Slow starts plague Mariners in three-game skid </MCC HEAD>

Story last updated at 7:50 PM on Wednesday, February 25, 2009

Slow starts plague Mariners in three-game skid

By Aaron Selbig
Staff Writer

The Homer boys' basketball just couldn't gallop out of the starting gate last week, as they dropped three in a row to Kenai, Soldotna and South Anchorage.

Against Kenai Thursday, the Mariners started off slow, engaging in a defensive battle with the Kardinals that produced a 9-9 tie at the end of the first quarter.

In the second, Kenai's Josh Lazaro began to assert himself, leading his team to a 23-16 halftime advantage.

Photographer: Aaron Selbig, Homer News

Homer guard Corey Sutherland zips past a Soldotna defender during the second quarter of a Feb. 20 game.

"He got a couple open looks, hit a couple of threes and they pulled ahead," said Homer Head Coach Russ Radliff. "It was a real physical game, a battle inside and out. We got back in it in the third but then they pulled away again."

Lazaro led all scorers with 24 en route to a 44-41 Kenai win.

For Homer, Dean Devaney scored 11 and picked up five steals. Joe Horazdovsky had nine points while center Devon Kennelty chipped in eight points and pulled down nine rebounds.

The Mariners came out slow again Friday night, which featured a rowdy Senior Night crowd cheering them on against Soldotna.

The Stars, undefeated in conference play, thoroughly outmatched the Ms at every position. Kennelty, an often dominant presence in the low post, found himself struggling to keep hold of the ball while facing frequent double teams while the Homer guards had trouble with Soldotna's intense half-court pressure defense.

"They're really strong, probably the best team we've played all year," said Radliff. "Defensively, they play conservatively but still make you earn your points."

After falling behind 21-6 in the first quarter, Homer managed to fight back to within 10 at halftime, but to no avail.

In the second half, the Stars cracked the Mariners' zone defense and got 11 points from guard Jake Jansen on their way to a 63-39 victory.

Homer failed to put any of its payers in double figures, getting eight points from Kennelty and seven apiece from Horazdovsky and Vance Wolford.

On Saturday, right before the game against South Anchorage, Devaney, who had been battling flu-like symptoms all week, pulled himself out of the lineup.

"It finally caught up to him," said Radliff. "We didn't have him and that hurt. South plays a zone and he would've helped us against that."

After South built a 49-31 cushion at the end of the third, Homer clamped down on defense, employing a half-court press that momentarily threw the Wolverines off their game.

The Mariners got within five in the closing minutes, but were unable to get any closer than that, losing 65-54.

"We had some good chances to make a game of it at the end, but we made too many mistakes," said Radliff.

Homer will stay at home this weekend for a two-game stand against the visiting Kodiak Bears.

Kodiak has steadily improved all season, said Radliff, and is currently tied with Homer for sixth place in the Northern Lights Conference.

"They beat Kenai so that tells you they can play," he said. "I would expect it to be a tough game."

Aaron Selbig can be reached at aaronselbig.@homernews.com.