Viking girls’ coach Kelly Hawsen led her team through a series of drills last week at practice. There are 20 girls out for basketball this season, and despite their youth, the Vikings should field a very competitive team. The girls’ first home game is Dec. 16 against Cromwell. The varsity game will start at 6:30 p.m. Come out and cheer for your Vikings! Staff photo/Brian Larsen
The 2019-2020 Cook County High School girls’ basketball team has most of its starters back from last season, and a cast of 20 out for the JV and varsity team, which should bode well for the upcoming 22-game schedule the Vikings will play this winter.
Varsity head coach Kelly Hawsen has two returning seniors to help guide her young squad. The seniors are Alyssa Spry, a guard, and Abbie Crawford, a guard/forward. Emma Gesch, a senior forward – the third leg of the stool – has an ACL tear and will sadly miss her final high school season.
Spry is a good ball handler, a pass-first, shoot-last player. Crawford is a good long ball (three-point) shooter, ball handler and passer.
Junior center Paisley Smith had a strong sophomore year, and she will be counted on heavily to take care of the paint on defense, as well as rebound and score underneath on offense. Standing six feet, Paisley is the tallest Viking player.
Ariana Poyirier is a speedy junior guard who is a strong ball handler. There’s not much Ariana can’t do on a basketball court. Last year she showed she could play with the top guards in the conference.
Ariana’s sister, Rhonnie Poyirier, is now a sophomore forward who also will play a lot of minutes this season.
Sophomore Anna Hay, a guard who can run all day, and freshmen McKenzie Fairbanks, Katie Peck, Wei-Lani Lalkiaska, Anna Fragale, and senior Sarah Slovinski, who was a team manager last year but elected to play this year, will all work hard to get playing time.
Because most of the starters are back from last year, Coach Hawsen said, “We can add a few more X’s and O’s this year. On offense, we will run a 1-4, using a lot of ball screens and back screens. We won’t focus on the three-point shot. We are going to strive for quality looks and high percentage shots and playing team basketball.
“On defense we will play a lot of man, throwing in some zone two and fullcourt press. We are running a new press this year. Last year we ran a 1-2-2; this year, we are going to a 2-2-1 press.”
The Vikings’ first two games are on the road. They play Two Harbors on December 6 and then travel to play Northeast Range on December 12. The team gets its first home game against Cromwell on December 16 in a 6:30 p.m. game. Next, the Vikings travel to play Moose Lake/ Willow River on December 20 before Christmas break, then play at home against South Ridge on January 3, 2020, at 4:45 p.m. Come out and cheer for your Vikings!
Leave a Reply