The Vikings won in a nailbiter on Dec. 15 against Concrete, in a contest where both teams kept after each other and answered each other’s scoring point for point. The final score was 60-57.
Two days later, though, the Vikings made short work of the Mt. Vernon Hurricanes, beating them with a wide point spread of 65-45.
Mt. Vernon Christian had the same kinds of scoring issues that Orcas had against Lopez last week. They just couldn’t get it through the hoop. Some of it was due to having an off night and some of it was the energetic and determined defense of the Vikings, who took advantage every way they could of loose balls and failed shots.
But on Thursday the Vikings lost no time in getting points on the board with a strong defense and accurate shooting. Tyler Nigretto and Taylor Diepenbrock had 15 points each against the Hurricanes while Nick VanMaren and Jacob Hansen both had 10. Daniel Janssen put seven up and Henri Bredouw scored three.
Janssen had nine rebounds, and behind him was Diepenbrock with seven. The Vikings were 59 percent on the free throws.
“We’ve been working a lot on the free throws,” Coach Greg Sasan said. “We play aggressively so we will find ourselves on the free throw line. That’s just a fact. We need to be more careful.”
The Vikings’ ball handling skills show more confidence and finesse each time the team plays.
“We tell them not to look at the scoreboard, look at the player who’s going to take the ball away from you,” Sasan said. “We remind them about that.”
By halftime Vikings were up 26-17, with Mt. Vernon aggressive in the key but unable to make many of their shots. The danger in jumping out ahead is that some teams will grow mentally lax and give up their advantage. Not so for the Vikings. They came out hungrier than ever at halftime and kept up their press.
The Hurricanes had real problems capitalizing on scoring. Number 11 for the Hurricanes, Cooper Blade, did a good job of getting the ball down the court but missed 60 percent of his scoring opportunities.
Nigretto led the Vikings in breakaways and tore down the court to take as many shots as he could while Diepenbrock had several spectacular shots, all under pressure.
Again, Blade for the Hurricanes fed the ball to teammates down the court but the Vikings were very aggressive under the key and snagged the ball time and again.
“We are really concentrating as playing as a team,” Nigretto said. “We’re keeping up the chatter and trusting each other better. It’s starting to come together.”
By the end of the third quarter, the Vikings had maintained an 11 point lead. It was 38-27 with 1:34 seconds remaining.
“We have become more accurate, and that just comes with time and practice,” Sasan said.
Mt. Vernon, while not a big team (average height is 5’ 11”), has some depth on the bench, with five juniors and four seniors. Similarly, Orcas has a slightly smaller ratio but definitely has worked on their scoring focus in the last two weeks.
“We really did address raising the scoring percentages, and as they can see, it is working,” Sasan said. “I’m initially pleased. But it could always be better.”
At the end of the third quarter, the Vikings were maintaining their lead 42-31, and with 4:43 remaining in the fourth quarter, thanks to work from Nigretto and Diepenbrock, Vikings led 54-35. Hansen came in during the fourth quarter and put points on the board as well for the Vikings, and in the last minute the next string got some playing time: Michael Langworthy, Tommy Granger, Willie Eagan, VanMaren, and Justin Liedecker. The final score was 65-45, Orcas.
The Vikings played the Lummi Blackhawks on Dec. 22 at Lummi Nation. The season continues after the Christmas break on Jan. 5, when the Vikings play Shoreline Christian at an away game.
