Viking boys sink Mariners at home, even series with shore rival

The Vikings crashed the boards in hopes of getting a rebound off of Silver Bay’s Cash Williams free throw. The Viking players from L-R: Paul Dorr, Derek Smith (1), Jacob Dorr (23), and Recko Helmerson-Skildum (14). Staff photos Brian Larsen

Talk about a reversal of fortunes. The last time Silver Bay and Cook County met on the hardwood the Mariners throttled the Vikings by a score of 73-35. The game was played January 20 in Silver Bay and it wasn’t much of a contest.

This time around would things be different?

A confident Mariner team came to Grand Marais on February 9 with maybe too much confidence and what they found was a very different Viking team. One that is gelling on defense and at times percolating on offense.

And like the first game, this wasn’t much of a game either as the Vikings ran past the Mariners 57-38.

A barrage of threes and a solid “help” man-to-man defense were keys to the win. The Vikings also ran their low/high post offense at high efficiency, using 5’8” guard Derek Smith in the center position. When the ball was fed to Derek he would either kick it back out to an open shooter or use his quickness to get by the taller Silver Bay players and score on a layup.

Jacob Dorr blocked the shot put up by Manor Ollman.

After the game Viking Head Coach Andy Feddema reflected on the win.

“We had a few guys really step up for us. Paul Dorr really filled up the stat sheet, scoring 18 points, pulling down 14 rebounds, getting three steals, and three blocks.

“Derek Smith added 20 points, with 18 coming in the second half. He also added six rebounds. Jordan Backstrom was a big factor, getting five rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Jacob Dorr added eight points, four rebounds, and three assists. Recko Helmerson-Skildum had six points and four rebounds. Rohan Rude hit a three, and Amos Falter added a late bucket.

“This was a really nice win for our guys tonight. A well-deserved win. The boys played a good game, overall. I was proud of the effort they put forth. Defensively, our help rotations were the best we’ve had all year, and we were able to stifle Silver Bay’s offense. Offensively, we hit shots and attacked the basket well. We need to continue to limit our turnovers, as that was an issue for us. But overall, very proud of the guys and it was a great win for them to get.”

Jordan Backstrom rebounded a Mariner shot and passed the ball to Paul Dorr.