum shift that began in the second quarter.
"They've got some playmakers on their team," said Martin.
"Good players that they can turn loose and put points on the board."
With their comfortable lead erased, the Warriors recharged
to swing momentum back to their side.
Using great team hustle, the Warriors created turnovers
on defense that set up easy baskets in transition on the offensive end.
Wasilla patiently worked the ball around to get it inside
to Webb, Fitt-Chappell and Schafer. The Warriors reeled off seven unanswered
points to regain the lead 43-37 by the end of the third quarter.
Wasilla stayed hot through the fourth quarter, continuing
to work the ball inside for baskets or fouls.
Webb, Fitt-Chappell and Schafer scored all 27 points
in the fourth quarter, combining to hit 16 of 18 free throws in the final
stanza.
On defense, the Warriors stepped up to put pressure on
Lathrop's outside shooters while converging on any inside penetration.
This left the Malemutes with few options to score and no chance to get
back in the game as Wasilla charged away with the 70-51 victory.
"We were able to weather their run and stretch it out
late," said Martin. "We got more aggressive, hustled and picked up our
transition game."
Fitt-Chappell finished the game with 28 points, hitting
an early fourth-quarter three-pointer that fueled the momentum while going
8-for-8 at the free-throw line in the final quarter.
Schafer scored 18 points in the game and Webb tallied
16.
"Our defense played good tonight, but we need to get
better," said Martin. "We were much improved over our last two games in
Texas."
Back to top
Malemute boys fall to Wasilla
By Staff reports
(published January 10, 2002 - Fairbanks News-Miner)
The Lathrop boys basketball team suffered a setback on
the road Wednesday night when the Malemutes were defeated by Wasilla 70-51.
Still without the presence of Ivan Snowden in the paint,
the Malemutes struggled to score and tried to get back into the game by
fouling the Warriors with impunity in the fourth quarter.
The Warriors outscored Lathrop 27-14 in the final frame,
including 16 points on 18 free-throw attempts.
Once again Justin Bourne led Lathrop in scoring, finishing
with 17 points. Ryan Shaver threw in 14 points and Paul Robinson contributed
11.
The Malemutes were down early, falling behind 22-11 after
one quarter. They had a strong second period, cutting the margin to six
at halftime. Both teams tallied 12 points in the third, setting the stage
for the fouling spree in the fourth.
Lathrop is still off to a hot start in the basketball
season, compiling an early record of 6-2 after the loss.
Back to top
HIGH SCHOOL BASKETBALL
Wasilla hammers Lathrop
(published January 10, 2002 - Anchorage Daily News)
Adam Fitt-Chappell scored 28 points Wednesday as the
Wasilla boys earned a 70-51 victory over Lathrop at Wasilla High.
WASILLA BOYS 70, LATHROP 51
LATHROP (51) -- Graziadei 0 0-0 0, Bourne 8 1-2 17, Fuller
0 0-0 0, Shaver 5 3-4 14, Kalberg 1 0-1 3, Reeves 2 0-0 4, Brown 1 0-0
2, Wade 0 0-0 0, Dominique 0 0-0 0, Robinson 5 0-0 11. Totals 22 4-7 51.
WASILLA (70) -- Schierman 1 0-0 3, McCaul 0 0-0 0, Faeo
0 2-7 2, Webb 5 6-7 16, Fitt-Chappell 8 11-14 28, Collins 1 0-0 3, Heibel
0 0-0 0, R. Schafer 5 8-10 18. Totals 20 27-38 70.
Total fouls -- Lathrop 23, Wasilla 15. Fouled out --
None. Three-point goals -- Shaver, Kalberg, Robinson, Schierman, Fitt-Chappell,
Collins.
Lathrop 11 14 12 14 -- 51
Wasilla22 9 12 27 -- 70
Back to top
Warriors lose in OT
(published December 31, 2001 - Anchorage Daily News)
The Wasilla High boys surrendered a seven-point lead
and then were outscored 15-11 in overtime Saturday in a 82-78 loss to host
Midland Lee in the third-place game of the Byron Johnston Holiday Classic
in Midland, Texas.
The Rebels stormed back from a seven-point deficit in
the fourth quarter to tie the game 67-67 at the end of regulation. Wasilla
was up 67-64 with seven seconds remaining, but Wasilla's Luke Schafer missed
a pair of free throws, and Midland's Cornell Hunt hit a three-pointer just
before the buzzer to tie it.
The Warriors were outrebounded 34-24 in the loss, committed
18 turnovers and went 25 of 34 from the free-throw line.
Adam Fitt-Chappell led the Warriors with 23 points, and
teammate Ray Schafer added 22 and grabbed nine rebounds.
Bryon Johnston Holiday Classic
Saturday's third-place game
MIDLAND LEE (TEXAS) 82, WASILLA 78, OT
WASILLA (78) -- Schierman 1 0-0 2, Faeo 3 5-7 11, Webb
3 3-5 9, Fitt-Chappell 7 7-9 23, R. Schafer 6 10-11 22, Collins 3 0-0 9,
Heibel 0 0-0 0, L. Schafer 1 0-2 2, McCaul 0 0-0 0, Roth 0 0-0 0. Totals
24 25-34 78.
MIDLAND LEE (82) -- Hunt 2 6-9 11, Hartley 8 0-1 16,
Garcia 3 4-5 11, Coffman 9 8-15 27, Packer 1 0-0 2, Watlington 2 0-0 4,
Mayberry 0 0-0 0, Smith 1 5-8 7, Butler 1 0-1 2, Foy 0 2-2 2, Sampson 0
0-0 0. Totals 27 25-43 82.
Total fouls -- Wasilla 30, Midland Lee 25. Fouled out
-- Hunt, Packer, Watlington, Schiermaannn,, FFFaaaeeooo, Webb, R. Schafer.
Three-point goals -- Collins 3, Fitt-Chappell 2, Hunt, Garcia, Coffman.
Wasilla19 15 20 13 11 -- 78
Midland Lee12 15 20 20 15 ? 82
Back to top
Wasilla boys fall in semis
(published December 29, 2001 - Anchorage Daily News)
It was deja vu all over again for the Wasilla boys basketball
team Friday as it lost in the semifinals of the Byron Johnston Holiday
Classic to the same team it lost to in the semis last year, South Garland
(Dallas, Texas) in Midland, Texas.
South Garland dumped Wasilla 66-56, taking charge in
the second quarter to put the Warriors away early. South Garland outscored
Wasilla 19-12 in the second quarter, taking a 41-32 lead at halftime.
Wasilla's Ray Schafer led all scorers with 20 points,
with teammate Adam Fitt-Chappell adding 16.
The Warriors will face Midland Lee (Texas) in today's
third-place game.
Byron Johnston Holiday Classic
SOUTH GARLAND (TEXAS) 66, WASILLA 56
WASILLA (56) -- Faeo 2 1-1 5, Webb 2 4-5 8, Fitt-Chappell
6 4-4 16, Collins 2 0-0 6, Heibel 0 1-2 1, R. Schafer 8 4-4 20, Schierman
0 0-0 0, McCaul 0 0-0 0, L. Schafer 0 0-0 0. Totals 20 14-16 56.
SOUTH GARLAND (66) -- Tutt 6 2-6 16, Armstrong 7 3-5
18, Johnson 3 5-6 11, Parker 3 0-1 7, Harris 3 0-2 6, Brown 2 0-0 6, Davis
1 0-0 2. Totals 25 10-20 66.
Total fouls -- Wasilla 18, South Garland 15. Fouled out
-- None. Three-point goals -- Collinss 222,, TTutttt 2, Brown 2, Armstrong,
Parker.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Wasilla 20 12 14 10 -- 56
South Garland 22 19 12 13 ? 66
Back to top
Warriors win big in Texas
(published December 28, 2001 - Anchorage Daily News)
The Wasilla High boys basketball team opened the Byron
Johnston Holiday Classic basketball tournament with a win Thursday night
in Midland, Texas.
Wasilla defeated Amarillo High (Texas) 60-45 in the opening
round of the three-day tournament, which continues through Saturday.
The Warriors were up one with six minutes to play before
Adam Fitt-Chappell and Jake Collins each scored on three-point plays --
Fitt-Chappell on a field goal and a free throw, Collins on a three-point
basket -- to give themselves a cushion. Fitt-Chappell scored eight points
in the fourth quarter and teammate Ray Schafer added six.
Fitt-Chappell led the Warriors with 20 and Schafer added
16.
Wasilla faces South Garland (Dallas) today.
Byron Johnston Holiday Classic
WASILLA BOYS 60, AMARILLO 45
WASILLA (60) -- Schierman 0 1-3 1, Faeo 2 1-2 5, Webb
5 2-2 12, Fitt-Chappell 7 5-7 20, Collins 2 0-0 6, R. Schafer 7 2-2 16,
L. Schafer 0 0-0 0, Heibel 0 0-0 0, McCaul 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 11-16 60.
AMARILLO (45) -- Tommetop 0 2-2 2, Blankenship 2 1-2
5, Mixon 1 0-0 2, Patterson 4 0-0 10, Cooper 6 0-2 12, Bates 2 6-6 10,
Bond 1 0-0 2, Coward 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 9-12 45.
Total fouls -- Wasilla 10, Amarillo 12. Fouled out --
Patterson. Three-point goals -- Collins 2, Patterson 2, Fitt-Chappell.
Wasilla 19 8 10 23 -- 60
Amarillo 6 11 19 9 ? 45
Back to top
Web posted Friday, December
28, 2001 - Amarillo Globe News (Amarillo, Texas)
Metro Basketball Roundup: Sandies fall to Wasilla
MIDLAND - Amarillo High got a little Northern Exposure,
at least in the fourth quarter, courtesy of Wasilla, Alaska. The Sandies
battled back from a decided advantage only to run out of gas in the fourth
period as Wasilla defeated AHS, 60-45, Thursday in the first round of the
Byron Johnston Holiday Classic.
Wasilla jumped to a 19-6 lead, forcing the Sandies to
play catch-up for two quarters. They battled back to within 37-36 to start
the fourth quarter, but Wasilla outscored AHS 23-9 in the final period
to pull away for the victory.
Tyler Cooper led Amarillo High with 12 points, while
Andrew Patterson and Rodney Betts had 10 apiece as they accounted for 32
of AHS' 45 points. AHS dropped to 14-4. Adam Fiitt-Chappel of Wasilla led
all scorers with 20 points, while Ray Schafer added 16.
Back to top
Wasilla tops weekend basketball action
(published December 28, 2001 - The Frontiersman
By TIM BRODT-Frontiersman sports editor
The area high school boys' and girls' basketball teams
played games during the weekend before starting into the holiday break.
The biggest match up of the weekend came with the meeting
of the Palmer Moose and the Wasilla Warriors boys' and girls' teams at
Wasilla High School.
Wasilla boys roll past Moose
The Palmer boys' team stayed close to the Warriors throughout
the first half, going into halftime down 39-32, but couldn't hold the balanced
Warriors' attack as Wasilla rolled to an 82-52 win Friday night at Wasilla
High School.
The inside attack of Ray Schafer, Travis Webb and Adam
Fitt-Chappell coupled with the outside shooting of Scott Faeo and Fitt-Chappell
was too much to cover as the Warriors extended their lead to 20 points
in the third quarter, then cruised in the fourth to take the victory.
Schafer led all scorers with 25 points, with Fitt-Chappell
adding 23. Webb scored 17 points and Faeo knocked
in 14.
Zac Forsyth scored 18 points for the Moose.
Alex Hill drained three three-pointers in the fourth
quarter to tally 12 points in the game.
Back to top
High School Basketball
BOYS BASKETBALL
(Published: December 22, 2001 - Anchorage Daily News)
Wasilla hammers Palmer
Ray Schafer delivered 25 points, eight rebounds and three
blocked shots Friday to lead
Wasilla to an 82-52 victory over visiting Palmer.
Adam Fitt-Chappell added 23 points, while Travis Webb
finished with 14 and Scott Faeo
had 14 for the Warriors, who sealed the game in
the third quarter by outscoring Palmer
16-3.
Zac Forsyth topped Palmer with 18 points and Zach
Pettit chipped in nine points, nine
rebounds and four blocked shots.
WASILLA 82, PALMER 52
PALMER (52) -- Johnson 0 0-0 0, Forsyth 6 4-5 18, Hill
4 1-1 12, Bentti 1 0-0 2, Prins 0
0-0 0, Pettit 3 2-5 9, DuBois 0 0-0 0, Bryant
1 0-1 2, Nielsen 1 2-2 2, Healy 0 0-0 0.
Totals 18 9-14 52.
WASILLA (82) -- Scheirman 0 0-0 0, McCaul 0 0-0 0, Roth
0 1-2 1, Shorey 0 0-0 0, Faeo 6
1-2 14, Webb 8 1-2 17, Fitt-Chappell 9 3-3 23, Furman
0 0-0 0, Collins 0 0-0 0, L.
Schafer 0 0-0 0, Hiebel 1 0-0 2, R. Schafer 11 3-7 25.
Totals 35 9-16 82.
Total fouls -- Palmer 19, Wasilla 17. Fouled out -- Pettit.
Three-point goals -- Hill 3,
Forsyth, Pettit, DeBois, Fitt-Chappell 2, Faeo.
Palmer 15 17 3 17 -- 52
Wasilla 8 21 16 27 -- 82
Back to top
Alaska Sports Digest - The Anchorage
Daily News
(Published: December 20, 2001)
Wasilla sweep West
Three Wasilla High boys basketball players finished in
double figures Wednesday as the
Warriors defeated visiting West 85-45.
Mason Heibel led the way with 20 points, while Adam Fitt-Chappell
and Ray Schafer
each pumped in 17 points for Wasilla (1-0). Ski
Davis topped West with 13 points.
In the girls game, Wasilla beat West 74-28 behind
Marsha Schirack's six-point,
10-rebound performance.
Brittney Kroon scored a team-high 17 points, Tonya James
added 16 and Chandice
Cronk chipped in 15. Helana Thomas' seven points paced
the Eagles.
WASILLA BOYS 85, WEST 45
WEST (45) -- Wigren 1 0-0 3, Lewis 3 1-2 7, Canady
0 0-0 0, Morgan 1 2-2 4, Reed 1
1-1 3, Derrington 1 0-0 2, Davis 5 2-4 13, Newman 0 0-0 0, Hinshaw 1 2-2
5, Williams
4 0-0 8. Totals 17 8-11 45.
WASILLA (85) -- Scheirman 4 0-2 8, McCaul 1 0-0
2, Roth 1 2-2 5, Shorey 1 0-0 3,
Faeo 1 1-1 3, Webb 2 3-6 7, Fitt-Chappell 7 2-2 17, Furman 0 1-2 1, Collins
1 0-0 2,
L. Schafer 0 0-2 0, Heibel 8 4-5 20, R. Schafer 8 1-3 17. Totals 33 14-22
85.
Total fouls -- West 16, Wasilla 14. Fouled out
-- Canady. Three-point goals --&llt;
Wigren, Davis, Hinshaw, Roth, Shorey, Fitt-Chappell.
West
6 6 16 17 -- 45
Wasilla 20 22 24 19 -- 85
Back to top
------------------------------------------
The Frontiersman - Tuesday,
December 11, 2001
Warriors sweep basketball jamboree.
Houston's Roy Stull, left, and Wasilla's Ray Schaeffer,
right, square off in
a battle of the two tallest players in the tournament
during Saturday's game
in Wasilla. Photo by TIM BRODT/Frontiersman.
By TIM BRODT-Frontiersman sports editor
Wasilla High School hosted the Valley Jamboree during
the weekend with eight
teams, including Wasilla, Palmer, Colony and Houston,
participating in both
a boys and girls basketball preseason tournament to provide
a preview of the
upcoming season.
Both Wasilla boys and girls won their respective tournaments,
with the girls
defeating Chugiak in the championship game and the boys
rolling over Dimond.
The tournament was a bracketed format of six-minute games
with the girls'
tournament played Friday and the boys' tournament Saturday.
There was plenty of hustle and good play in the tournament,
as many teams
looked ready for the start of the season.
Coaches were out to win, but did not view the tournament
as a true
indication of each team.
"Win or lose, its hard to gauge a team from a six-minute
game," said Wasilla
boys' coach Chuck Martin. "This is more of a community
event and a fun night
for the kids to get together and play some basketball."
Wasilla's dominating height shut down any inside opportunities
for opponents
throughout the tournament, forcing teams to shoot from
the outside.
Palmer beat Colony in the boys' third-place game. Both
teams lack the height
of Wasilla but move the ball well to find shooting opportunities.
"This tournament was a great opportunity to see our weak
areas and work on
them before the real games start," said Palmer boys'
coach Brandon Blake.
The Wasilla girls' squad also held a height advantage
over the teams it
played, allowing opponents few second shots while keeping
shooters outside.
The Colony girls' team beat Valdez in the third place
game after a semifinal
loss to Wasilla. The Colony girls move the ball well
and work hard inside to
get rebounds.
"I view this tournament as an opportunity to get some
of the early season
jitters out of the way and get prepared for the season,"
said Colony girls'
coach Don Witzel. "We're not quite there yet, but we've
got a good bunch of
kids that will be ready."
Houston girls' coach Jeff Tyson viewed the tournament
with much the same
sentiment, but with additional opportunities for his
3A team.
"It gives us a chance to see different teams and get
an opportunity to play
some 4A teams," said Tyson. "It is a good challenge for
our girls."
Houston defeated Palmer 6-4 in the loser's bracket of
the short-game
tournament, eventually finishing in fourth place.
Most Valley teams are scheduled for more preseason tournaments
this weekend
before starting the regular season next week.
Back to top
--------------------------------------------------------------------
Guard's transfer adds to Warriors'
power
BASKETBALL PREVIEW: Wasilla has potential, but don't
overlook Palmer.
By Ron Wilmot
Anchorage Daily News
(Published: December 9, 2001)
Wasilla coach Chuck Martin got a call last summer that
caused him to lose
his breath. Chugiak's Adam Fitt-Chappell, the leading
scorer from Region IV
last season, was on the line asking if he could transfer.
After Martin picked up his jaw from the floor, he told
Fitt-Chappell
transfering would be no problem, let's just call the
right people and do
this right. After contacting Chugiak coach Kevin Fullmer
and various
administrators, Fitt-Chappell officially became a Warrior,
and added a nice,
title-town buzz about Wasilla.
Yes, the Warriors have that kind of potential. Even before
the arrival of
Fitt-Chappell -- a 6-foot-3 shooting guard who averaged
near 20 points per
game at Chugiak -- the Warriors figured to be good. The
Warriors have
dominant size inside with 6-10 junior post Ray Schafer,
who spent his summer
playing with an AAU team in Los Angeles -- the same AAU
team, incidently,
that former Juneau-Douglas star Carlos Boozer of Duke
played for. The
Warriors have solid experience at the point in senior
Scott Faeo, a
three-year starter. And they have the athletic Travis
Webb, a 6-1 senior
forward, and 5-11 senior guard Jake Collins.
These are the situations that make coaches giddy.
"A lot of people in this town are excited to see us.
I'm excited," Martin
said. "(Fitt-Chappell) is a gifted player. A lot of people
say he's the best
player in the state. You won't hear an argument from
me."
Wasilla finished 12-13 and lost to Soldotna at the Region
III tournament,
but the Warriors still figured to be good this year with
the return of
Schafer and Faeo. Now, adding Fitt-Chappell gives Wasilla
another potent
scoring option and takes pressure off Schafer, Martin
said. And anything
that gives Schafer a little more elbow room in the post
is scary.
"Any great team runs its offense through the post," Martin
said. "And Ray is
unguardable in the post right now. I really believe that."
Martin's assessment comes from watching Schafer lead
the Warriors to a 19-4
record during a 15-day trip last summer at camps in Oregon
and Washington.
After that, Schafer played 12 more games for the AAU
team. Martin said
Schafer has played 60 to 70 games since the end of last
season.
"Ray's accumulated a lot of experience against top-notch
competition,"
Martin said. "I'm really anxious for people to see him
because of all the
time and effort he's put in. He's worked so hard, not
just in the post, but
in his whole understanding and feel for the game."
With the attention likely to be focused on Wasilla, some
might overlook
Palmer. That would not be wise. Three starters return
from a team that
finished 19-10, placed sixth at state and lost a tight
battle in the Region
III title game to eventual state champion Kodiak.
Returning seniors Zac Forsyth, a 6-3 guard, Zach Pettit,
a 6-3 forward, and
Adam Nielson, a 6-1 guard, are three-year starters who
provide leadership as
well as scoring.
"They're all very athletic, they shoot the ball well,
they're good off the
dribble," said Palmer coach Brandon Blake. "Very versatile."
In addition to the three seniors, 5-10 junior guard Alex
Hill returns with
plenty of experience under his belt.
"He's a good on-the-ball defender," Blake said. "He can
really get out and
frustrate people."
Palmer lost all-state forward C.J. Hooker but gets his
cousin Brent Bryant,
a 6-1 junior forward, in return.
"He plays a lot like C.J.," Blake said. "He doesn't have
the touch he had,
but he's definitely an athlete."
Like last season, Palmer will look to press and fast
break. But Blake said
the team must learn to play half-court basketball against
teams like
Wasilla, which will look to slow things down with Schafer
inside.
"Our weakness is we don't have any height," Blake said.
"Our big goal is to
have five guys rebounding."
A host of juniors will lead the Colony Knights (11-13),
but few of them are
returners. Only 6-1 guard Landon Swank brings any significant
varsity
experience. After that, it's mainly players who swung
between the varsity
and JV teams, said coach Phil Engebretsen.
Brandon Hyslip, a 6-5 junior, will start in the post,
while Justin Coffman
(5-8 junior), Jake Manasco (5-11 senior), Clay Hotchkiss
(5-8 junior) and
Jamie Rose will vie for time at guard. Joe Reza, a 6-2
forward who did not
play last season, returns for his senior year.
Engebretsen said it will take some time for the team
to find itself.
"This is a group that works real hard," Engebretsen said.
"Eventually we'll
be OK. But we'll make some mistakes early on."
Reporter Ron Wilmot can be reached at rwilmot@adn.com.
Back to top
---------------------------------------------
December 04, 2001
Prep boys prepare for basketball season
By TIM BRODT-Frontiersman sports editor
Tryouts for all Valley boys' high school basketball teams
took place last
week with teams now set and practices underway for the
upcoming season.
All Valley teams will play in the Valley Jamboree Saturday
at Wasilla High
School, competing in short six-minute games that provide
a preseason
preview.
Palmer finished sixth in the state last year and comes
into the season
optimistic about the personnel on this year's team.
"We're excited about the season," said coach Brandon
Blake. "The kids are
ready to play."
Palmer graduated five seniors off last year's squad,
including Region III
player of the year and all-state selection C.J. Hooker.
Palmer will not have the benefit of great height this
year, relying on speed
and athleticism to carry it through the season.
"We will need rebounds from all five guys," said Blake.
The Moose return three starters from last year's squad
- first team
all-region guard Zac Forsyth, guard/forward Zach Pettit
and guard Adam
Nielson.
Blake believes this group, with junior guard Alex Hill,
will bring strong
leadership to the team.
Blake will be looking for strong bench support this year
from Charlie
Bentti, Brent Bryant, Dustin Dubois, Jesse Prins and
Robby Johnson.
Wasilla returns 10 lettermen from last year's squad.
Anchored by 6-foot-11
junior Ray Schaeffer, the Warriors will fill the court
with big boys to hold
a definite height advantage over most teams it will play
this season.
"Size doesn't mean much if the kids can't play," said
coach Chuck Martin.
"These kids can play."
Wasilla returns point guard Scott Faeo to handle the
ball for the Warriors
and added guard transfer Adam Fitt-Chapel, who played
at Chugiak last year.
The Warriors will look for forward Travis Webb to gather
rebounds and
provide strength inside this year.
Although Wasilla had a young team last year, Martin adds
that it is still
young with seven juniors on the roster, five of which
will make significant
contributions this season.
Martin believes the Warriors have a chance to do great
things this year.
"We have size, depth, and we've developed some good basketball
players,"
said Martin. This group has worked hard to come together
as a team."
Colony graduated three seniors from last year's team,
returning junior guard
Landon Swank and Jason Christensen.
Senior Joe Reza returns to the squad and looks to provide
strength inside.
Coach Phil Engebretsen believes the strength of the Knights
will come from
good guard play, with a pressure defense and ability
to push the ball up the
court.
The Knights will look to 6-foot-5 junior Brandon Hyslip
to anchor the
inside. He is the tallest player on the team.
"We're looking forward to the season," said Engebretsen.
"We should get
stronger as the season progresses."
Not big on experience from the bench, Engebretsen contends
that they have
depth, with bench talent spread evenly.
Colony opens the season with a good test against Bartlett.
Houston returns two starters from last year's team, having
lost a number of
seniors to graduation.
"We have some great athletes," said coach Thad Schumacher.
"Hopefully we
will have an exciting team this year.
The Hawks will look to Shaun Haragan, David Smith, Travis
Webb and Joe
Foster to anchor the team.
Schumacher expects great things from junior guard/forward
Jesse Webb.
"He is a good outside shooter and sees the floor better
than anyone on the
team," said Schumacher.
Houston will look to 6-foot-7 sophomore Roy Stull to
provide height inside.
Stull brings a good outside shot along with his height,
but will juggle a
schedule between hockey and basketball.
The Hawks suffered a setback with an injury to junior
point guard Pete
Clemens, who is not expected to return until late in
the season. Clemens
suffered a spiral fracture to an ankle and required extensive
surgery.
Houston hopes for help from junior guard/forward D.J.
Sandidje, who plays
well but lacks high school basketball experience.
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Last page update March 4, 2002
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