Boys basketball: Orcas sends Darrington Loggers to the mill

The Viking boys took down the Darrington Loggers on Saturday, Feb. 6 in a close match. The game hinged on a fight for the densely populated territory under the basket; both teams seemed focused on driving in down low to score, and heavy competition for rebounds spawned a few wrestling matches. “We weren’t hitting from the three point line, so we had to find somewhere else to make the baskets,” said Tyler Nigretto.

By Meredith Griffith • February 10, 2010 5:30 pm
Taylor Diepenbrock (20) at the end of a fast break with a layup.
Taylor Diepenbrock (20) at the end of a fast break with a layup.

The Viking boys took down the Darrington Loggers on Saturday, Feb. 6 in a close match. The game hinged on a fight for the densely populated territory under the basket; both teams seemed focused on driving in down low to score, and heavy competition for rebounds spawned a few wrestling matches.

“We weren’t hitting from the three point line, so we had to find somewhere else to make the baskets,” said Tyler Nigretto.

Both teams put up lots of shot attempts in the key, and many were blocked or deflected.

“We had pretty good ‘D’ on them, so Darrington kinda had to take crazy shots,” explained Nigretto. Nigretto put the first points on the board with a clean jump shot from the side. Viking defense kept Darrington from scoring until four minutes into the game, but when they did, they went on a run, taking a small lead into the second quarter. The Vikes caught up at 14 – 14, and then forward Henri Bredouw snagged a steal and drove for a layup to put Orcas ahead. But the Loggers were soon leading again, hitting the 4th quarter at 31 to 42.

“Our momentum was down; we just didn’t get it going until later. We had little spurts, we’d get on a roll, but then we’d break down once and it would be flat for a little bit,” said Nigretto. Despite a lack of momentum, the Vikings made some nice plays early in the game. Nigretto leaped out of bounds in a heroic bid to keep possession of a stray pass, batting the ball back into Viking hands, and Taylor Diepenbrock drove it down to score. Diepenbrock picked off a rebound and fed it to Tommy Granger, who sunk a two-point jumper as the 1st quarter buzzer sounded.

The Vikings had a great final quarter, sinking 20 points and holding Darrington to a mere 2 points.

“In our 4th quarter it all came together and we started playing really well,” said Nigretto. Nigretto and Robbie Padbury put in 10 points each, and Bredouw, Diepenbrock, and Daniel Janssen all contributed 7 points each. The final score was 51 to 44.

The war under the basket claimed a casualty in the 4th quarter, as a struggle for rebound possession sent Vikings and Loggers catapulting into a mid-air tangle of arms and legs. The whole heap came down hard on top of a key Logger player, who collapsed on the court, clutching his forehead in agony with a probable concussion. Island paramedics were on the scene within two minutes to check out the injured player.