Left: Ashley Deschampe is now the all-time highest point leader for the Cook County girls’ basketball team. She passed 2002 graduate Malinda Berglund who scored 1,318 points for CCHS over her illustrious career. Ashley, a senior guard, is averaging about 22 points per game this season. Above: Bekah Laky goes around two defenders as she wheels to the basket for a lay-up. At 5’7”, Laky is truly a “small forward”, but because she knows how to position herself around the basket, she’s always good for 6-10 rebounds per game and always plays tough defense against her (generally) taller opponents.
When Willie Nelson sang, “We’re on the road again,” he might as well as have been singing about the Cook County girls’ basketball team. With little rest after playing a frantic five games on the road in December, the Vikings headed to Ely on December 29 to play in the Ely Christmas tournament where they met their host in the opening game.
Head Coach Thomas “TJ” Super said earlier in the year that Ely would be a much better team than they were last year and his prediction came true.
The always feisty Vikes played their pressing defense and tried to score some easy buckets, but Ely held onto the ball much better than they have in the past. The score at halftime showed Cook County down 23-20 with Ely holding onto the slim lead like it was a shiny new Christmas present.
Try as they might, the Vikings, while staying close, could never take the lead. With one minute to go in the contest the Vikings trailed by one point but a break away lay-up by an Ely player extended the lead to 3 points and the Vikings ended up losing 51-43, scoring 23 point in the second half while Ely netted 28.
“We played a good Ely team tough all night long,” said Assistant Head Coach John Jacobsen.
One highlight came when senior guard Ashley Deschampe scored a basket that propelled her past Malinda Berglund’s all-time scoring record of 1,318 points for the CCHS Vikings. Berglund graduated in 2002 and Ashley has at least 16 more games to extend that mark.
When asked how many points she has scored so far in her illustrious career, Ashley grinned and replied, “I have no idea.”
While there are many games to play and Ashley will surely increase her point production, it was fitting to see her break the record early in the season. She is a dedicated basketball player who practices year round and the results of those efforts are on display every time she takes the court.
All told, Deschampe scored 24 points on the night. She was followed in scoring by Bekah Laky with 8 points, Theresa Morrin with 6, Lily Gruber-Schultz with 2 and Breanna Peterson with 1 point.
Although the Vikings lost their fourth game in a row, Coach Super has
Fatigue. Gravity. Weariness. You name it, the CCHS girls felt it and were weighed down in their contest against Northeast Range in the Ely Christmas tournament.
After playing host Ely tough in a first game loss, the Vikings didn’t have the energy to come back and play well against the Rangers, falling 65-40.
“The girls were really flat and we just couldn’t score,” said Assistant Coach Jacobsen.
However, noted Jacobsen, Northeast Range was the fifth stateranked team the Vikings have faced early in the season.
“We don’t mind playing tough teams at all. In fact, we like the challenge,” said Jacobsen.
A bright spot for the Vikings is the improved play of eighth-grader Lily Gruber-Schultz, who started both games for the Vikings, said Jacobsen. “She’s getting better and better, really improving quickly,” noted Jacobsen.
The Vikings have had some tough losses to the squad, with senior Molly Zafft out for the year due to a shoulder injury and junior Kaitlynn Linnell out, at least temporarily, due to a leg injury. Helping to ease their loss is the return of senior Taylor Ryden, who was out until this week due to an illness.
“It’s really going to help us if Taylor comes back strong and stays healthy,” said Jacobsen, who added, “Plus, we are bringing back our full-court press. It energizes the girls and motivates them. As the girls learn the system we improve. We’re getting better and better each game.”
The Vikings finally got their first home game in a long while, squaring off against Albrook on Thursday, January 5. Their next home game comes January 12 against Mesabi East. The game starts at 6:30 p.m.
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