Sports

Service boys hang on for CIC tourney win over Wolves

Service's boys basketball team knew it was in for a dogfight in Tuesday's Cook Inlet Conference tournament opener against seventh-seeded Eagle River.

"They do some things that give us trouble," said Service's Nathan Fromm.

Indeed, the Wolves -- who went 2-12 in the CIC this season -- have made a name for themselves with a scrappy brand of play, falling to the No. 2 Cougars by a mere three points during the teams' two regular season meetings.

The Wolves again showed plenty of teeth Tuesday, but the result was another close call as the Cougars held on for a 51-44 win to advance to the semifinals.

"They're a really good group, they just couldn't figure out how to finish a game," Fromm said.

Service dominated the early action, taking a 15-2 lead after the first quarter and going to the locker room with a 27-13 advantage. Eagle River chipped away in the second half though, and a late eruption from outside by Wyatt Reiser nearly completed the comeback bid.

Reiser scored 14 of his game-high 17 points in the final quarter, including three 3-pointers, as Eagle River pulled to within five points down the stretch. But Service handled its business from the free throw line, going 6-for-6 in the fourth to ice the win.

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Fromm led a balanced Cougars attack with 13 points, Pindo Drammeh and Brad Wacker had 12 each and Monroe Bailey added nine.

Jared Phearson added nine points for Eagle River, which often had to settle for long jump shots due to the shot-altering presence of the 6-foot-9 Drammeh inside.

On the other end, Eagle River used a zone defense for much of the game to slow the Cougars, who responded by patiently moved the ball around the perimeter for long stretches of time while looking for open shots.

"We worked on that all week," Fromm said.

Service was playing without starter Eben Upton, who Fromm said should be back in time for the semifinals.

Service will play Friday against the winner of Wednesday's 7 p.m. game between No. 3 East and No. 6 South. For the Cougars to advance out of the semis -- and earn an automatic state tourney berth in the process -- Fromm said they'll have to continue to be patient and take what their opponents give them.

"I'm happy with where we're at," he said. "We just have to work as a team, that's the most important thing."

Matt Tunseth

Matt Tunseth is a former reporter for the Anchorage Daily News and former editor of the Alaska Star.

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