Lady Vikings pick up another win

“We played them pretty tough,” coach Terry Moran-Hodge said of the Lady Vikings, who put up quite a battle before bowing to the taller Evergreen Lutheran hoopsters. The Orcas girls lost 33-44, but the ending dosen’t reflect how close the game really was.

There was just a four-point differential both at half-time and the start of the fourth quarter.

Evergreen Lutheran was a formidable foe, having earned a berth into the Washington State Class B Basketball Tournament the last three years. Not only were they experienced, they were taller than the Lady Vikings. But thanks to some great inside defense by Aly Taylor and Suzanna Wrightsman, Orcas was able to keep the Evergreen Lutheran posts somewhat quiet. "She held her own with them,” Moran-Hodge said of Wrightsman, who leads the team in blocked shots.

The Lady Vikings kept the score close by playing active, in-your-face defense and cutting their turnovers way down. Their 13 steals didn’t hinder the girls’ performance either.

In reality, the game was lost on the free throw line. With scrappy, pressure defense comes fouls. Orcas sent Evergreen Lutheran to the foul line 20 times in the game, while the Lady Vikings visited the charity stripe just twice in the entire game.

Cara Peacock led the scoring with 11 points, while Lindsay Curtis and Jenole Peacock each contributed eight. Curtis was the leading rebounder with five, while Cara and Wrightsman had four apiece.

While Orcas reduced the number of turnovers, Moran-Hodge feels the girls can do better.

On the second day of their two-day road trip, they faced-off against Forest Ridge. Thanks to some great defense, improved shooting and a full court press, the Lady Vikings routed their opponents 49-27.

The Lady Vikings cut down on their turn-overs even more against Forest Ridge. That, combined with a huge offensive game by Cara, proved to be a lethal combination. “It was her best game of the season, “ Moran-Hodge said of her 19-point game. “She shot really well from the field.”

The Orcas defense, which forced plenty of steals from Forest Ridge, provided the Lady Vikings with plenty of offensive opportunities.

Annie Kucklick made contributions all over the court. She blocked two shots, nabbed two steals and crashed the boards.

The rout gave Orcas its second win of the season. The Lady Vikings’ next home game will be Jan. 3 against Concrete at 4:30 p.m.

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