Abbie Crawford blows by the Two Harbors defender on her way to scoring two points. Unfortunately the Vikings couldn’t hold a lead and lost by three points to the Agates. Photos courtesy of Bruce Johnson
Facing a brisk schedule that would weary even the best college or professional player, on Friday, January 31 the CCHS girls’ basketball team embarked on a rigorous run by taking on Class AA Two Harbors at home in what would turn out to be the first of six games in eight days.
Vikings lose close game to Two Harbors
On Friday, January 31 the Vikings hosted the Two Harbors Agates in a match that went down to the wire.
Usually a good freethrow shooting team, the Vikings missed free throws down the stretch that cost them a win over the Agates, and the Vikings fell just short, losing 50-47.
Alyssa Spry, 11; Katie Peck, 11; and Abbie Crawford, 10; scored in double figures for the Vikings. Paisley Smith finished with eight points, and Ariana Poyirier had five points in the contest.
Vikings fall to Duluth East
If playing a Class AA school is tough, a Class A school facing a Class AAAA school is that much tougher, but that’s what the Vikings did when they squared off against the Duluth East Greyhounds the next day in an afternoon game held at home.
Katie Peck (13) shows great technique in how to block out the opposing player and stop them from getting a rebound. Just a freshman, Katie is already a tough defender and a strong rebounder for the Vikings.
With eight minutes gone in the contest, the Vikings got a 3-point basket from Ariana Poyirier to pull within one point, 15-16, but that was as close as they would get.
Following Poyirier’s big basket, the Greyhounds went into a full-court trapping press and took control of the game, forcing a multitude of turnovers and leading 38-19 at the half.
Coming out of the break, Duluth East kept up the full-court pressure for about seven minutes. The Greyhounds extended their lead to 32 points, 52-20, before their coach called off the press and substituted for some of his starters.
With some room to breathe, the Vikings started putting points on the board. At one juncture, Ariana scored ten straight points, ending her night with a team-high 23, making four 3-point baskets along the way.
Freshman guard Anna Fragale had a good night, scoring seven points. Another freshman guard, Makenzie Fairbanks, ended the game with four points, and junior center Paisley Smith had three points. Alyssa Spry finished with two points to close out the scoring in the Vikings 69-38 loss to the Greyhounds.
Vikings come up just short against Chisholm
This was another game that slipped through the Vikings’ hands.
With a day of rest, the Vikings hosted the Chisholm Bluestreaks on Monday, February 3 and it was a close game throughout.
Battling past the tall Chisholm center, Viking center Paisley Smith made some big baskets in the first half, and tough-as-nails Alyssa Spry lost in the giants underneath, rebounded well in spite of her short stature.
The Vikings led 24-20 at the half, but not long before the half ended, the Bluestreaks started to work the ball into their tall eighth-grade center, Tesa Baumgard, a rangy 6’1” center with long arms. Baumgard had four or five blocked shots in the first half, so her presence was well known on the defensive side of the ball, but in the second half, she started to score, ending her night with a game-high 15 points.
Paisley Smith and Ariana Poyirier each had 13 points to lead the Vikings. Abbie Crawford hit a big three early but cooled down and ended with five points. Katie Peck tallied four, Alyssa Spry four, and Makenzie Fairbanks three points in the contest.
Vikings face Duluth Denfeld
On February 4 the Vikings traveled to Duluth Denfeld to play another AAAA school, the 3-17 Hunters.
Tired or not, the Vikings took to the floor, found a rhythm on offense, and played tough defense and came away with a 69-62 win.
Ariana Poyirier led the way with 21 points. Abbie Crawford had 19, Paisley Smith 16, Makenzie Fairbanks 7, Alyssa Spry 4, and Katie Peck 2 points in the contest.
After the game head Coach Kelly Hawsen said, “The girls had a great win over Duluth Denfeld today. It’s nice for them to work hard and get a win after some close, tough losses from the past week.”
The Vikings played the Saint Paul High School for Recording Arts (referred to as Hip Hop High) on February 6 and then traveled to Barnum the next day to face the Bombers. Those games were played after our deadline and will be in next week’s paper.
On Friday, February 14 the Vikings will play the Esko Eskimos at home at 6:30 p.m., and the next day face Nashwauk-Keewatin at 4:45 p.m. at home. These are the last two games of the regular season before playoffs, so come out and cheer for our Vikings!
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