|
|
Ariana Poyirier (L) and Paisley Smith are the lone seniors on the Vikings girls’ basketball team. Ariana is a 5’8” guard and Paisley is a 5’10” forward. Both girls are long time starters, hard workers, and team leaders for this year’s squad. Photo courtesy of Kelly Hawsen
The Cook County High School varsity picked up two big wins last week and one this week. First, they knocked off Denfeld 58-36 on Thursday, February 4, and then the next night, they took a rare win, 70-55, against the Barnum Bombers.
Both games were played at home in the Pam Taylor gymnasium. The third win came this week against Floodwood.
Denfeld
The 3A school had two players score almost all of their points. L. Lowinski put in 18 and S. Reinertsen chipped in 14, leaving two other players to each net two points.
Meanwhile, senior guard Ariana Poyirier led the Vikings in scoring with 18 points. Sophomore guard Makenzie Fairbanks had a big night on offense, scoring 14. Senior forward Paisley Smith put up 12 points, sophomore forward Katie Peck had seven, junior forward Rhonnie Poyirier 3, ninth grade guard Elaina Deshampe two, and junior guard Anna Hay two.
The Vikings controlled the action from the start, and even though it wasn’t their best game, they held down a large school to under 40 points with their tough man defense.
Barnum
Barnum is always trouble for the Vikings. But not so much this year.
The Vikings used a tough man defense to shut down the Bombers offense and every time the Bombers got close, the Vikings responded with a basket of their own.
Leading the way was slick ball-handling guard Arianna Poyirier, who feasted on steals. Ariana hounded the Bombers all night, making steals, driving the court’s length for baskets, or making passes to open players. Ariana ended her night with 27 points and a fist full (or two) of assists, steals and rebounds.
Paisley Smith also had an excellent game, ending with 17 points on offense while playing outstanding defense.
Rhonnie Poyirier received some nice passes from her big sister Ariana, fought for loose balls, and scored 15 points. Katie Peck battled hard and finished with six points while Makenzie Fairbanks ended with five points and probably that many floor burns after diving for loose balls.
Anna Hay didn’t score, but as always, she played tough defense, made good passes, and protected the ball. This was a big team win for the Vikings, who seem to be hitting their stride in week three of the season.
Rayna Klejeski (12) and Jacinda Wright (12) led Barnum in scoring.
Floodwood
The Vikings traveled to Floodwood on Monday, February 8, to play the appropriately named Polar Bears on a frigid 20F below zero night. Led by Ariana Poyirier, the Vikings came home with a 59-48 win, their third victory in a row.
Ariana led the Vikings in scoring with 19 points. The senior guard is leading the team in scoring and is the top assist person and one of the leading rebounders on the squad. She is also a tough defender who often steals a dribbled ball or cuts in front of a pass. However, one player can’t win a game. Paisley Smith, Anna Hay, Rhonnie Poyirier, Katie Peck, Makenzie Fairbanks, and several players who come off the bench have all been playing great defense and sharing the ball on offense. The players have been rounding into a fine basketball team behind the coaching of Head Coach Kelly Hawsen and her Assistant Coaches Becca Jorgenson, Emily Jacobsen and Kyler Hawsen.
For the night, the Vikings had four players in double figures. The other three were Paisley Smith, who netted 12 points, Rhonnie Poyirier with 11, Katie Peck 10, and MaKenzie Fairbanks finished with seven points.
Katie Peck finished with two 3-point baskets.
The Vikings’ next three games are all away. The team travels to Cromwell on February 12 to face the Cardinals, and then heads off to play the mighty Esko Eskimos on February 19. They wrap up their four-game away-from-home-play on February 23 with a game against the Nashwauk-Keewatin Night Hawks before playing the Carlton Bulldogs at home on February 23. The game against Carlton will start at 6:30 p.m. and can be watched on the school’s Zoom site. Because of the COVID-19 safety protocols, only parents and close relatives are allowed to see the games in person, wearing masks like the players and referees.
Leave a Reply