Orcas fans know the Lady Vikes put in some serious sweat, a few tears, and yes, even blood on the court this season. The girls were thrilled to see that determination pay off, earning them a berth at the state basketball championships.

At their first playoff game against Wahkiakum on March 3, they put in a valiant effort, out-rebounding the Mules both offensively and defensively. But the Mules had smoother ball handling, effecting 10 steals to the Vikings’ 3, and forced the Vikes into more turnovers. The teams scored almost evenly inside under the basket, but the Mules hit more of their shots, sinking a staggering 27 points from outside the three-point arc compared to the Vikings’ 12. A deep bench contributed 18 points for Wahkiakum, who outscored the Vikes 63 to 45.

The Lady Vikes’ next game on March 4 was against DeSales, which had been defeated by defending state champ Colfax in the first round. The Vikings again showed fabulous rebounding skills, with a 69% overall rebounding rate compared to the Cavaliers’ rate of 31%. They forced the Cavaliers into more turnovers and more ball handling errors, swiping eight steals. But DeSales put up almost twice as many shots and hit a higher percentage of them. While the Vikes hit a much higher percentage from the free throw line, heavy fouling offered DeSales more opportunities, and they squeezed 13 points from Viking fouls. The Cavaliers bench contributed 11 points, and hit nine three-pointers while the Vikings sunk four. DeSales defeated Orcas 50 to 31. Not a single lay-up was scored in the well-defended keys of either game.

The Lady Vikes are grateful to the loyal fans who cheered them on through the Tri-District and state playoffs.

The final state playoff game will be held on March 6 at 8 p.m.