Nelson led all scorers with 17 points when the Cook County Vikings hosted the Cromwell Cardinals at home on Tuesday, January 19.
girls’ basketball team
split their two games for o
the week to bring their y
overall season record
to 13-2. The Vikings
started the week with
n
a dominating 60-21
o
win over the Cromwell
h
Cardinals. A few nights
later, the state-ranked
Vikings lost a tough
y
battle in Floodwood,
46-55.
January 19, the Vikings
played host to the y
Cromwell Cardinals. In t
their earlier match-up in
December, the Cardinals played Cook County
tough, maintaining the
lead most of the game
t
until the Vikings eventually
n
took over in the
final eight minutes to
t
win, 59-44.
w
showed little hospitality
this time however, y
jumping out to a 25-4
advantage. The Vikings
kept the pressure on o
throughout the first half
as they claimed a 35-8
lead at the break. At one
point in the first half, 3
the backcourt duo of –
Ashley Deschampe and s
The Cook County
At home on Tuesday,
Cook County
Christina Nelson scored 15 straight points as the Vikings looked downright dominating.
In the second half, Nelson continued her strong play, scoring six of the Vikings first eight points as Cook County extended the lead to 24, 40-16. From there the Vikings cruised to a 60-21 win. It was a solid win for the Vikings against a very well-coached and disciplined Cromwell team.
Nelson led all scorers with 17 points and Deschampe added 15 for the Vikings. Brea Boomer was also in double figures, scoring 11 points in the contest.
Three days later, the Vikings traveled to play the Floodwood Polar Bears. Floodwood entered the game with a 9-2 record and is considered one of Cook County’s main competitors in the section this season.
The Vikings’ full court pressure was handled fairly well by the scrappy Floodwood club. The Polar Bears and Vikings were stuck in a very physical half court game as Floodwood largely dictated the pace of play. A combination of home crowd advantage, some questionable calls by the officials, and a lack of composure by the Vikings gave Floodwood an early edge as they took a 24-26 lead at halftime.
In the second half, the game continued to go back and forth, but the Vikings looked noticeably anxious and impatient. Some costly turnovers and foul trouble hurt Cook County as it seemed that they couldn’t get any closer to Floodwood than the five-point barrier between the two clubs.
Down the stretch, Floodwood’s Alissa Autio scored six straight points before the Vikings were forced to foul. Floodwood made their last four free throws in a row to seal the win, 46-55. It was a tough conference loss for Cook County that may end up playing a role in the seeding process as well.
Essa Jacobsen had a big game, scoring 20 points and showing the senior composure that will be needed for the rest of the season. Nelson added 12 points, but no other Viking scored more than seven points.
The Vikings are now 13-2 on the season and look to rebound from their loss when they play the Babbitt Lady Knights on Thursday, January 28. Cook County also plays on Friday at home against Wrenshall. Look in next week’s edition for all the scores and highlights.
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