Senior night came early for Wasilla's Sullivan Menard as he led the Northwest Nazarene men's basketball team to a 71-63 victory over the University of Alaska Anchorage.
Updated: 47 minutes agoSenior night is usually reserved for the final home game or match of the regular season, but Wasilla’s Sullivan Menard got to celebrate his early in a homecoming of sorts Thursday night at the Alaska Airlines Center .
The former Colony High star and 2019 Gatorade Player of the Year for Alaska’s boys basketball led the Northwest Nazarene men’s basketball team to a 71-63 victory over a program he grew up supporting and rooting for, the University of Alaska Anchorage. “This is the closest chance I’ll ever get to being close to home so just having people here I know just means the world,” Menard said. “It’s been a long road, and so just being able to finish my last season is special.” In front of a welcoming road crowd that included family members, friends and other supporters, Menard dropped the second-most points in the game with 19, narrowly trailing his teammate Yaru Harvey, who recorded a game-high 20. “I knew there was going to be a lot of people here coming from the Valley so I’m super thankful that they made the drive,” Menard said. “You don’t really get to hear that often on the road, but just knowing that people were behind me made me shoot with confidence, and it was awesome.” The win extended the Nighthawks’ winning streak to eight in a row and improved their record to 11-1 while handing the Seawolves their first loss in their last six games dating back to early December. “It feels great, that was a tough game,” he said. “It’s always tough to win on the road against a really good team. I think we’re rolling right now and I think if we take care of business, we’ll crack the top 25 this upcoming week, so that’s kinda what we have our eyes set on. We want to put ourselves in the best spot for the tournament coming up in March.”The last time he played a competitive game at the Alaska Airlines Center was his senior year of high school in the 4A state tournament, where the Knights finished third. “I couldn’t have asked for a better chance to come back here, play a great game and get a win,” Menard said. Menard, a senior, was the last player to touch the ball as the final seconds ticked off the clock. He chose to dribble it out in a gesture of respect for his opponent, although his teammates were encouraging him to attempt a last-second layup to eclipse 20 points and finish as the game’s leading scorer. “I was mad at myself, I could’ve finished with 20 but I missed those last two free throws,” Menard said. “It was a blessing just to see the ball go through the net tonight and to be able to score tonight.” Beating the Seawolves on their own home court was a little bittersweet for him given how he always wants the program to thrive, just not at his expense.that’s stuck in my head,” Menard said. “It was something that I wanted. I didn’t want to come here and lose. I want to show that I’m one of Alaska’s finest and I can come back on any team and win. It’s hard coming back but is a sweet feeling.” Some of his teammates who are also new to the program had never been to Alaska prior to this trip, so he made sure to remind them that it gets darker sooner this time of year and treated them to some Moose’s Tooth pizza when they arrived. “That was a good start and they loved that,” Menard said. “It’s just such a special place and the community here is amazing. Just to be able to see people come out was so special to me.” The Seawolves managed to keep it close until the end, when they had to start intentionally fouling to preserve time while sending several Nighthawks to the free-throw line. “I thought it was a hard-fought game,” UAA coach Rusty Osborne said. “It was a one- or two-possession game the whole time. We came out the second half and were playing well and jumped to a five-point lead, thought we had a little momentum, a couple things went against us there and it kind of sparked them, and we couldn’t get back after that.” Nevertheless, he was proud of the physicality his team played with and knows they can learn from some of the mental mistakes that cost them in this matchup.Thursday’s game marked the Seawolves’ first on their homecourt since Dec. 7, when they started their win streak with their first conference win over Western Oregon. Despite Thursday’s unsatisfactory result, being home was a pleasant and long overdue experience. “It’s fun to be home, we’ve been traveling a lot, we’ve gone close to 20,000 miles already and you throw in last week’s trip and going across the border, which isn’t the easiest thing to do either,” Osborne said. “To be back home, get into a rhythm and sleep in our own places and get to practice on our own court has been good.” Osborne has been watching Menard play since Menard was in high school and looks forward to getting another shot at him and the conference-leading Nighthawks next month. “He’s a nice player,” Osborne said. “We’ll try to guard him better when we play them at their place.”Josh Reed is a sports reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. He's a graduate of West High School and the University of North Carolina at Pembroke.
College Basketball Menard Northwest Nazarene UAA Alaska Airlines Center Hometown Senior Night
United States Latest News, United States Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
Drug Bust at Wasilla Bar Leads to More ArrestsA drug bust at a Wasilla bar in December has resulted in several arrests, including two more on Friday. Authorities discovered that multiple employees were involved in the trafficking of illegal drugs.
Read more »
Wasilla lights new giant menorah on second night of HanukkahThe 20-foot menorah on the side of the Parks Highway grew a little brighter Thursday on the second day of the festival of light.
Read more »
Windber Church of the Nazarene Reopens After Devastating FireThe Windber Church of the Nazarene has reopened its doors to the public after a fire destroyed its previous building. The rebuilt church is located in the same spot as the old building and the congregation has been meeting every Sunday throughout the past two years.
Read more »
Wasilla High School Offers Free Technical Training to Ukrainian RefugeesA new program at Wasilla High School will provide free after-hours technical career education to Ukrainian refugees, aiming to help them access education and boost the area's skilled trades workforce. The program will launch later this month with weekly evening classes teaching construction and electrical work. It complements an existing ESL program for refugees and is intended as a model for expanding workforce training throughout the Mat-Su region.
Read more »
Point Loma Nazarene Tops Academy of Art for PacWest LeadPoint Loma Nazarene's men's basketball team defeated Academy of Art, securing their position as the leader in the PacWest Conference.
Read more »
Point Loma Nazarene Basketball Teams Dominate PacWestThe Point Loma Nazarene men's and women's basketball teams both secured first place in the PacWest Conference after sweeping their doubleheaders last week.
Read more »