Lady Panthers Head to State Championship
Photo by Jubilee Heinbaugh. The Glennallen Panthers are the 2021-2022 Champion Team. Team members are VaLinda Vermillion, Brejanay Stone-Jordan, Cheyenne Fields, Teagan Rude, Kristin Ewan, Madison Cozzen, Tiana Cozzen, CeAnika Palacious, Jadeliah Dahl and Coach Jubilee Heinbaugh.
Mackenzie Dysinger - CRR Staff
The second-seeded Glennallen Lady Panthers won the Interior Conference Tournament in Tok last weekend, while the fourth-seeded boys team won one of three games before elimination.
The boys faced off with Tok in the first game on Thursday night and lost 56- 45. They fought to stay alive in the double-elimination tournament and continued to play two more games. The boys’ season ended in a hard loss to the Tok Wolverines on Saturday morning with a score of 55-59. Brady Cyr and Hunter Terrell were chosen for the All-Conference Team while Ryan Albert won the three-point contest. The Interior Conference Tournament was won by Ninilchik.
As the second seed in the tournament, the Lady Panthers automatically advanced to the second round where they played a close game against the Nenana Lynx. CeAnika Palacious made two free throws with less than five seconds on the clock to gain a three-point lead for the Lady Panthers. In an attempt to tie the game, Nenana launched a failed three-point shot at the buzzer leaving the Lady Panthers with the win.
A season of hard work paid off for the Panthers as the five starters, CeAnika Palacios, Cheyenne Fields, Teagan Rude, Kristin Ewan, and Jadeliah Dahl tenaciously played all 32 minutes of the championship game. Coach Jubilee Heinbaugh and her girls showed great poise as they maintained a close lead and a strong defense throughout the final minutes of the game. The Lady Panthers won the Interior Conference Tournament with a score of 30-24 sending them to the 2A ASAA State Championship this week in Anchorage.
The team also received the award for best sportsmanship throughout the season. Three Glenallen girls were selected for the All-Conference team: CeAnika Palacios, Cheyenne Fields and Teagan Rude. Jadeliah Dahl and CeAnika Palacios were selected for the All Academic Team and Cheyenne Fields won the three-point contest. CeAnika Palacios was named the Interior Conference Player of the Year.
The Lady Panthers are seeded fourth in the State Championship and will face off against Unalakleet on Thursday afternoon. Games are available for viewing through the NFHS network. If you see a Lady Panther around town this week, be sure to wish her good luck!
