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Sophomore guard Lorrie Clifford brings the ball upcourt against pressure from a Moose defender during Chugiak's 49-46 loss to Palmer in the consolation game for fourth-place during the ASAA/First National Bank 4A girls state tournament Saturday. Clifford scored six points against Palmer and had a team high of 14 points during the Mustangs' 53-40 win over South Friday.
PHOTO BY DAN SHEPARD
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With the a pair of losses by fewer points than the margin of their lone victory, the Chugiak High School girls varsity basketball squad placed sixth among eight schools taking part in the 4A State Championship Tournament March 22 through Saturday.
The Mustangs, who had posted the Anchorage School District's best league record at 13-1 before placing second to East in the Cook Inlet Conference tournament, suffered a hard-fought three-point loss to Soldotna, 54-51, in first-round action March 22 at Service High.
Junior guard Sarah Watzke shouldered much of the team's offensive punch in the opener, scoring 22 points.
In both the first and second quarters, Soldotna hit three points at the buzzer to twice tie the Mustangs 8-8 and 21-21, respectively.
Then the Soldotna team exerted themselves offensively, taking a three-point lead, 38-35, at the end of the third quarter. With a quick basket to open the fourth, the Mustangs found themselves at their largest deficit. But after a timeout, the team's defense yielded a pair of steals for quick transition baskets and the team was back in the game.
The taller Soldotna players capitalized inside the key collecting several rebounds for either baskets or fouls. The Stars hit several free throws in the final minutes to post the win.
Once in the loser's bracket, the Mustangs made the best of a bad situation, beating South 53-40 behind the inspired 14-point performance of sophomore guard/forward Lorrie Clifford. Clifford, one of the team's key players on the inside, took her game out to the perimeter hitting three times to help the Mustangs offset a 20-point game-high performance from Service junior Kelly Gamblin.
Chugiak also had nine points from freshman Lexi Sayer, along with eight from Watzke and senior Kyle Jennings.
Head coach Tracy Adams said the team got off to a good start against South.
“We hit some early three pointers. That helped build our confidence,” said the coach.
With the second-round win, the team moved into the consolation finals with Palmer for fourth place.
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Chugiak High girls varsity coach Tracy Adams lets officials know his displeasure with a call during the Mustangs' 49-46 loss to Palmer in the consolation game Saturday at the University of Alaska Anchorage Wells Fargo Sports Complex. With the loss, Chugiak finished sixth among the tourney's eight teams.
PHOTO BY DAN SHEPARD
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The Matanuska Valley powerhouse slipped past the Mustangs with another three-point decision, 49-46, despite another strong game by Watzke, who had a game-high of 24 points.
The Mustangs made a strong run down the stretch, outscoring the Moose 19-14 in the fourth quarter, but they ran out of time in the end.
“The girls played well enough to win (against Palmer). They should have won that game,” said Adams. “I honestly believe that they were the third or fourth best team at state.”
Unfortunately, on paper, the team finished sixth among the tournament's eight teams — Juneau, West Valley, East, Palmer, Soldotna, Wasilla, South and Chugiak.
For her efforts, Watzke was named as Chugiak's only selection to the 10-member all-tournament team joining East's Jazzie Gaddy, Mattie Cox of Palmer, Christina Kennedy of Soldotna, Talisa Rhea and Kayla Harrison of Juneau-Douglas, and Jenna Johnson, Anne Wesser, Hillarie Putnam and Ayla Brown of Wasilla.
The Wasilla Warriors pulled of the tournament's largest upset, unseating 2005 state champ Juneau-Douglas 51-48 in the championship finals Saturday evening.
Adams said he was very pleased with his team.
“It's been a great season. We're a young team — with only two seniors (Kyle Jennings and Ashley Finch). The experience gained from going to state this year is invaluable,” he said.
Adams also reported the Lady Mustangs won the Highest GPA Award at the 4A girls level with a 3.78 team average.
Reach the reporter at news@alaskastar.com.
