Vikings fall to Lobos, rebound against Granite Falls

Published 11:29 am Tuesday, December 15, 2009

The Lobos came out Tuesday with explosive energy and before the Vikings knew it, the Lopez team was up 12-5 in the first quarter. By halftime the Lobos were leading 30-17 and by the end of the game the score was 53-39, Lobos.

“To be blunt, there was not much we did do correctly against Lopez,” Coach Greg Sasan said. “We played poorly. I looked at the film and we didn’t fill passing lanes, we didn’t box out. It was a good loss for us, because it woke us up.”

Lopez quickly took advantage of Orcas’ weaknesses, and with three point shots from William Carson and the under the basket finesse of Tak Peralta, the Lobos were a scoring machine.

Mica Arps, guard for Lopez, said, “We’ve played these guys (from Orcas) off and on for years. We’re familiar with their style. They’re like family. It will be a great game.” And it was.

But even though the Lobos came out early, Orcas, in the form of Tyler Nigretto and Henri Bredouw, was quick to answer. Nigretto and Bredouw scored 11 and 10 points respectively for Orcas, but scoring for the Vikings on the field was 20% and the free throw percentages were 28%.

Fouling was moderate on both sides of the court, but it was the Lopez defense that harried Orcas. Swarming the Vikings again and again, passes were tipped and knocked away and Lobo Mica Arps made good on several fast breaks to put more points on the board for Lopez. At the start of the fourth quarter the Lobos led 43-34, and the race back and forth for dominance was hot between the two teams.

Nick Van Maren for the Vikings got a few nice shots in, as well as Tyler Nigretto and Michael Langworthy. And by the end of the second half Lopez and the Vikings both had 10 fouls each. With three minutes left in the game, Lopez led 47 to 36, but Orcas was not in the mood to give up.

The Lobos however, had more speed, better ball handling skills, and overall more confidence in moving the ball . “Our shooting wasn’t as good as it needed to be,” Coach Greg Sasan said. “They need to work on their concentration under pressure. We were 5 for 19 at the free throw, and we lost by 14 points.”

Against Lopez, Sasan concedes that his Vikings did not play up to standards.

“We went in with the wrong attitude, a lazy attitude. We didn’t prep right, we didn’t get our game on soon enough,” Sasan commented. “The mental aspect of the game cannot be underestimated. I need to change that.”

And the Vikings took their comeuppance to heart. They went back at it and improved their scoring by 40% and beat Granite Falls 47-42 on Friday, at Granite Falls.

“We prepared for them better and we came in with a different attitude,” Sasan said. “Coach Cory and I are learning about the guys and we need to know how much to push them and what to do to prepare them. They played more aggressively and with a much more focused attitude.”

Nigretto had 17 points against Granite Falls while Daniel Janssen had 13. Each contributed to that win with hussle and smart playing. Nigretto had a three pointer against Granite Falls and Janssen as well had 11 rebounds.

“Granite Falls was average sized, like us, but very quick and very aggressive, and both teams went at it,” Sasan said. “We took care of the ball better and shot better; 40% from the free throw line this time. It’s getting better.”

Michael Langworthy scored four points, while Bredouw had five, Taylor Diepenbrock had seven, and Van Maren had one.

The Vikings go up against Concrete on Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 3:30 p.m. and Mt. Vernon Christian on Thurs. 3:30 p.m.; both are home games.

The Lobos continued their schedule against Grace Academy on Friday at Grace and beat them 58-35.

“Several players, especially Mica Arps, have been playing really well,” Lobos Coach MR Buffum commented. Leading scoring for the Lobos against Grace was Arps who had 19 points, while Alex Buffum scored 16, William Carson had 12, Keldon Jardine had nine, and Colton Jardine had two.

The Lobos play Highland Christian on Tuesday, Dec. 15 and Skykomish on Dec. 18 both away games.