The visiting Seward boys basketball team defeated Ninilchik 85-66 on Friday in Southern Conference action as the Seahawks survived a school-record 55 points from Ninilchik junior Kade McCorison.
The Seahawks move to 4-1 in the league and 11-9 overall, while the Wolverines are 5-3 in the league and 15-8 overall.
The Seward-Ninilchik girls game scheduled for Friday was canceled because the Wolverines did not have enough healthy players.
The boys game was about McCorison, who broke his previous record of 46 points in a game, trying to keep up with the scoring of Seward. While the rest of Ninilchik’s team combined for 11 points, Seward put four in double figures with Van Shank at 21, Talon Lemme at 20, Emerson Cross at 15 and Lane Petersen at 10.
Seward head coach Al Plan is the first to admit the game did not go according to plan.
“Obviously it didn’t work, but it was basically to try and stop him and let everybody else beat us,” Plan said of McCorison.
Said Ninilchik coach Nick Finley: “I mean, he puts up 55 and they beat us by 20. So that’s a good game plan too.”
Seward had lost to Ninilchik 56-50 on Feb. 7 on Homer’s court, which is bigger than most high school floors. Ninilchik’s court is tiny compared to most courts and both coaches said that explains the difference in the games.
“Our pressure on this court is a huge difference,” Plan said. “You’re fighting in a phone booth here, you know. There’s not a whole lot of room to get away from it.”
Ninilchik is young, with Maxx Russell the lone senior and McCorison the lone junior. The Wolverines also were missing a starter for the game.
Finley said early on in the game — the Wolverines trailed 24-16 after the first quarter and 47-30 at the half — it was apparent the younger players were struggling with Seward’s full-court, trapping defense.
“We want the other guys to step up,” Finley said. “But it was pretty evident in this game that they were scared.”
McCorison saw that and went to work. He handled the ball against a lot of the pressure and scored from all over the floor — canning four 3-pointers and hitting 21 of 23 from the free-throw line.
“He was really just feeling it tonight, and he scored the ball at will,” Plan said. “We were doing double-teaming, triple-teaming, trying to get the ball out of his hands.
“Usually, he would just get it out and get it right back, and then he’d find a way to get to the rim. And then he shoots the ball well, too.”
Finley said everything that makes McCorison special was on display.
“If he doesn’t get player of the year this year, something’s wrong,” the coach said. “He’s by far the best player in 2A basketball, and maybe even 3A and 4A.”
Seward was able to put up 85 points and stay ahead of McCorison by getting easy buckets off turnovers and executing in the half court.
“We talk about shot selection all the time,” Plan said. “We want to shoot open 3s and shots under the volleyball line down there in the key.
“That’s not all we shot tonight, but that’s a lot of what we shot tonight. They were open looks and we were on balance.”
Lemme got the Seahawks going with 18 in the first half. Finley pointed out Lemme was being guarded by an eighth-grader and there’s plenty to learn from the loss.
“We’re young, and we weren’t rotating,” Finley said.
Shank had 16 in the second half when Ninilchik started extending the defense, so Shank was able to get to the rim.
Mason Elhard added 8 for the Seahawks, while Noah Price had 5, Jack Lindquist had 4 and Luke Elhard had 2.
For Ninilchik, Brandt Mill and Andon McCorison had 4, Eric Rader had 2 and Russell had 1.
There is a battle brewing for the conference’s two spots to state that will be up for grabs at the conference tourney.
Seward has split with Ninilchik and beat Susitna Valley once in league play. Su Valley has taken two from the Wolverines. And Lumen Christi and Unalaska have proven competitive with the top three.
The Seahawks came to 2A from 3A this season.
“This is a rough conference,” Plan said. “It’s a tough one to drop into.”
Homer boys 64, Kenai 55
The host Mariners clinched a state berth by topping the Kardinals in Peninsula Conference action Friday. Homer has not been to state since 2022, when the Mariners broke string of not appearing at state that went back to 2000.
Homer moves to 3-0 in the league and 6-11 overall, while Kenai fell to 2-2 in the league and 14-8 overall.
There are only three boys teams in the Peninsula Conference. The top seed in the conference tournament gets an automatic berth in the conference final, and thus one of the conference’s two automatic berths to state.
The Mariners, with only a league game left against 0-3 Nikiski, clinched the top seed and the state berth.
Homer led 16-7 after the first quarter, 27-25 at halftime and 46-36 after three quarters.
For the Mariners, Henry Wedvik poured in 22, while Einar Pederson and Ben Engebretsen each had 12. Also, Spencer Dye had 9, Preston Stanislaw had 5 and Jamen Anderson had 4.
For the Kardinals, Miles Metteer got loose for 20 points, while Caleb Litke had 13, Reid Titus had 9, Mason Tunseth had 8, Riel Castillo had 3 and Carter Felchle had 2.
Kenai girls 45, Homer 25
The visiting Kenai Central girls notched a Peninsula Conference victory over Homer on Friday.
The Kardinals are 3-2 in the league and 14-8 overall, while Homer is 0-5 and 3-17.
Bryleigh Williams had 10 to pace the Kardinals, while Evelyn Cooper and Ellsi Miller had 7, Willow Graham had 6, Sierra Hershberger and Gracee Every had 5, Savannah Hershberger had 3 and McKenzie Spence had 2.
For Homer, Channing Lowney had 14, Mally Im had 4, Madalyn Miotke had 3, and Keagan Niebuhr and Stella Condon had 2.
Grace Christian girls 64, Nikiski 25
The visiting Grizzlies notched a Peninsula Conference victory over the Bulldogs on Friday. The Bulldogs are 2-3 in the league and 6-13 overall.
Blakeley Jorgensen paced Nikiski with 13, while Abby White had 5, Avery Ellis had 3, and Madison Iyatunguk and Addison Perkins had 2.
For Grace, Sophie Lentfer poured in 32, while Molly Schild and MJ Van der Horst had 8, Poppy Wiggers-Pidduck had 7, Jaden Helton had 5 and Faith Salima had 4.
Grace boys 56, Soldotna 47
The visiting Grizzlies notched a Northern Lights Conference victory to drop the Stars to 2-7 in the league and 7-14 overall.
Grace trailed 18-16 after the first quarter, but led 28-21 at the half and 41-32 after three quarters.
For the Stars, Izaiah Gilbert had 22, Jayden Stuyvesant had 12, Bryan Berg had 6, Kenai Lepule had 3, and Easton Hawkins and Owen Buckbee had 2.
For the Grizzlies, Bristol Tobin had 20, while Robbie Annett had 9, Brayden Clarkson and Chris Jones had 8, Henry Beck had 7 and Ashton Clarkson had 3.
Ninilchik’s Brandt Mill tries to steal the ball from Seward’s Talon Lemme on Friday, February 21, 2025, at Ninilchik School in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
Seward’s Noah Price protects the ball from Ninilchik’s Eric Rader on Friday, February 21, 2025, at Ninilchik School in Ninilchik, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)
