The Dimond boys basketball team gave its student body plenty to cheer for in the first game of the Alaska Prep Shootout.

Playing an afternoon game in front of the entire school, the Lynx raced out to a quick lead and cruised to a 70-30 victory over the Houston Hawks on Thursday at Dimond High School.

Dimond’s Big 3 of Amelio Ambrosio, Jace Christopherson and Tavarius Wrice combined for 32 of the team’s 41 points in the first half, when the Cook Inlet Conference squad put on a show for a crowd of 1,500.

The first of four tournament games set the tone as the first round featured a 35-point average margin of victory. It was blowout city, but that means Friday should be more competitive as Day 2 matchups look balanced on paper.

Alaska Prep Shootout
At Dimond High School
Thursday
Dimond 70, Houston 30
Barrow 65, Ketchikan 41
Grace Christian 56, Ninilchik 27
West Valley 68, Chugiak 24
Friday
Consolation
3:30 Houston vs. Ketchikan
5:00pm Ninilchik vs. Chugiak
Semifinals
6:30pm Grace vs. West Valley
8:00pm Barrow vs. Dimond
Saturday
12:00pm Seventh Place
1:30 Fifth Place
3:00 Third Place
4:30pm Title Game

Ambrosio’s 19 points led the way for the Lynx (4-1). The all-conference senior drilled three of his team’s eight 3-pointers and sat out the fourth quarter.

Christopherson added 12 points and Wrice reached double digits with 10.

Houston’s Sebastian Sanford scored 17 points, keyed by 5-for-7 free throw shooting.

Houston 8 9 6 7 – 30
Dimond 21 20 25 4 – 70
HOUSTON – Johnson 1 0-0 2, Baskett 2 0-0 4, Rusher 1 0-2 3, N. Davies 0 0-0 0, Sanford 6 5-7 17, Christensen 1 0-2 2, L. Davies 1 0-0 2. Totals 12 5-11 30.
DIMOND – Ambrosio 8 0-0 19, Christopherson 5 0-2 12, Walls 3 0-0 6, Sarmiento 0 0-0 0, Aljibe 1 0-0 3, Wilson 2 0-1 4, Hajdukovich 1 0-0 2, Wrice 4 0-0 10, Odia 5 0-0 10, Billingslea 0 0-0 0, Alfano 1 0-0 2, Tauanau 0 0-0 0. Totals 31 0-3 70.
3-point goals – Houston 1 (Rusher), Dimond 8 (Ambrosio 3, Christopherson 2, Wrice 2, Aljibe). Total fouls – Houston 7, Dimond 13. Fouled out – None.

Barrow 65, Ketchikan 41

Alex Fruean racked up 22 points and Jaziah Tivao contributed 17 as the Whalers took control in the second quarter and then turned up the pressure on defense.

Barrow held Ketchikan to just 12 points in the final 16 minutes, including just two points in the fourth quarter.

Fruean was his steady self and got a lift from his supporting cast, which is when the Whalers are at their best.

At halftime, Tivao led his team with 10 points at halftime while Leoni Taitaigu added seven. In the second half, Lennox Dias pumped in a pair of 3-pointers and finished the game with eight points.

Ketchikan canned nine 3s and got 10 points from Joziah Dela Cruz and nine apiece from Rylan Hanchey and Henry Vail.

Barrow 14 21 16 14 – 65
Ketchikan 18 11 10 2 – 41
BARROW – Dias 2 2-2 8, Trevor 0 0-0 0, Salazar 1 0-2 3, Wilhelm 1 0-1 2, Adams 0 0-0 0, Reyes 1 0-0 2, Fruean 9 2-4 22, Donovan 2 0-2 4, Tivao 7 2-4 17, Taitaigu 3 0-0 7. Totals 26 6-15 65.
KETCHIKAN – E. Dela Cruz 2 1-3 7, Parrott 1 0-0 2, J. Dela Cruz 4 0-0 10, Manabat 1 2-3 4, Alahan 0 0-0 0, Hanchey 3 0-0 9, Vail 3 1-2 9, Olap 0 0-0 0, Febrero 0 0-0 0. Totals 14 4-8 41.
3-point goals – Barrow 7 (Dias 2, Fruean 2, Salazar, Tivao, Taitaigu), Ketchikan 9 (Hanchey 3, E. Dela Cruz 2, J. Dela Cruz 2, Vail 2). Total fouls – Barrow 11, Ketchikan 8. Fouled out – None.

West Valley 58, Chugiak 24

Halen Nield brushed off a scoreless first quarter with 17 points across the second and third quarters to highlight the Wolfpack.

Neild had eight of his team’s 24 points in the second quarter. The Fairbanks squad hit nine 3s.

All-state guard Jayden Miranda chipped in 10 points and Deontae Cromer had nine. Logan Penn scored eight.

Chugiak’s Garrett Olson netted 17 points, although it would have been more with better foul shooting.

Chugiak 6 9 4 5 – 24
West Valley 13 24 19 12 – 68
WEST VALLEY – Hansen 1 0-0 3, Small 0 1-2 1, Miranda 3 2-2 10, Nield 7 1-4 17, Malamute 1 0-0 3, Pitka 2 0-0 4, Cromer 4 0-0 9, Huntington 0 1-2 1, Damario 0 0-0 0, Stumpf 1 0-0 3, Marks 2 0-2 5, Schrerer 1 0-0 2, Penn 4 0-0 8, Kruger 1 0-0 2. Totals 27 5-12 68.
CHUGIAK – Hales 1 0-0 2, Olson 5 5-12 17, Lary 2 1-2 5, Mosteller 1 0-0 2, Benning 0 0-0 0, Gracey 0 0-0 0. Totals 8 6-13 24.
3-point goals – Chugiak 0, West Valley 9 (Miranda 2, Nield 2, Hansen, Malamute, Cromer, Stumpf, Marks). Total fouls – Chugiak 14, West Valley 12. Fouled out – None.

Grace 56, Ninilchik 27

Last year’s tournament MVP Bristol Tobin is back and looking for more hardware as he furnished 17 points to pace three double-digit scorers for the Grizzlies.

Chris Jones registered 12 points and Ashton Clarkson buried three 3s and scored 11.

Defense was Grace’s calling card in this one as the Grizzlies held the 1A team to single digits in the first three quarters.

Ninilchik’s Onyx Allen hit two 3s and finished with 10 points as his team’s long double-figure scorer.

Ninilchik 5 7 5 10 – 27
Grace Christian 12 12 18 14 – 56
NINILCHIK – Mill 0 0-0 0, Radar 0 1-2 1, A. McCorison 2 1-2 6, Corwin 1 0-0 3, K. McCorison 3 0-0 7, Allen 3 2-4 10, J. Jackson 0 0-2 0, Tressler 0 0-0 0. Totals 9 4-10 27.
GRACE – B. Clarkson 3 0-0 7, A. Clarkson 4 0-0 11, Tobin 7 2-2 17, Colvin 0 0-0 0, Buck 0 0-0 0, Parkinson 0 0-0 0, Adolfae 2 0-0 6, Jones 6 0-2 12, Malone 0 0-0 0, Boerger 1 0-0 3, Swanson 0 0-0 0. Totals 23 2-6 56.
3-point goals – Ninilchik 5 (Allen 2, A. McCorison, Corwin, K. McCorison), Grace 8 (A. Clarkson 3, Adolfae 2, B. Clarkson, Tobin, Boerger). Total fouls – Ninilchik 16, Grace 16. Fouled out – None.