The Ninilchik boys basketball team earned a third straight state berth in their three years at the Class 2A level by winning second place at the Interior Conference tournament in Nenana.
After losing in Thursday’s semifinal to Susitna Valley 68-61, the Wolverines, the two-time defending Class 2A state champs, had to win once Friday and twice Saturday to take second place.
Saturday, Ninilchik (18-9) topped Tok 68-66 in overtime before beating Susitna Valley 48-31 for second place.
The Saturday game was a classic, with Ninilchik building a 12-point lead, but Tok sending the game to overtime with a 3-pointer at the buzzer.
In overtime, Kade McCorison had a floater from the right side of the paint at the buzzer to give Ninilchik the victory.
Against Su-Valley, McCorison had 20, Max Russell had 15, Rowan Mahoney had 7, and Brandt Mill, Kannon Hughes and Carter Lemons each had 2.
For the Rams, Austin Barnard led the way with 14 points.
Friday, the Wolverines boys stayed alive by defeating Nenana 72-37.
For the Wolverines, Kade McCorison had 19, Rowan Mahoney had 18, Max Russell had 17, Carter Lemons had 5, Gabe Kerrone had 4, Holden Cameron and Noah Kalugin had 3, Ben Hand had 2 and Brandt Mill had 1.
The Ninilchik girls saw their season end Friday with a 42-24 loss to Susitna Valley. The Wolverines finish at 11-14 overall.
Riley Tucker had 11 for Ninilchik, while Klohie Hughes and Addi McCorison had 8, and Lucy Reynolds had 2.
For the girls, Addi McCorison made the all-academic team, while Tucker made the all-conference team.
For the boys, Kade McCorison was the conference MVP, while Mahoney also made the all-conference team. McCorison, Ben Hand and Holden Corwin made the all-academic team.
