Homer High’s girls varsity basketball finished a three-game series of conference games with a 6-0 conference record and a 17-1 overall record after winning all of their games on Feb. 18-20.
The girls team attributes their success to their strong teamwork and defensive skills.
“We really pride ourselves on defense. When we’re having a bit of struggle getting through the offense, we make sure to make it count on defense so we can get those opportunities back that maybe we missed out on,” said senior Sam Draves. “We just keep hitting them until we get a good look and when we take a good look, usually good things happen.”
The boys varsity came out of the weekend with one win and currently sit with a 1-5 conference record. The boys varsity team played a nonconference game on Tuesday in Soldotna against SoHi. Homer lost by 19 points at a final score of 65-46. Sophomores Jordan Beachy and Koby Etzwiler lead Homer in scoring with 14 and 12 points, respectively. The loss against the Stars leaves the Mariner boys with a 4-13 overall season record, without affecting their conference record.
The girls and boys varsity teams will go up against Seward in another at-home conference game for senior night on Friday. Boys varsity will play first at 6 p.m., followed by girls varsity at 7:30 p.m. As the girl’s JV game was canceled, only the boys JV basketball team will play on Friday at 4:30 p.m.
Girls come out on top
of ACS on Feb. 18
Homer’s varsity girls won the Feb. 18 game against Anchorage Christian School with a final score of 52-43. Though the Mariners were behind by three points at the end of the first period, they quickly made up for it in the subsequent periods. The second period saw the Mariners take an eight-point lead, which they maintained for the rest of the game.
Senior Madison Akers was the top scorer for Homer during the ACS game, bringing in 18 points. Senior Aurora Waclawski made 10 game points, while freshman Rylyn Todd scored eight.
The Homer boys did not fare as well against ACS, who defeated them with a final score of 100-68 last Thursday evening. Despite ACS’ early lead that continued through to the end, Homer players displayed their growing offensive skills by scoring several baskets against their opponents. Etzwiler scored 19 game points, followed by sophomore Charles Rohr’s 14 points and 12 points each from junior Hunter Edens and senior Johann Kallelid.
Girls gain win against Grace
Homer girls started off the Friday night games with an 11-point win against Grace, finishing their domination of the team with a final score of 46-35. The Mariners stayed ahead in points throughout the game, protecting their net even as Grace tried to sneak up in points in the second period. As usual, Akers scored the most game points with 20, followed by Waclawski with 13.
Grace’s boys varsity team stayed out of the Mariner boys’ reach in Friday’s game, finishing the game at 63-28. Though the Mariners steadily increased their points with each period, their points were roughly half or less of Grace’s score. Rohr scored 10 points, while Edens brought in eight game points.
Girls and boys score wins
against Houston
Girls finished off the weekend by dominating Houston with a 54-39 win. Houston rallied in the third period, catching up to the Mariner’s and finishing the period only three points behind. However, the Homer girls rose up and gained a wider lead in the last period, only allowing Houston to score seven points in the fourth.
Senior Kayla Stafford led the Mariners in points with 14, followed by Akers’ 13 points and 12 from Waclawski.
Homer boys also had a triumphant Saturday, picking up a 61-44 win against Houston’s boys varsity team. Homer scored points steadily and kept the lead throughout the game, preventing a close match even when Houston scored 27 points in the final quarter. Etzwiler scored 23 game points, nearly double the points of his fellow high scorers Rohr and Eden, who each brought in 12 points.
Anna Frost can be reached at anna.frost@homernews.com.
