Homer’s Einar Pederson drives on Kenai Central’s Ben Harris on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer’s Einar Pederson drives on Kenai Central’s Ben Harris on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Tuesday hoops: Kenai, Homer split; Susitna Valley sweeps Ninilchik

The Kenai Central girls and Homer boys won Peninsula Conference matchups Tuesday at Kenai Central High School.

The Kardinals girls notched a 61-46 victory to move to 2-1 in the league and 6-5 overall. Homer is 0-2 in the league and 1-7 overall.

The Mariners boys got a bucket from Henry Wedvik as time expired to hold off Kenai 54-52. Homer is 1-0 in the league and 2-5 overall, while the Kardinals drop to 1-1 in the league and 5-6 overall.

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In the boys game, Kenai trailed 47-39 with 4:18 remaining when the Kardinals took a timeout.

The Kards came all the way back to cut it to 52-49 when Ben Harris hit a 3 with 23 seconds left. Kenai then forced a turnover and Reid Titus was fouled shooting a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left. Titus made all three foul shots to tie it at 52.

“We showed a lot of character to come back,” Kenai head coach Nolan Rose said. “I think we were down 14 at one point, with maybe two minutes left in the third quarter range.

“In that moment, we decided to just go small and get as many ball handlers and shooters out there as we could. I thought the kids battled, and we put ourselves in position.”

Homer called timeout with 1.5 seconds left and got to inbound the ball under the Kenai basket. Preston Stanislaw threw a perfect pass to Wedvick on the weak side — avoiding the backboard — and Wedvik leaped in the air and made the layup for the win.

Wedvik finished with a game-high 22 points.

Rose said he put in size expecting the lob, but credited Stanislaw with a great pass to the weak-side block.

“I’m 35 and he’s 17, and I learn probably more from him,” Homer head coach Jose Musa said of Wedvik. “He’s our captain. He’s steadfast.

“He never gets too high and he never gets too low. That’s probably the most animated you’ll see him.”

Musa said it was double redemption for Wedvik. Not only did Wedvik miss last season with a knee injury, but he sat most of Homer’s previous game — an 81-56 blowout loss at Ninilchik — after getting a third foul then an uncharacteristic technical foul early in the second quarter.

In the end, the 26-17 lead Homer built in the first half was just enough to hold up. Rose said nine first-half turnovers were costly. He also said, defensively, Kenai did not have the same urgency that fueled the comeback in the second half.

“In the first half, we were loose with the basketball and turnovers helped contribute to them getting an advantage and feeling confident in what they were doing,” the coach said.

Musa said the key in the first half was holding Kenai to one shot. When the Kardinals went small in the third quarter and started shooting a lot of 3-pointers, Kenai was quicker to the long rebounds that resulted.

Musa said those rebounds just led to open 3-pointers for the Kards.

“They’re a super skilled shooting team,” Musa said. “Every time they missed, I was shocked, because the way the ball leaves their hand, the arc it takes and the way it goes into the net, it’s beautiful.”

Homer ended up with a vital conference win. With only three teams in the conference, the team with the best regular season conference record advances to the conference final and gets a bid to Class 3A state.

“I thought tonight’s game was a game of resolve,” Musa said. “This was a big win.”

Musa said sophomore Benjamin Engebretsen stepped into the starting lineup and did a great job in scoring two points.

Senior Spencer Dye was the one who transitioned to coming off the bench and Musa said Dye handled the new role like a pro and scored 3 points.

CJ Burns had 17 for Homer, while Einar Pederson had 5, Jamen Anderson had 3, and Stanislaw had 2.

Rose said everybody had to contribute to almost pull off the comeback. He said Miles Metteer hit a few big 3-pointers to start the third-quarter run. Metteer had 18.

The coach also said Caleb Litke, who had 14, did a good job of pushing the pace on offense. Reid Titus had 8, while Carter Felchle had 6, and Harris and Mason Tunseth had 3 apiece.

Kenai girls 61, Homer 46

Homer head coach Dan Miotke said he is considering protesting the game after a couple of technical fouls were called on his team in the second half. Each technical gave Kenai two foul shots and possession of the ball.

The technicals were assessed by the referees because the scorebooks showed two Homer players played more than six quarters combined in junior varsity and varsity.

Miotke, a former basketball referee, said it is not the job of referees to enforce the rule with a technical foul during the game.

The rule is in the handbook of the Alaska School Activities Association and it is up to the association to decide on a penalty, for example forfeiture or fines, after the incident has been reported and investigated.

Miotke said he believes the junior varsity scorebook was in error and there will be no penalty.

“No question, Kenai came out in the first and kicked our butt,” Miotke said. “But I felt like in the second we started to play and got a little momentum, and that was a big distraction.”

Miotke said the incident also cost him the services of two players when Homer was already short two senior contributors due to injury.

The Kardinals came out and took a 14-2 lead after the first quarter and 31-14 lead at halftime. Kenai head coach Jake Songer loved the way his team executed in the first half, particularly on defense and the offensive glass.

On defense, Kenai consistently forced turnovers.

“We’re not doing the full court press deal, but we have little ways to pressure the ball, steal vision and make them make bad choices,” Songer said.

Songer said Sierra Hershberger and Evelyn Cooper both play the “wolf” position on defense and did a great job. The “wolf” is at the top of the defense and steers the ball handler to pressure. Cooper had 10, while Hershberger had 4.

The Kards also got easy points off offensive rebounds.

“We know weak-side people need to be in there crashing,” Songer said. “That’s an emphasis we make as well.”

Songer said Willow Graham normally starts, but she didn’t start Tuesday and that put a little fire under her. The coach said Graham was great on the offensive glass and had 10 points.

The Kenai coach also said Bryleigh Williams handled the ball well and scored 6. McKenzie Spence had 17 to lead the Kardinals, while Ellsi Miller had 10, and Savannah Hershberger and Gracee Every each had 2.

With just four teams in the conference, every conference game is big and Songer felt his team answered that call.

“We talked about it before the game,” he said. “We talked about it at practice. They were aware, and they really stepped up.”

Miotke said he played four freshmen in the game and that showed in the slow start.

“I think we had some growth in there after the first half, when we got them settled down a little bit,” he said.

Homer won the second half 32-30.

Channing Lowney led the Mariners with 19 points and served as a leader for the young lineup.

“I think we had a few moments where we had to get her to settle down and refocus,” Miotke said of Lowney. “We told her, ‘You’re the senior leader out there and the younger girls really need you to help.’

“She responded.”

Coach Miotke said Madalyn Miotke had 5 points and guarded Kenai’s best player. Coach Miotke also said the freshmen came on as the game went on, with Abby Ostrom scoring 7, and Emily Stafford and Leya Johnson scoring 2.

Also for Homer, Keagan Niebuhr had 10 and Mally Im had 1.

Susitna Valley sweeps Ninilchik

The host Susitna Valley basketball teams swept Ninilchik on Tuesday in Southern Conference play.

The Wolverines girls lost 52-10 to fall to 0-3 in the league and 2-8 overall. The Wolverines boys lost 56-53 to fall to 2-1 in the league and 6-5 overall.

Homer’s Keagan Niebuhr and Kenai Central’s McKenzie Spence battle for the ball Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer’s Keagan Niebuhr and Kenai Central’s McKenzie Spence battle for the ball Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer’s Emily Stafford drives on Kenai Central’s Bryleigh Williams on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

Homer’s Emily Stafford drives on Kenai Central’s Bryleigh Williams on Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

The Homer Mariners celebrate a game-winning shot by Henry Wedvik (front and center) Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

The Homer Mariners celebrate a game-winning shot by Henry Wedvik (front and center) Tuesday, Jan. 21, 2025, at Kenai Central High School in Kenai, Alaska. (Photo by Jeff Helminiak/Peninsula Clarion)

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