The Ninilchik girls and boys basketball teams pulled off a Peninsula Conference sweep Monday in Nikolaevsk.
Last season, the Wolverines girls defeated the Warriors in the Peninsula Conference championship game. The rivalry has kept going this season, as the teams are now 2-2 against each other.
Best of all for Ninilchik, the two losses to the Warriors have been in nonconference play. The Ninilchik girls are 14-6 overall and 6-0 in the league and will be the top seed in the conference tournament. Nikolaevsk is 10-8 overall and 2-4 in the league, if double jeopardy games are included, and is in line for the No. 3 seed.
Monday’s dramatic finish only will add to the rivalry.
The scored was knotted at 33 with a minute left. Ninilchik had the ball and was running the clock down, but a sloppy pass led to a loose ball. Ninilchik’s Shelly Johnson sustained a head injury, forcing her to come out of the game, in the chase for the ball. The jump ball ended up going to Nikolaevsk with like 16 seconds left.
Vera Fefelov, who paced the Warriors with 13 points, beat DeeAnn White off the dribble and took a hard foul at the rim. Fefelov calmly made both of her foul shots with 2.6 seconds left.
Ninilchik girls coach Joshua Demlow immediately got a timeout. Figuring the Nikolaevsk defense would be keying on White, Demlow drew up a play for Olivia Delgado instead.
Delgado caught the ball with the back to the basket about 10 feet from midcourt. In a process that took just three dribbles, she quickly spun to her right and, just three steps after midcourt, let fly from the right side. The buzzer sounded as the ball sailed through the air, rim and net.
“I told her to take two dribbles and shoot no matter where she was at on the floor,” Demlow said. “She caught it and made a great spin move out of the double team. She broke free and got a great look. All the credit goes to her. It was a great job.”
The dramatic shot punctuated a great evening for Delgado, as she led the Wolverines with 16 points, including three 3-pointers.
Demlow said Monday’s game will only add spice to the Peninsula Conference tournament.
“Obviously, it’s anybody’s game when we go out onto the floor with them,” he said. “We had an off game today from a couple of girls, but Olivia stepped up huge and the girls off the bench played key minutes.”
The boys game, won by Ninilchik 76-50, matched the Class 1A state finalists from a year ago. The Wolverines again had the upper hand, but Nikolaevsk coach Steve Klaich said the game was an improvement over a 98-46 loss in mid-Janaury. Klaich said the Warriors had the lead down to nine points in the third quarter before Ninilchik went on a run.
Dalton Geppert had a huge game for the Wolverines, scoring 30 points while collecting seven 3-pointers. Austin White added 20 points, while Tyler Presley had 13.
Nikit Fefelov had 18 points to pace the Warriors, while Zachary Trail had 12 points.
The Ninilchik boys are now 13-8 overall and 8-0 in the league and have clinched the No. 1 seed. Nikolaevsk is 10-8 overall and 6-4 in the league, if double jeopardy games are counted. The Warriors have two conference games left and their seeding is not set.
Monday girls
Wolverines 36, Warriors 35
Ninilchik 11 4 11 10 — 36
Nikolaevsk 8 10 8 9 — 35
NINILCHIK (36) — Delgado 9 1-3 16, Kain 1 0-1 3, Kreger 0 0-0 0, Johnson 2 0-2 4, White 2 1-2 6, Cooper 0 0-0 0, Pinnow 0 0-0 0, Clark 3 1-4 7. Totals — 17 3-12 36.
NIKOLAEVSK (35) — S. Klaich 0 0-0 0, K. Klaich 3 3-4 9, Yakunin 1 0-0 2, J. Fefelov 1 0-0 2, E. Fefelov 4 1-2 9, V. Fefelov 4 4-4 13. Totals — 13 8-10 35.
3-point goals — Ninilchik 5 (Delgado 3, Kain, White); Nikolaevsk 1 (V. Fefelov). Team fouls — Ninilchik 12, Nikolaevsk 12. Fouled out — none.
Monday boys
Wolverines 76, Warriors 50
Ninilchik 27 10 22 17 — 76
Nikolaevsk 14 8 16 12 — 50
NINILCHIK (76) — Presley 4 5-5 13, Koch 3 0-0 6, Geppert 11 1-5 30, Clark 1 0-0 2, Bartolowits 1 0-0 2, Mumey 1 0-0 3, McGinnis 0 0-0 0, White 10 0-0 20. Totals — 31 8-10 76.
NIKOLAEVSK (50) — Molodih 1 0-0 2, Jones 0 0-0 0, Yakunin 1 0-0 2, Fefelov 7 0-0 18, Nikitenko 1 0-0 3, Z. Trail 5 2-2 12, M. Trail 2 2-2 6, Kalugin 3 1-2 7. Totals — 20 5-6 50.
3-point goals — Ninilchik 8 (Geppert 7, Mumey); Nikolaevsk 5 (Fefelov 4, Nikitenko). Team fouls — Ninilchik 8, Nikolaevsk 7. Fouled out — none.
