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South Ridge
This game got away from the boys’ varsity fast. The Cook County boys lost 81-41 to South Ridge in Culver on Friday, January 20.
At halftime the boys were down 50-12 but over the second half they stayed pretty even with South Ridge, scoring 29 compared to 31 points for the Panthers.
Once again Denali Blackwell led the team in scoring with 22 points. Denali was the only Viking in double figures. Derek Smith finished with seven points and pulled down a team high nine rebounds. Rohan Rude had five points, Jordan Backstrom had three and Binesii Aubid had two points.
“South Ridge was a tough game for us, matchup wise,” said Viking Head Coach Keaton Riley. “They had a lot of height and a lot of experience on that team. We struggled a bit with the press and our shot just wasn’t there all night. We were able to battle until the end however, this team does not quit for anyone.”
Two Harbors
On Monday, January 23 the boys traveled to Two Harbors to play their closest North Shore rival. With the Silver Bay boys team not competing this year due to a lack of players, Two Harbors is the Vikings closest opponent only 85 miles away. On this night the Vikings were no match for the polished Agates, who took a 73-38 win over our Vikings.
“Two Harbors was possibly the toughest team we play this season. They have 12 seniors and have a 15-man rotation with multiple defenses and presses,” said Coach Riley. “Defensively we played well but far too many turnovers. Rohan Rude, a key player for us broke his nose early in the game and we struggled offensively afterwards. This was another game we didn’t quit however, and we forced Two Harbors, a very disciplined team, into double digit turnovers.”
Denali Blackwell led the team in scoring with 12 points. Amos Falter had eight, Derek Smith five, Ryan Smith five and Binesii Aubid had two points in the game.
With the loss the Vikings record was 2-8 and 1-3 in conference play.
Boys face Mesabi East at home
The Vikings boys’ basketball team had a tall order when they faced the Mesabi East Giants on Tuesday, January 23 at home. However, the Vikings started the game with a three-quarter press and hounded the Giants into one turnover after another. That said, the Vikings were only up 10 at the half as shots weren’t falling. Still, Amos Falter picked up the slack, hitting some nice long jump shots early in the second half and Derek Smith hit a long three with about seven minutes to play to wake up a Vikings’ offense that had gone to sleep for several minutes. Late in the game the Giants got within eight points and then Denali Blackwell, who was just a tich off all on some of his shots, hit three or four long-distance rainbow shots in a row to put the game out of reach, and the Vikings took a hard-fought win 75-59.
Denali Blackwell led the team in scoring with 23 points. Amos Falter had 19 points, Derek Smith 12, Javantae Love 11, Jordan Backstrom eight, and Ryan Smith two.
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