Ninilchik’s Colvin Moore. Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
Held scoreless until the final minute of the first half, Colvin Moore heated up just in time to ignite the Ninilchik boys basketball team in Saturday’s state title game.
Moore scored 21 points, most of them coming in a decisive run that carried the defending champion Wolverines to a 66-53 victory over Tikigaq in the Class 2A final of the ASAA/First National Bank Alaska state tournament in Anchorage.
Ninilchik finished the season 23-5 and was undefeated against 2A competition, holding off a Point Hope team that had reached the title game after rallying from an 18-point deficit in the semifinals.
On this night, however, it was Ninilchik doing the streaking.
Moore’s fingerprints were all over his team’s 20-0 run over the second and third quarters that flipped the game on its head.
Tikigaq shooting guard Joelian Lane came into the game with a 36-point scoring average at the state tournament and looked to be heating up Saturday with six quick points on leak-out layups to put his team up 28-17.
Then it was like Ninilchik flipped a switch, scoring 20 straight points and keeping the Harpooners off the scoreboard for eight minutes.
Ninilchik Jaylin Scott. Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report
Moore scored 10 straight points on a drive, two 3-pointers and a jumper before later knocking down another 3-pointer to end the epic run.
Ninilchik had four players reach double figures for the game, including Kade McCorism with 15, Jaylin Scott 14 and Peyton Edens 12. Coach Nick Finley lost two starters from last season’s state championship squad and still ran it back.
Scott was big down the stretch with nine points in the second half, most of them coming on tough shots and offensive rebounds. His putback made it 55-45 late in the fourth quarter.
Ninilchik outscored Tikigaq 16-3 from the foul line. Early on, free throws were responsible for six of the team’s first 17 points. Later, the money shot came from downtown as the Wolverines made six 3-pointers in a nine-minute stretch.
Tikigaq (16-7) got 25 points from Lane and 13 points and seven rebounds from Aqquiluk Hank.
Hank was a workhorse early as he scored his team’s first nine points and 11 of 16. He bodied up defenders and scored despite contact. Lane finally scored on the final play of the first quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Lane got busy and scored nine straight points for Tikigaq. He drained two free throws, hit a 3, scored on an offensive rebound and finished a drive with a left-handed layup.
The Harpooners got as close as 55-47 before Ninilchik sealed the deal at the charity stripe.
Tikigaq’s Joelian Lane Photo by Bryan Boyett/Alaska Sports Report