Above: Sophomore guard Leo Johnson played the junior varsity game and then came back and gave the varsity a big lift against Cromwell. Left: No Viking in recent memory has put up the rebound or point totals that Brandon Curtis (44) has put up this season. Here, despite the defensive pressure, Brandon shoots and scores two of his 30 points against Cromwell.
The Vikings boys’ basketball team played three games in the last week, winning on the road against Silver Bay on Thursday, February 6, and at home against Carlton the next night. On Tuesday, February 11, they played at home against the Cromwell Cardinals and lost a game that was winnable.
Vikings win big over Silver Bay
The contest against Silver Bay was interesting for the first half, with the Vikings leading 20-24 going into the locker room. However, some second half adjustments and just better all-around play from the Vikings quickly put this game out of reach, with the Vikings going on to win big.
Viking Head Coach Pat Eliasen said, “We played tremendously well in Silver Bay. The first half was back and forth and we went into the half time up by four points. The score seemed close but we didn’t have that feeling that we needed to rush things.
“We came out in the second half and really played great team basketball. We played outstanding manto man defense and that’s what ultimately broke the game open for us. The final score was 67-33 and we held them to just 13 points in the second half,” said Coach Eliasen.
Brandon Curtis continues to put up terrific numbers for the Vikings, scoring 17 points and pulling down 18 rebounds. Jamie Wick also had a big night, scoring 16 points and nabbing 5 rebounds while Jonny Jacobsen put up a nice double double, scoring 10 points and pulling down 14 rebounds.
Richie Furlong had his best game to date, scoring 12 points and pulling down 8 boards. Lars Scannell and Leo Johnson both ended their nights with 4 points and 3 rebounds while Andy Farley had 2 points and 1 rebound, Seth Warren had 2 points and 2 rebounds.
“I have been very pleased that the team is still improving. I would much rather see constant improvement throughout the season (even though it might seem insignificant) than hitting a plateau where we have no room left to grow as a team,” said Eliasen.
Vikings win battle with Bulldogs
Against Carlton it seemed that the Bulldogs got every rebound off the rim or off the glass during the first half of play. The Vikings led 27-20 at the break, but if a few balls could have bounced into Vikings’ hands, the lead would have been bigger.
Still, while the Vikings clearly had the better team, Carlton had enough tenacity to stick within 10 points of the Vikings through the second half, and the Vikings ended up winning 56-49. However, the game never seemed to be as close as the final score would indicate.
Carlton was led by the smooth guard play of junior Adam Ermatinger, who got to the hoop numerous times and dished out most of Carlton’s assists. Brandon Curtis again led the Vikings.
Game by game Curtis continues to make a strong case to win All-Conference honors. Coach Eliasen said, “His line against Carlton was a ridiculous 25 points and 21 rebounds. Great effort leads to great results, and that’s Brandon’s strength. He is relentless on the boards and fights for every ball off of the rim, usually winning the hotly contested battle for the ball.”
Lars Scannell also had a big game for the Vikings, scoring 15 points and grabbing 5 rebounds. Smooth shooting guard Jamie Wick finished with 7 points and 4 rebounds while Jonny Jacobsen ended his night with 4 points and 7 rebounds. Richie Furlong scored 4 points and grabbed 3 rebounds.
After the game Coach Eliasen said, “These guys work extremely hard every day in practice and I am very proud of the effort they put forth on the floor. As of Sunday, we are currently the third best defensive team in the section by only allowing 53.6 points per game. Bigfork and Ely are the two teams that have better defensive numbers than us.”
Vikings fall to Cromwell
Early foul trouble by Viking starting guards Richie Furlong and Lars Scannell led to their sitting on the bench next to their coach as the Vikings’ 8-point lead slipped away in their absence on the court. By the time they got back out to play, the momentum had shifted and the Vikings couldn’t quite catch the confounding Cardinals.
Still, the Vikings made it close before falling 61-51.
The Vikings went into a lull in the second and third periods and then tried to frantically come back against the Cardinals, pulling to within four points with a few minutes left on the clock. In the end the Vikings had to foul and the Cardinals hit too many free throws for the Vikings to catch up.
“Turnovers killed us again,” said Coach Eliasen. “Cromwell pressured us in the corners and we had trouble handling that defense. I think we ended up turning the ball over 30 times.”
Missed easy shots also hurt the Vikings.
“We missed a lot of easy lay-ups. That really hurt us too,” Eliasen said.
Although the team lost, Eliasen said, “I can’t be disappointed with the kids’ effort. They fight to the bitter end. They don’t give up and I can’t ask for any more from them.”
As for the play of Brandon Curtis, Eliasen said he couldn’t be happier with a player. “He once again played fantastic. He ended up scoring 30 points and had 23 rebounds. He works so hard out on the court and just gives his team everything he’s got. He’s had a phenomenal season and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Eliasen also said that Jonny Jacobsen and Jamie Wick had good games for the Vikings.
Jacobsen finished with 7 points and 11 rebounds and Wick scored 7 points and had 3 rebounds. Scannell ended with 4 points and 2 rebounds while Seth Warren finished with 3 points and had 2 rebounds.
The Vikings are now 4-8 in the conference and sit in 8th place out of 11 teams. Overall the team is 5-10 on the season. Cromwell sits one win ahead of the Vikings in the conference.
The boys finish their regular season against four very tough opponents, and all of the games are on the road. The first game is against Mountain Iron-Buhl on February 13, then they face Lake View Christian on February 18 and then they play Floodwood on February 21. Their last game is against 3A Esko which is unbeaten in the conference.
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