By Portia White – Orcas Island High School

Boys basketball

The Vikings competed in their last two road games of the regular season last week.

On Jan. 29, the team traveled to La Conner for the rescheduled game. In the beginning, Orcas was down, but by the end of the first quarter, they began to take control. Even after making a mistake, they got right back and fought even harder, resulting in their 76-57 victory over the Braves.

On Jan. 31, the Vikings entered Friday Harbor territory. It was a very physical battle, with the crowds on their feet throughout the game. The gym was packed full of both Viking and Wolverine fans who had cheers going back and forth. Friday Harbor stayed in control most of the night, for their senior game, and Orcas tried to keep the game within reach.

Towards the end of the fourth quarter, they came down to only needing a couple stops, but fell short. The final score was 47-53. The following day, the Vikings took on another island team, Lopez, at home.

Orcas has two more games in the regular season, both being home. They will face La Conner on Feb. 4 at 6 p.m. and Concrete at 4:30 p.m. on Feb. 7, for senior night.

Girls basketball

On Jan. 25, The Lady Vikings traveled to Tacoma to take on Evergreen Lutheran. It was alumni along with senior day, with games happening all day in the Eagles’ gym.

Evergreen came out of the gates physical and energized, with their crowd helping to get the team started. The score stayed very even throughout the first half, but Orcas came out even stronger at the start of the second half. The Vikings took the victory, 42-26.

Their next game was at La Conner on Jan. 29. It was the Lady Vikings’ first time facing the Braves this season. La Conner was able to move the ball up and down the court through the entirety of the game, and Orcas wasn’t able to keep up. The game ended 16-86, in La Conner’s favor.

A battle of the islands took place on Jan. 31 in Friday Harbor. The Lady Vikings and the Wolverines remained close on the scoreboard for most of the game, with a low scoring first half. In the fourth quarter the Lady Vikings took control giving them the lead and overall win. The final score was 46-31. The next day, Feb. 1, the team was back at home facing Lopez, for an out of league game.

Orcas has two games left this season, both being at home. They will play La Conner on Feb. 4 at 4:30 p.m. and Concrete at 6 p.m. on Feb. 7 for their senior game.

Contributed photo.