Friday hoops: ACS squads sweep Nikiski

To be the best, you’ve got to beat the best, and Friday night, the Nikiski hoops squads learned the crown still belongs to another school.

Anchorage Christian Schools swept the Bulldogs in a pair of Southcentral Conference clashes at Nikiski High School, winning the girls game 61-38 and taking the boys 72-46.

In a WPI (Winning Percentage Index) list released Wednesday, both the boys and girls ACS teams ranked first among 19 schools statewide at the Class 3A level. The ACS girls were 10-0 against opposing 3A teams and the ACS boys were 9-0 against 3A opponents. The Nikiski girls are ranked fourth among 3A schools while the boys are 11th.

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Nikiski boys coach Reid Kornstad said his team played a more complete game than the previous night against Grace Christian, but acquiesced that there is not much more to be done against a stacked squad.

“It’s fun to host the top team in the state here,” Kornstad said. “We played nearly a full 32 minutes tonight against the number one team.”

Nikiski girls coach Scott Anderson said in a matchup between the top two girls teams in the Southcentral Conference, the Lions were the ones to answer the call Friday.

Six-foot-1 junior Jordan Todd dominated the paint for the ACS girls, scoring 19 points and controlling the rebound battle. Todd had 10 points in the second quarter alone. Teammate Destiny Reimers added 14 points and Mykaila Pickard had 12, including a 5-for-7 performance from the free throw line in the third quarter.

Bethany Carstens led Nikiski with 12 points, eight in the third quarter, while teammate Emma Wik notched eight.

Anderson pointed to 30 turnovers recorded by his staff as something that could’ve brought the Bulldogs closer if they could have been cleaner.

“You look at maybe five possessions on our side and five on theirs, that if we take away, it’s a much closer game,” he said.

The Lions jumped out to a 15-4 lead early, but the Bulldogs clawed back with several efficient offensive possessions, getting a triple from Wik to cut the gap to 19-11 midway through the second quarter.

However, Todd turned up the wick down in the post to quickly push the ACS lead out again, and the Lions grabbed a 33-16 halftime lead.

Carstens found a groove in the third quarter, pushing the pace and laying in several quick buckets, but Reimers countered Carstens on several occasions. Plus, the Bulldogs began finding foul trouble, and ACS made them pay by sinking 11 of 15 free throws to extend the lead.

In the boys game, 10 different players got into the scoring column for the Lions, led by the 16 points from Fredrick Onochie, a muscular 6-foot-4 junior that sliced through the Bulldogs defense. Onochie had 10 points by the first quarter buzzer.

Orlando Lozano also pumped in 14 points for ACS, all in the first half on four 3-pointers, and Danilo Guzman notched 13.

Garrett Ellis led Nikiski with 12 points, eight coming in the fourth quarter, and Noah Litke added 10, all in the first half.

It took less than five minutes for the Lions to reach a 15-4 lead, which was bumped to 21-8 by the end of the first quarter. With Onochie making life tough under the rim and Lozano draining 3-pointers from outside, the Bulldogs became stretched thin on defense.

Offensively, Kornstad said his crew did about all he could ask for. Litke cut through the ACS core with a handful of baseline drives that resulted in layups, but Nikiski found little else.

Friday girls

Lions 61, Bulldogs 38

ACS 15 18 21 7 —61

Nikiski 4 12 11 11 —38

ACS (61) — Parks 1 2-2 4, Tebbits 0 0-0 0, Smallwood 0 0-0 0, Davis 0 0-0 0, Reimers 6 1-2 14, Tiulana 1 0-0 2, Powell 0 1-4 1, Randall 0 0-0 0, Pickard 3 5-7 12, Carr 3 2-2 9, Tunguing 0 0-2 0, Todd 8 3-4 19. Totals 22 14-23 61.

NIKISKI (38) — Jeffreys 1 2-2 4, Wik 2 2-2 8, L. Carstens 2 0-0 4, Bostic 1 1-4 3, Johnson 1 0-0 2, B. Carstens 4 4-6 12, Druesedow 1 1-2 3, Jackson 1 0-0 2. Totals 13 10-16 38.

3-point goals — ACS 3 (Reimers 1, Carr 1, Pickard 1); Nikiski 2 (Wik 2).

Team fouls — ACS 16, Nikiski 13. Fouled out — none.

Friday boys

Lions 72, Bulldogs 46

ACS 21 22 15 14 —72

Nikiski 8 12 9 17 —46

ACS (72) — Parks 3 1-2 8, Smallwood 0 0-2 0, Onochie 7 2-2 16, Davis 1 0-0 2, Cho 1 0-0 2, Hayner 0 2-2 2, Guzman 6 0-0 13, Dickerson 2 0-0 5, Hakala 1 0-0 2, Lozano 5 0-0 14, Smith 0 0-0 0, Hall 3 0-0 8. Totals 29 5-8 72.

NIKISKI (46) — Johnson 2 1-2 5, Weathers 0 0-0 0, Ellis 4 4-4 12, Kornstad 2 4-4 9, T. Litke 0 0-0 0, Handley 3 2-6 8, N. Litke 5 0-1 10, Bridges 1 0-0 2. Totals 17 11-17 46.

3-point goals — ACS 9 (Lozano 4, Hall 2, Dickerson 1, Guzman 1, Parks 1); Nikiski 1 (Kornstad).

Team fouls — ACS 18, Nikiski 13. Fouled out — Johnson.

ACS guard Brett Dickerson finds himself trapped underneath Nikiski forwards Ian Johnson (middle) and Cody Handley (right) Friday at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)

Nikiski’s Bethany Carstens drives for a layup over ACS defenders Mary Kate Parks (middle) and Jessie Davis Friday at Nikiski High School. (Photo by Joey Klecka/Peninsula Clarion)