Colin Everson (30) hit several key 3-point shots for the Vikings in their win against Cromwell and Dylan Quaife (10) had his best day ever in a Viking uniform when he scored 29 points in the Cromwell game.
The Cook County High School boys’ basketball team faced the tough Cromwell Cardinals for the third time this season and for the third time beat the Cardinals.
Only this game wasn’t close.
Playing at UMD’s Romano Gym on March 8 in the Section 7A semifinals, the Vikings came out and held Cromwell to 15 points for the first half, keeping the Cardinals scoreless for an 8-minute stretch.
“We were simply fantastic in the first half,” said Head Coach Mitch Dorr, adding that the Vikings’ clampdown defense, combined with the “hot shooting” that had Colin Everson hitting three three-pointers, a Mike Sjogren three, and Dylan Quaife absolutely “shredding the defense inside” led to early Cromwell foul trouble.
“It would have been tough for anyone to beat us in the first half of the game. We need to continue to work hard and play in the moment,” Dorr said.
The second half saw Cromwell make a few runs at the Vikings, but on two occasions, just as it seemed Cromwell was going to whittle the lead to 17 points, Dorr put in Justin Goldstein and Goldstein responded by scoring two quick baskets to end the runs. His play, plus the relentless rebounding of David Bergstrom and scoring by Dylan Quaife, pushed the Vikings’ lead to 30 points with 3 minutes to play. At that point Dorr put in the reserves and Cromwell managed to score a few more baskets to get the score closer by the final buzzer.
Senior guard David Bergstrom went up high for a lay-up against Cromwell. Bergstrom scored 25 points in the Vikings’ last game of the year and was named first team all-conference with Dylan Quaife. Both seniors will be sorely missed, not only for their play but their leadership.
As far as big games go, Dylan Quaife had his best night ever as a Viking, scoring 29 points. “I thought it was Dylan’s best all-around game of his career. Colin Everson played a great game despite battling a bit of early foul trouble in the first half,” said Dorr.
Kale Boomer also played well distributing the ball and was huge on defense. Sophomore center Jonny Jacobsen also came into the game and gave the Vikings 7 points, while Mike Sjogren hit a couple of big shots and played dogged defense all night long.
Bergstrom ended up with 14 points and who knows how many rebounds.
Dorr said, “Our team defense was fantastic and scoring 42 points in the first half was a huge confidence builder.”
Fond du Lac finishes Viking season
However, the Vikings’ basketball season came to a much too early end when Fond du Lac upset them 61-53 in the Section 7A semifinal playoffs. The two teams met in Hibbing on Saturday, March 10.
It was a hard-fought game throughout, with the Vikings trailing 22-21 at the half. Down four points late in the game, the Vikings stopped Fond du Lac on six straight possessions but couldn’t score a point on offense. That proved to be the difference in the game.
“We had many opportunities to score, but we just couldn’t make the plays,” said Coach Dorr.
Senior first team all-conference guard David Bergstrom, who scored 25 points, led the Vikings.
“I thought David really played outstanding and competed with the passion you want to see out of every young man. He was a great example for every young Viking watching the game,” Dorr said.
Kello and Trevante Brown led Fond du Lac. Both kids are great leapers and are outstanding basketball players. Kello scored 20 points and Trevante netted 16 for the game.
“This might be one of the toughest losses I have ever had to swallow. We just didn’t play our best basketball and Fond du Lac took advantage as they have some tough competitors.
“It was a tough loss, but I have to credit Fond du Lac, they made plays during crunch time and outplayed us in the second half,” said Dorr.
Dylan Quaife was held to 8 points for the game, 8 below his season average. Mike Sjogren scored 9 points and Colin Everson scored 8 points. Kale Boomer finished his night with 3 points. Only Sjogren scored a 3-point basket.
Although his team exited the playoffs earlier than they would have wanted, Dorr praised his players. “This was a great group of young men to coach. I am very proud of their work ethic and selflessness. More importantly, I am really proud of their character as young men.”
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