How good has Sophie Eliasen been on the court this season? Good enough for area coaches to name her to the Big School Polar League All-Conference First Team.
The Cook County High School girls’ basketball season came to an end on Saturday, March 3 at UMD’s Romano Gym when the team fell 73-50 to Cromwell.
The Vikings ended with a 9-15 won-loss mark.
Cromwell advanced to play Bigfork on Wednesday, March 7. The Cardinals entered that game with a record of 19-7.
Sophie Eliasen made four 3-point baskets in the game to lead the Vikings with 16 points. Also showing great shooting touch from long range was Alyssa Spry, who scored 9 points for the Vikings on three made 3-point shots. Abbie Crawford hit one long-range 3-point bomb on her way to scoring 8 points, Emma Gesch netted 4 points, and Ariana Poyirier put in 3 points in the game.
Against the Vikings, Teena Hakamski, 26 points, and Shaily Hakamaki, 22 points, led Cromwell.
On defense, Cromwell played its usual tough man-to-man, but the young Vikings didn’t rattle, “We took care of the ball well, with 12 turnovers,” said Vikings’ head coach Kelly Hawsen.
What hurt the Vikings the most was an inability to stop Cromwell’s two best players from scoring.
“The girls played a tough game but struggled with stopping their two main shooters,” Hawsen said. “We had many moments of composure and team defense, but when that lapsed, Cromwell took advantage. It takes a huge amount of effort, both physically and mentally, to play a full 36 minutes as a team,” she added.
With only one senior on the team, the Vikings will return their entire starting line-up for next year. While the loss to Cromwell stung, Coach Hawsen was reflective.
“It’s a tough loss, but my hope is that it provides motivation and excitement about the potential of this team and what they can accomplish with some focused work over the offseason.”
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