One way for a team to find out its strengths and weaknesses is to play in a pre-season jamboree, and that’s just what the Vikings did on Saturday, November 22 when they traveled to Esko to play four 30-minute scrimmages against Cromwell, Two Harbors, Floodwood, and International Falls.
Girls’ basketball Head Coach Mitch Dorr started Jami Sjogren, Lily Gruber- Schulz, Emily Jacobsen, Sarah Toftey and Essance Haines, but plenty of players saw time on the floor.
With only one week of practice, the Vikings kept their offense and defense simple, said Dorr.
“At the scrimmage we played all half court manto man defense. We have had only five practices, so we are in the basics stage right now. I would love to have a zone defense right now but we are working on the basics,” said Dorr.
Coach Dorr said no stats for rebounds or points were kept, but the scrimmage pointed out a few things to him and his staff.
“We have our concerns on offense. We have no real shooter so we will have to work together to score points.
“On the positive side, we are working harder this year. I think the girls are starting to understand how hard they have to work in order to be competitive,” he said.
“Right now we have 19 kids out in grades 9-12. Three of those players are playing for the first time, so they will have a bit of a learning curve to start the season,” Dorr said.
When asked if any players are surprising him, Dorr responded, “Sophomore Sarah Toftey has really looked good early this season, especially on the defensive end of the floor. She is tough and we need more of our players to take on that mentality.”
Last year the Vikings finished 7th out of 11 teams in the Polar League with a 4-8-conference record, but with more depth and more experience, they should improve this year.
The Vikings will open their season against the Silver Bay Mariners at Silver Bay on December 2. They will follow that with four more games on the road against Carlton, Mountain Iron Buhl, Two Harbors and a Christmas tournament at Two Harbors on December 26 before finally playing at home against Silver Bay on January 6.
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