ACS girls launch 80 shots to stroll into Class 3A semifinals

Anchorage Christian’s pursuit of a third straight Class 3A state championship started in decisive fashion Thursday at the Alaska Airlines Center.

The Lions launched a staggering 80 field-goal attempts in a 68-23 romp over the Kotzebue girls.

The victory improved ACS to 28-0 and puts the Lions in a 6:30 p.m. semifinal game Friday against the Kenai Kardinals, who edged Mt. Edgecumbe 34-32.

In Thursday’s late session, Barrow bounced Galena 46-35 and Nikiski toppled Valdez 58-45 to advance to the 8 p.m. semifinal.

Destiny Reimers finished with a game-high 17 points to lead ACS. Mary Kate Parks added 12 points, six rebounds and four steals.

The game was a showcase for the Lions’ depth — 10 players grabbed at least one rebound, nine scored points and eight had steals.

ACS stole the ball 23 times — Mykaila Pickard led the way with six swipes — and forced a total of 34 turnovers by Kotzuebue. The Lions controlled the boards 53-36, with Reimers and Jordan Todd both collecting nine rebounds.

ACS limited Kotzebue to single digits in each quarter and allowed nine points the entire second half. The Huskies shot 13 percent from the field (7 of 46) and ACS shot 33 percent (33 of 100).

Alanna Conwell’s nine points and two blocks gave Kotzebue a boost.

Kenai 34, Mt. Edgecumbe 32

Brooke Satathite and Jaycie Calvert scored in double figures for the Kardinals, who rattled Mt. Edgecumbe into 26 turnovers.

Satathite posted 12 points and six rebounds, and Calvert netted three triples en route to 11 points. Satathite and Jaeden Streiff each had three steals for the Kards, who got 17 swipes from a combined nine players.

Sanora Bell’s 10 points and four rebounds led Mt. Edgecumnbe, which got another nine points from Catherine Sunny. Brystel Charlie sparked the Braves with five rebounds and five steals.

Barrow 46, Galena 35

Jenilee Donovan’s monster game of 21 points and 14 rebounds fueled Barrow’s upset of second-seeded Galena.

The Whalers jumped to a 17-10 lead and never trailed after that. Seven players joined Donovan in the scoring column, including Katelyn Kaleaj, who had seven points and nine rebounds.

For Galena, Pearle Green had 12 points and Vivian Condello had 11 rebounds.

Nikiski 58, Valdez 45

A commanding performance by Bethany Carstens carried Nikiski past Valdez.

Carstens hit 9 of 14 shots en route to a double-double of 21 points and 11 rebounds. Kelsey Clark shared the spotlight with seven points, six rebounds, four assists and four steals. Kaycee Bostic added nine points for the Bulldogs.

Valdez had a balanced scoring attack led by Jillian Fleming, who tallied 11 points and four rebounds. Ashley Ramoth scored 10 points, Ally Seiber had six points and eight rebounds and Jade Watts pitched in seven points and seven rebounds.

This story has been edited to correct ACS’s shot totals.

ASAA March Madness Alaska

Thursday’s results

ACS 68, Kotzebue 23

Kenai Central 34, Mt. Edgecumbe 32

Barrow 46, Galena 35

Nikiski 58, Valdez 45

Friday’s games

Consolation

11 a.m. — Kotzebue vs. Mt. Edgecumbe

12:30 p.m. — Galena vs. Valdez

Semifinals

6:30 p.m. — ACS vs. Kenai Central

8 p.m. — Barrow vs. Nikiski