One benefit of being a uber-tough Northern Lights Conference basketball member is that it makes nonconference games all that much easier.
The Kodiak girls discovered that on Friday night at Kodiak High School.
Behind career performances from Kate Holland, Serenity Bushell and Lakeisha Sanchez, the Bears devoured 2A Ninilchik 72-31.
The victory snapped a four-game losing skid and upped Kodiak’s win total to three, tying last season’s effort. During that four-game stretch, the Bears lost twice to the state’s top-ranked team ACS and No. 2 ranked Wasilla, both sitting atop the NLC standings. Below those two powerhouse schools in the NLC is third-ranked Colony, a squad Kodiak lost to in January.
“They are the gauge of where you want to get to. I can’t replicate that in practice. We can’t get that good of defense against us in practice — we only get better by doing it against the best,” second-year Kodiak bench boss Monica Claridge said. “So, then when we play a team that isn’t up to that level, hopefully, we will rise up.”
Kodiak did, and then some.
The 72 points is the biggest output by a Kodiak girls team since the undefeated 2013-14 team hung 68 points on Monroe Catholic. That star-studded team — all five starters played in college — won 27 games and averaged 53.9 points but never eclipsed 70 in a contest.
That fun fact is something to be proud of for a rebuilding program.
“They played with more confidence today, and that showed with our shooting. They were willing to step up and take looks that they weren’t the last couple of weeks,” Claridge said. “That is good because we need them to do that because when we get into regions, you have to be able to step up and knock those shots down.”
Holland is not bashful about launching 3-pointers. The 5-foot-3 guard buried six triples en route to a career-high 20 points — five markers better than her previous high set earlier this season in a victory over Palmer.
She needed to make only three more 3-pointers to tie Carrie Hamer’s mid-1990s school record of nine in a game.
“She was confident in her shot. It was good to see all of our kids more confident,” Claridge said. “We have to be scorers.”
While Holland sparkled from the outside, Bushell — a 5-10 post — dazzled from in the paint, racking up a career-high 16 points that blew past her previous mark of 12 set earlier this season against Soldotna.
And don’t forget Sanchez. The 5-3 guard erupted in the second half, scoring 13 of her career-high 15 points during that time. Her previous best was nine in a victory against Eagle River in February.
Kodiak reeled off the game’s first 12 points and led 22-4 after the first quarter. Ninilchik found life from 5-11 sophomore Riley Tucker who dropped a game-high 21 points. In doing so, she went 6 of 17 from the free-throw line.
After getting outscored by two in the second quarter, Kodiak used a 20-4 third quarter to bust open the game.
“To turn around and have this kind of momentum boost going into regions is definitely helpful,” Claridge said. “We took shots that we didn’t take in those other games and made them.”
SATURDAY
Holland drilled four more 3-pointers and scored a game-high 12 points to lead Kodiak to a 57-16 victory over Ninilchik.
The Bears closed the regular season with a 4-13 record — a win better than a year ago.
Bushell chipped in 11 points, while Sanchez added nine.
Holland drilled four more 3-pointers and scored a game-high 12 points to lead Kodiak to a 57-16 victory over Ninilchik.
The Bears closed the regular season with a 4-13 record — a win better than a year ago.
Bushell chipped in 11 points, while Sanchez added nine.
After the game, Kodiak honored seniors Avie Arevalo, Hannah Nero, Ina Palolic and Mayu Sakaguchi.
Tucker paced Ninilchik (6-16) with eight points.
Kodiak opens the Northern Lights Conference Thursday at Kodiak High School.
FRIDAY
BEARS 72, WOLVERINES 31
Ninilchik 4 13 4 10 — 31
Kodiak 22 11 20 19 — 72
Ninilchik (32) — Berger 0 0-0 0, T. Rickard 1 0-0 2, Minton 0 0-0 0, K. Rickard 0 0-0 0, Tucker 6 7-16 21, Acrey 0 0-0 0, Lemons 3 0-0 8, Hendryx 0 0-0 0. Totals: 10 6-17 21.
Kodiak (72) — Arevalo 1 0-0 2, Sanchez 7 1-2 15, Blanco 0 0-0 0, Holland 6 2-2 20, Nero 2 0-0 7, Fangonilo 2 0-0 4, Paloic 0 0-0 0, Enriquez 0 0-0 0, Bushell 7 2-6 16, Sakaguchi 0 0-0 0, Arbues 4 0-1 8. Totals: 30 5-12 72.
3-point goals: Ninilchik 4 (Tucker 2, Lemons 2); Kodiak 7 (Holland 6, Nero). Fouls: Ninilchik 9, Kodiak 11. Fouled out: None.
SATURDAY
BEARS 57, WOLVERINES 16
Ninilchik 4 5 0 7 — 16
Kodiak 13 9 23 12 — 57
Ninilchik (16) — Berger 1 0-0 2, T. Rickard 0 0-0 0, Minton 0 0-0 0, K. Rickard 1 0-0 2, Tucker 3 2-4 8, Acrey 0 0-0 0, Lemons 2 0-2 4, Hendryx 0 0-0 0. Totals: 7 2-6 16.
Kodiak (57) — Arevalo 2 0-0 4, Sanchez 4 1-2 9, Blanco 3 0-0 6, Holland 4 1-2 13, Nero 3 0-0 7, Fangonilo 1 0-0 2, Paolic 0 1-2 1, Enriquez 0 3-6 3, Bushell 4 3-6 11, Sakaguchi 0 0-0 0, Arbues 0 1-2 1. Totals: 21 10-20 57.
3-point goals: Ninilchik 0; Kodiak 5 (Holland 4, Nero). Fouls: Ninilchik 13, Kodiak 10. Fouled out: None.
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