Katie Peck looks for someone to pass to before the fast-moving Cromwell player could clamp down on defense and deny the pass. Staff photo
It was only their second game of the season. Still, the Cook County girls’ basketball team has already made some significant improvements in their play, said head coach Kelly Hawsen following her team’s 58-30 win over the Northeast Range Nighthawks.
The Vikings traveled to Northeast Range on Thursday, December 12, and with the win, their record is now 1-1. They fell to Two Harbors in their first game after leading at the half.
“We were in some early foul trouble and had some underclassmen really step up,” Hawsen said, adding, “That was great to see.”
Leading the Vikings in scoring was Abbie Crawford. Abbie had 23 points, making five 3-point baskets. She was perfect from the free point line, going 4-4 and also finished with five rebounds.
Arianna Poyirier finished with 18 points. She led the team in steals with seven and pulled down four rebounds.
Katie Peck made six points, grabbed two rebounds and had four steals in the game.
Rhonnie Poyirier contributed five points and six rebounds while Alyssa Spry had three points, made two steals, and ended with five big assists. Paisley Smith netted two points, made two steals, and pulled down five rebounds.
“We emphasized in practice over the last couple of days staying low on defense and great ball pressure. You could see that pay off with the multiple steals and tips the girls had which often converted to easy layups,” said Hawsen.
Vikings fall to Cromwell Cardinals
Cromwell had too much “Hakamaki” for the Vikings.
The always tough Cromwell Cardinal girls’ basketball team traveled to Grand Marais on Monday, December 16, to face the Viking girls’ basketball team, and after the first minute of play, it was 0-0.
However, a Hakamaki got free underneath the hoop for an easy two, seven seconds later the ball was stolen by Taya Hakamaki on Cromwell’s end of the floor and Taya the “thief ” swished a basket from beyond the three-point line. A second steal just a couple of seconds later led to an assist by Shaily Hakamaki, who fed Natalee Hakamaki for another easy layup and just like that, the Vikings were down 7-0, and the game wasn’t even two minutes old.
Cromwell kept their defensive pressure on, playing a tough man-to-man or switching to a press at times.
On offense, the Cromwell girls used a lot of back screens and off the ball screens to free a player for many uncontested layups. When that didn’t work, they were comfortable shooting the long ball. It was apparent these girls spend a lot of time in the gym or on the playground, playing basketball year-round — all of the Cromwell girls, not just the Hakamakis.
The game ended with Cromwell — no doubt a top 10 team in Class A girls’ basketball — winning 64-29. Both coaches substituted liberally with about six minutes left, letting younger players get some varsity action.
As for the Vikings, they showed a lot of hustle and certainly had chances to score. Alyssa Spry was often the shortest player on the court, but she battled for rebounds and pulled down several from the “trees” underneath the basket.
Ariana Poyirier and Paisley Smith each scored seven points to lead the Vikings. Alyssa Spry and Katie Peck each finished with five points, Rhonnie Poyirier two, Kamryn Johnson two and MaKenzie Fairbanks had one point.
As for Cromwell, Taya Hakamaki led the Cardinals with 24 points. Shaily Hakamaki ended with 18 points, and the third-highest Cromwell scorer was Natalee Hakamaki, who had eight points.
The Vikings travel to play Moose Lake/Willow River on Friday, December 20 and then will face several teams in the Two Harbors Christmas tournament Dec. 26-27.
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