Orcas hangs on, wins league opener 45-43

The defense was great. The free throw shooting was atrocious. But the final score was the best of all -- 45-43 in favor of the Vikings over Archbishop Thomas Murphy (ATM) in the Northwest A League opener for both teams.

But with just one second remaining in the Jan. 3 game in the Orcas gym, coach Greg Sasan and his Vikings had every reason to fear they were going to lose. That’s when an ATM player launched a shot from out beyond the three-point line that would have given ATM the game had it gone through the hoop. The ball barely touched the rim and bounded out, producing a collective sigh of relief from the Viking faithful.

Orcas fell behind 14-5 in the early going, prompting coach Sasan to demand that his Vikings play more aggressively and improve their defense. The kids got the message; moreover, they seemed to have the game well in hand late in the fourth quarter, up 44-37.

ATM was forced to foul, which should have been good news for an Orcas team that normally shoots well from the free throw line. Not this time, however. The Vikings missed free throw after free throw. In all, they made just four of 14 from the charity stripe, enabling ATM to crawl back into the game.

With about 30 seconds left, ATM gained possession of the ball, down 45-43. ATM missed one shot with seven seconds remaining, but the Vikings knocked the ball out of bounds, giving the visitors one last chance. This time ATM went for the win. “It looked like it was going in,” coach Sasan said of the three point attempt. The coach commended ATM for finding an open shooter. Fortunately for Orcas, the shot missed.

Jordan Gage led Orcas with 14 points, while Josh Gage was next with nine. Justin Langworthy and Arlen Plaister had eight points apiece. Andrew Ihlenfeldt didn’t score, but he did a great job under the boards. “He was a wild man,” coach Greg Sasan said.

One day later, the Vikings traveled to Darrington, where they were beaten handily 61-39 in a non-league affair. The tough game against ATM plus the long trip may have contributed to the loss. “I don’t know if we ran out of gas,” coach Sasan said. “I knew we’d be tired.”

But he also praised Darrington, calling the Loggers a “very disciplined and excellent shooting team.”

Jordan was top scorer with 14 points, while Josh was right behind with 13. Plaister was next with eight.

The Vikings now stand 6-3 for the season.

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