Last week in Orcas sports | Slide show
Published 10:47 am Tuesday, January 21, 2014
by Jack Russillo
Orcas High School senior
The Viking boys basketball team traveled far to face the Darrington Loggers and came out alive with their first league win.
The Vikings started off fast with intense defensive pressure that lead to a couple of fast break lay ups and a 13-12 lead after the first quarter. The Vikings went into halftime leading by 8. The Vikings came out of halftime fired up, extending their lead to up to 15 and started the final quarter leading 45-35. Stout defense and ball security allowed for the Vikings to hold on to win 56-53.
Viking scoring was led by Jack Gates with 29, Pasha Bullock with 16, Aidan Kruze with 6, and Miles Harlow with 5 points.
The girls team lost to the Loggers, 45-41.
The Vikings hosted the Friday Harbor Wolverines in their second home game of the season. The girls won 62 to 38.
“Because we won our first game, we knew that we had the advantage,” said girls’ coach Gregg Sasan. “Our press worked well, for the whole game. We had a lot of threes. Seniors Bella and Shelbi did well with 23 points each.”
The boys lost to Friday Harbor 22-80. From the opening tipoff, the Wolverines came at the Vikings with full force. The boys struggled to score early and turned the ball over frequently, leading to a 27-2 deficit at the end of the first quarter and trailed 54-8 at halftime. Changes at halftime provided an improved offense and defense, but the first half woes were too big to overcome and the Vikings lost 80-22.
Scoring was led by Kruze with 8, Gates with 7, Jack Russillo and Greyson White with 3, and Bullock with 1.
After a miserable game the night before, the Vikings boys team recovered to face the Lopez Lobos for a second time this season and won 54-44.
The Vikings played solid defense and were hitting their 3-point shots. Both teams went back and forth for much of the final quarter, but stalwart defense and another 10 points of free throws helped the Vikings secure the win.
Viking scoring was led by Kruze with 15, Gates with 13, Russillo with 9, Harlow with 7, Bullock with 6, and Jordan Randolph with 4.
The girls’ team won 78 to 50 against the Lobos.
“I knew we’d be tired from the night before, so I decided not to press them too much,” Sasan said. “Getting the ball inside was key for our success. It was good for us to get some playing time for everyone. It’s been fun to play well at home.”
