Lathrop boys 52, Colony 47
The Malemutes on Thursday began their three-game road trip to the Valley in impressive fashion, pulling away in the second half to beat Colony and move up to No. 3 in the RPI.

All-state guard Armani Smith led the way with 18 points, while Luke Skinner and Deshon Hall each scored nine points.

Lathrop coach Parrish West, a former Nanooks standout has gone from playing at UAF to coaching, orchestrating a bounce back season as the 13-3 Malemutes surpassed last season’s 12-win total with this victory. It’s helped having a dynamic transfer in Smith and impact freshman in Martell Mitchell, but it’s more than just that. The Malemutes have a strong nucleus.

Hall and Jaycee Brooks each drilled two 3-pointers in the third quarter, when Lathrop took control by outscoring the Knights 19-10 on their home court. Lathrop will be at Palmer on Friday and at Wasilla on Saturday before heading back to Fairbanks.

In the fourth quarter, Smith took over by scoring seven of his team’s final 10 points

Colony’s Mylz Mongeau and Jackson Ainsworth reach double figures. Mongeau netted 14 points, although he missed nine of 13 free throws.

Foul shooting has been the biggest hiccup this season for the highly regarded Knights, a problem that persisted Thursday. Back-to-back defeats have dropped the former No. 1 to sixth in the RPI.

Lathrop 11 12 19 10 – 52
Colony 13 10 10 14 – 47
LATHROP – Mitchell 1 0-0 2, Smith 6 5-6 18, Nelson 1 0-0 2, Des. Hall 3 1-2 9, Dev. Hall 2 0-0 4, Brooks 2 0-0 6, Bell 0 0-0 0, Stewart 0 0-0 0, Beard 0 0-0 0, Skinner 33-7 9, Parker 1 0-0 2. Totals 19 9-15 52.
COLONY – Mongeau 5 4-13 14, Balmes 1 0-0 3, Ainsworth 4 3-4 12, L. Lockard 2 1-1 6, Coon 1 0-0 3, Gardner 4 1-2 9, Karpow 0 0-0 0, T. Lockard 0 0-0 0. Totals 17 9-20 47.
3-point goals – Lathrop 5 (Des. Hall 2, Brooks 2, Smith), Colony 4 (Balmes, Ainsworth, L. Lockard, Coon). Total fouls – Lathrop 16, Colony 16. Fouled out – Dev. Hall.