With Molly Thomas looking on, Vikings’ center Emily Jacobsen went strong to the basket to score 2 of her team-leading 9 points against Two Harbors.
A game Viking team fell to the tall Two Harbors Agates 49-37 at home on Friday, December 12.
The Vikings led early by 6 points, but the Agates fought back and slowly but surely caught up and went into halftime with a 27-15 lead.
The second half played out like the first with the Vikings staying within shouting distance but never getting quite close enough to make a run at the win.
All in all the girls played some tough defense but never could get their outside shots to fall and Two Harbors did a pretty good job at keeping the Viking scorers out of the paint.
Emily Jacobsen led the Vikings with 9 points, Lily Gruber-Schulz (7), Sophie Eliasen (6), Molly Thomas (5), Sarah Toftey (4), and Shauna Blake, Jamie Sjogren, and Essance Haines each had two points.
The Vikings will face Two Harbors again this season, and should fare better next time they meet on the hardwood.
Vikings lose to MIB
On Monday, December 15 the Vikings traveled to Mountain-Iron Buhl (MIB) to face the top-ranked Class A team in the state. It wasn’t a good contest. The Vikings fell behind 49-9 at halftime and lost 79-15.
MIB was led by Chelsea Mason (17 points) and Cora Peterson (16) points.
Emily Jacobsen led the Vikings with 11 points and finished with 11 rebounds. Of her play, Head Coach Mitch Dorr said, “Emily played fantastic.”
Hannah Toftey and Essance Haines each had 2 points to end the Vikings’ scoring. The Vikings’ top scorer, Lily Gruber-Schulz was out because of a sprained ankle.
“I thought we played hard, but were overmatched,” Coach Dorr said.
When asked if the kids showed improvement from previous games, Dorr answered, “I don’t think we improved. My biggest disappointment was not implementing the simple fundamental techniques that we had worked on in practice.”
The Vikings ran a 3-2 zone, but Dorr said, “We just didn’t match up well against a quicker more athletic Mountain Iron team.”
Against Mountain Iron, Dorr said, “Their press really killed us. Their guard play was fantastic and they really exploited us with full court pressure.”
Dorr noted that MIB is currently ranked No. 1 in the state. That ranking comes on the heels of their second place finish last year and third place finish the year before.
“They are not only talented, but they work very hard and have the kind of intensity any coach would want. I was very, very impressed. Their summer program includes 37 varsity games, lifting weights five times a week, and making (not shooting) 12 to 20 thousand shots in the summer.
“Their dedication really shows. If we want to improve as a program, the off-season will be the key. Right now it’s more like a hobby instead of a competitive sport. We need to change that culture.”
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